BFA Tradition

October 31, 2007

Fall and Halloween are a big deal in Germany...or at least in this part of Germany. Wednesday after school students and staff loaded up in buses and headed down to Basel, Switzerland for HerbstMesse....translates literally to Fall Festival. This is a tradition for BFA, and I have been hearing about it all month. Once we are in Basel, they let the students loose in the city. All around the city they have rides, games, and concession stands set up. But the most popular activity for students and staff is going to Starbucks, being that this is the closest Starbucks for us, and it is a treat. I think all 300 BFA staff and students were at one of the 4 Starbucks that evening. But by 7:30, everyone heads to the bumper cars. Students go crazy riding the bumper cars...and staff too! I had to make a go of it, but was riding with a mother of one of my students. She is the one driving, and I was giving directions for her to bump all of my students who were out there, and of course the students were doing the same to me! It was a blast. For 2 hours students rode these bumper cars. I felt sorry for the Swiss because we basically took over this section of the festival. After an hour of watching, and dizzy with headache, Nolan and I headed back to Starbucks...couldn't get enough of "home". By chance, a whole group of BFA teachers were at the same Starbucks, and we all sat there visiting until 11:00 that night. These are good memories Nolan and I will forever remember about our time here at BFA.