It was 5 am and the alarm was ringing, but I only wanted to sleep longer. As I woke up, my sister asked me if I am ready for homecoming week. I thought to myself, how can I be ready for something I have never experienced before? In Switzerland we do not have a “homecoming” celebration, and where are these people coming home from? Everyone I have met already lives here!!! So why is this a “Homecoming”? Homecoming in America is a weeklong celebration for high school students who show their pride for their school. The celebration begins with the construction of a float.
     Two weeks before homecoming our class met and decided on what type of float to build. We decided on a Medieval theme… our float was going to have a knight. Then in my host Father’s garage we began to build our float. It took us until the night before the parade to finish our float because we had so many ideas and some needed changed. We used the barn from the year before and made it a castle. We built a catapult and a moat that smoked as we went through the parade.
     Starting on Monday of homecoming week, which is called spirit week, students have a theme for their dress each day when we attend school.
     Monday was concert-t-shirt-day. I didn’t take a concert t-shirt to the US with me so I didn’t dress up this day.
     Tuesday, it was dress-like-a-teacher-day. I dressed like my French teacher. She always wears fluffy stuff and very high heels so it wasn’t difficult for me to dress like her. My German friend dressed like a German teacher and one of my American friends dressed like his dad, who is a teacher at our school.
     On Wednesday it was medieval day. The seniors were royalty, the juniors were knights, the sophomores were merchants and the freshmen were peasants.
Thursday was farmer day. I live in a small farming community here in the US so needless to say I have never seen so many tractors in one place. The parking lot at school was filled with them in the morning. Most of the students and teachers dressed up for farmer’s day. I borrowed my Dad’s shirt which was very comfortable and looked like a farmer’s shirt.
     Friday, was the day of Homecoming and the celebration goes on all day at school. Students paint their faces, arms and legs blue and white for the school colors. In the morning we watched a movie about the homecoming court and voted for the King and Queen. Then we watched the powder puff football game. This is where the girls play football. In the afternoon the gym filled with students playing games with students and teachers until it is time for the parade. The floats were waiting on the parking area lined up with the seniors first and the freshman last. Students lined up behind their floats and walked in the parade that goes through down town.
     Friday night students and people from around town came to the football game. At half-time there were more homecoming festivities. The announcer announced to the crowd who won the float competition. The seniors won first place (because they are seniors, I think our float was 10X better). The juniors won second, freshman third and sophomores fourth.
     As the announcer finished announcing the winners the marching band took to the field. We do not have marching bands back home in Switzerland so it was amazing to watch them play and move in rhythm to the music. At the end of the band’s performance the representatives from each class were presented. These people are called the “homecoming court”. The seniors have five boys and five girls who represent the royalty of the school.
     We voted earlier Friday morning for a boy and a girl who would be King and Queen. This year a very cute football player became the king and one of the senior girls that I do not know became Queen. After the crowning of the King and Queen, the football game began again and the cheerleaders tried to improve the crowd’s spirits who were sad because Frankenmuth was vaporizing us 35 to 0. Even though we lost we still had Saturday’s dance to look forward to.
     To honor the students that were elected to the homecoming court there was a dance on Saturday night. It is a very formal event and everyone wears formal gowns and many of the boys dress up and ask a girl to go. I went with my sister and our friends. Later our friends who had worked the Renaissance Festival (read my last story) showed up and joined us so I danced a slow song with one of my friends.
     It was very fun to be dressed up and pose for pictures. It was my first school dance. Back home we do not have school dances, we go to clubs to dance.    The D.J. played a mixture of hits and slow songs, even some row dancing songs we danced to. The night with our friends was perfect fun, but ended way to soon. Unlike clubs at home the dance ended at 11:00 o’clock during a slow song we were dancing to. The lights turned on and we had to leave.
     The excitement of the week began to end as the lights turned on and I realized that homecoming week was over. It was much fun. There will be however, more to look forward to. American students like to have formal dances and will have another one called Snowcoming. I can’t wait to dress up and have so much fun again.

-Svenja