Try Again

In 7th grade, my class went to the Richmond Science Museum. Every single other year, the 7th grade went to visit the Amish in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I was rather bitter about this change for a long time.

Yesterday, the 7th and 8th grade went to Amish country and guess who went with them? Finally, my life has come in a complete circle... or something like that. The trip took 3 hours each way, which meant we spent more time on the bus than in Amish country. We had a bus tour of the area, then got off at a farm house where the lady of the house cooks and serves meals. After lunch, we got to explore the farm a bit and pet the horses.

I smiled so wide at seeing the small town with the open fields of corn and dark soil. Once again, however, I missed the mountains, thinking how flat the land looked. Our tour guide then told us we were in the flattest county of the flattest state in the country. I felt better about marveling at the flatness.

When we disembarked at the farmhouse, the silence struck me. Without electricity or many cars, the ambient noise dropped to nothing. How beautiful! And the air smelled clean and like food! We went inside, where the smell of the house and the homemade bread on its way out made me certain the entire 6 hours on the bus was worth this one meal.

To my disappointment, the students' xenophobia kept most of them from even placing the food on their plates. Even now, they look at me in disbelief when I say that meal is the best one I've had since arriving at St. Louis. And my housemates cook well! I enjoyed everything: chicken, meatballs, green beans, mashed potatoes, pasta, fresh bread, and pie.

After lunch, we went to the stables, where the kids encountered horses for the first time. Besides a few being terrified and no one knowing how to be quiet, that went well. I enjoyed watching some of them wait patiently for their louder peers to pass so that the horse would come back and they could pet it. The man of the house was shaving a horse that would be sold as a show horse tomorrow. Which I guess means she's already been sold. The chicken and nursing puppies were also a big hit.

Finally, we returned to the little town of Arthur. Watching my students dash across the street made it hit home how much of city kids I have. I knew that each car would stop and wait patiently for them here, as cars would not in St. Louis.

The town had an old fashioned soda and ice cream counter which many students hunted down. The lady working there put the carbonated water and syrup in the cup from separate taps. I was mesmerized!

I hated to leave. Much as I enjoy St. Louis, these past few tastes of the country have made me realize how much I miss that peace. There are no late night Colonial Williamsburg walks here, or afternoons on the river. I can't find peace away from the world in the tiny glories God placed around us.