Escalade weekend began with a very hectic crowd of students attempting to finish their final portfolio to be submitted. Everyone was eager to finish it in hopes we would all be able to spend the last couple days stress free enjoying the winter season together. For many this wasn’t exactly the case, but everyone eventually turned it in.
After all the folders were submitted we all gathered for our final potluck dinner. This is an event we held every couple of weeks, but this week was a bit different we all brought out our leftovers and made very interesting concoctions with what we had. I surprisingly had enough pasta to feed forty people. Apparently I like pasta. After our meal we ent around the room and each gave speeches about our experience and how for most of us this experience was the best time of our life. By the end all of us were near tears.
The following morning we arose early to celebrate the Genevian festival of Escalade. Think carnival meets halloween meets a renaissance fair and you’ve got an idea of Escalade. The celebration dates back to the 12th of December, 1602 when the citizens of Geneva successfully defeated troops that unexpectedly attacked their city. I won’t go into too much detail, but the tradition is to buy a large chocolate pot like the one in the picture (which surprisingly are very expensive) and the oldest and youngest person in your group goes up to the front and smashes the candy filled pot and sings a long brutal French song and then the whole crowd eats the chocolate. It was very thrilling. This little tradition was followed by a walk through the town and a large parade with lots of little children walking around with fire in their hands. Nicki and I got stuck in this massive crowd of people and it was one of the coldest nights with snow falling. It was difficult to be in such a large crowd.
That night we went to sleep for the last time in our rock hard IKEA beds with excitement and sadness. The next morning we were up at 5 am I was off to an eight-hour train ride on my way to Germany and everyone else off to catch their flight back home. I got on the train near tears thinking back to this amazing adventure… Thank you Geneva!
After all the folders were submitted we all gathered for our final potluck dinner. This is an event we held every couple of weeks, but this week was a bit different we all brought out our leftovers and made very interesting concoctions with what we had. I surprisingly had enough pasta to feed forty people. Apparently I like pasta. After our meal we ent around the room and each gave speeches about our experience and how for most of us this experience was the best time of our life. By the end all of us were near tears.
The following morning we arose early to celebrate the Genevian festival of Escalade. Think carnival meets halloween meets a renaissance fair and you’ve got an idea of Escalade. The celebration dates back to the 12th of December, 1602 when the citizens of Geneva successfully defeated troops that unexpectedly attacked their city. I won’t go into too much detail, but the tradition is to buy a large chocolate pot like the one in the picture (which surprisingly are very expensive) and the oldest and youngest person in your group goes up to the front and smashes the candy filled pot and sings a long brutal French song and then the whole crowd eats the chocolate. It was very thrilling. This little tradition was followed by a walk through the town and a large parade with lots of little children walking around with fire in their hands. Nicki and I got stuck in this massive crowd of people and it was one of the coldest nights with snow falling. It was difficult to be in such a large crowd.
That night we went to sleep for the last time in our rock hard IKEA beds with excitement and sadness. The next morning we were up at 5 am I was off to an eight-hour train ride on my way to Germany and everyone else off to catch their flight back home. I got on the train near tears thinking back to this amazing adventure… Thank you Geneva!
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