Hello again blog-followers! Thanks again for checking in. In my last entry I had just finished my first week in Lugano, the students had recently arrived and I was looking forward to getting to know them better. Well, I have been able to through all the awesome activities we do together each day. The picture above is the setting for these awesome activities - the picturesque Lake Lugano. I am not the only person in history to think this area is special. The author Herman Hesse made his home ten minutes from our school's campus. Anyways, here are some of the typical activities that fill my "work week:"

horseback riding

Here's one of my favorite advisees, Ayoub. He tells me about how he races horses when he is back home in Libya.

ice cream social/limbo competition

Advisory Group Olympics during which the students had to construct a boat out of cardboard, duck tape, and plastic bags. Our advisory team name was the Snoragnes. 

The boat races were a lot of fun.

On Thursday evenings we go down to the city of Lugano (our school is a few kilometers above it), to shop, eat gelato and basically get a sugar-high.

On Friday we windsurf

on Lago Maggiore.

Here's a student (and faculty) soccer tournament ... the Spaniards beat the Russians in the finals this week.

Here are all the students that I do these activities with. The are an awesome bunch.

Although I have no right to complain, doing all these activities tires you out, but the other counselors (above) are amazing. We keep each other going and have a great time together.

On the weekends we always head out of town - Saturday for a full day trip and Sunday for a half day trip. This past Saturday, we went to Switzerland's capital, Zurich. Although it was rainy, we had still got to know the old town around the River Limmat,

explored some cool churches (Grossmunster = big cathedral),

and wandered through the back streets in search of souvenirs and espresso.

Here's what the country side looks like between Lugano and Zurich...not a bad view to stare at during the three hour bus ride.

The students seemed to have a good time on the trip too.

And finally on Sunday, we got some sleep-in time, and an afternoon at the Ascona lido (a public, open-air swimming pool or bathing beach).

Hoping you're well from a happy camper in Swizterland.