美国传统节日——校友返校周 Homecoming: An American tradition

如果你是正在备战2014年高考的高三学生，你是否也意识到随着高考的结束，这段承载了你无数美好回忆的高中生活也即将画上圆满的句号呢？你即将面对崭新的生活环境，结识新的朋友们。那么你可曾想过如何告别自己的高中生活呢？下面就一起看看美国的高中生们是如何告别他们的高中生活吧！

By Amirah Ahmad

My curls feel loosely upon my shoulders, and the gloss glistened on my lips. The dress fit like a glove, the heels made me feel queen of the world, and the cool, autumn breeze aroused the perfume dappled on my wrists. It was perfect. It was homecoming.

A tradition since the early 1900’s, homecoming has been a celebration of students and alumni in an effort to raise school spirit and unite the student body. Typically, there’s a week of various activities and spirit days preceding the homecoming football game. The main event, however, for high schools across America is the homecoming dance.

Nonetheless, the week preceding my homecoming was just as magnificent as the dance itself. Every day of the week was designated a spirit day. Tuesday, for example, was “Wild Animals Day” in which students decked out in zebra, cheetah, or leopard print with animal ear headbands.

This spirit week precedes the massive homecoming football game in which nearly the entire school attends. Typically, there is a student section where hundreds of students stand on bleachers rooting for their team. The bleachers are jam packed with students pressed up against each other.

This year’s game, however, was entirely drained out . As soon as I raised my fist up in the air to cheer on my high school’s football team, the rain came down.

The raindrops met my frowning face with a strong impact, and my clothes began to soak in a matter of minutes. My hair clung to my face and the students were all over the place, as they knocked one another down with their slippery bare arms.

However, as the rain continued to dampen our clothes, it did not dampen our spirits. We roared in the stands, making not only the bleachers beneath our feet tremble but also the opposing side.

The day after the game was the homecoming dance. From 9 a.m. in the morning to 5:30 p.m., girls, including myself, get ready for the dance. It takes an entire day of preparations. Although I didn’t go too far out , most girls get their hair and nails professionally done. Often times, most girls even have their make up done by a make-up artist at the mall.

After all preparations were made, we convened at my friend’s house for pictures. We gathered on her patio , side by side, as our parents took photos. The entire situation was so serene . The only things I could hear were the clicks of the camera, the water trickling into the lily pad-filled pond behind us, and light-hearted giggles of my friends. The ambience was ideal.

After pictures were taken, we headed to the party-bus, a large bus with bench seats enough for about 20 people. The chauffeur transported us to the restaurant we had reservations at where the dinner was exquisitely delicious.

The dance aspect of homecoming isn’t a prominent feature, but still an enjoyable part of the experience. The dance floor was filled with students showcasing the newest dance moves: the Bernie, the Dougie, the Wobble and more. The music was blasting, the speakers were roaring, and the kids were all yelling out of joy. Although my ears had been thoroughly abused, I was pleased as I stepped out of the dance hall.

After the night of festivities, we went to another friends house where the fire was already burning outside. We formed a circle around the fire pit stick in hand, and burned marshmallows that we later stuffed between two pieces of graham crackers and Hershey chocolate. The warm s’mores were the perfect way to wrap up the night.

Despite the different aspects of homecoming dance, however, my friends were the most important part of it all. As my high school career is wrapping up, I have started to fully appreciate the time I spend with the friends I’ve had for years. Their laughter, their conversations, and their faces will soon be a part of my past. Often times, we speak about college. We tell each other where we are applying and we wish each other good luck, biting back the tears as we think about how things will never be the same. There’s nothing that means more to me right now than having the time of my life with the best friends I could ask for.

（来源：英语学习杂志 编辑：丹妮）