Day 9, Tag 9 - September 27th: Ben & Jerry's & Stowe

The word food coma probably describes today best. Like the past few days, we met at school in the morning and then took a typical American school bus to Ben & Jerry's Factory, which is about 30 minutes away from Burlington. There we had a short tour and got an insight into the production. The highlight, of course, was that everyone got a free scoop of ice cream. However, our appetite was only further stimulated and ultimately satisfied by huge portions.

After the ice cream orgy, our bus took us to a Cider Mill where we could observe the production of cider and buy more souvenirs.

Afterwards, we were driven to Stowe, a small idyllic town.

The way there was pretty bumpy as we felt every bump on the road. In Stowe, we did a scavenger hunt. We had to take photos with a resident wearing a flannel shirt, as well as a video of us playing the piano. The group that wins will receive a school garment as a gift.

The way back to the high school was just as bumpy, but it didn't stop some people from taking a nap.

In the evening, there was a game night organized by the ReSource organization, for which my host mother works. They are committed to renovating houses and integrating the unemployed into the job market. Since the day didn't have enough ice cream, Jerry from Ben&Jerry's served ice cream.

Like the last days, we met at the high school and then drove to the Ben&Jerry's factory. We were given a short tour there and were able to see how the famous ice cream is created. The best part was definitely the free ice cream, but that obviously wasn't enough for us, as we all went for a second round at the shop.

After having enough ice cream for more than a decade, we went to a Cider Mill and could witness the production of Cider. Afterwards, we were driven to Stowe, where we did a Scavenger Hunt. We were challenged to take a picture with a local wearing a flannel for example.

In the evening, the organisation my host mom is working for did a games night. Because the day didn't contain enough ice cream yet, Jerry, one of the founders of Ben&Jerry's and a donor of the organisation, was scooping ice cream there. He's a really nice guy and it's great to see how some people rather use their influence and help organisations like that, instead of wasting it with something irrelevant.