Busy Times in Washington

What didn't Lois do?
The last month has been really good for me. This month was homecoming. I looked forward to it with all my heart. Preparations were made; I got a homecoming dress and shoes, and asked friends who I could go with.
The day before homecoming was a football game. My school played another high school in Snohomish. It was a home game for us. My host family came with me to the game. The cheerleaders and band were fantastic. I was a super fan for Lake Stevens at the game, shouting and cheering them along. I was with a group of friends from the robotics club. The game was good and we won 42-0. I was so happy to be part of the winning team. Halfway through the game, we did something called the chicken run. All the seniors raced after a chicken car over the football field screaming all the way. My friend Ash from creative writing class and I were supporting our school with our whole heart.
The next big thing was the homecoming dance. I dressed up for it with the help of my host mom. I had dinner with my family in a restaurant before I left. I wondered how homecoming would be. It was amazing—everyone all dressed up and dancing to the music of the DJ. There was food as well. I talked a lot, ate a lot, and took a lot of pictures. The group of friends I was with was very cool.
I performed this month on my guitar as well. I played for the men and women at the retirement service as well as in front of my class. I received so many complements that I was happy I tried something new. Trying the guitar made me realize I could sing—something I thought I was bad at because I had never tried.
I went to downtown Seattle this month with PAX. I was so amazed by the huge buildings along the Pacific Ocean. I went up the Space Needle and saw the whole city. We also went to a museum, and I learned the history of Seattle. I went to the Seattle Market, and it was such a busy place: fresh fish caught from the sea, various eating places, and the gum wall. I visited the first Starbucks, and it was an amazing trip. The gum wall was the most surprising place; I laughed thinking about how it has become a tourist attraction.
This month, I also volunteered with my PAX family. We went to the food bank and helped in packing 3,000 bags of rice that equaled 2,308 meals. I was really happy to be part of it. We went to the retirement service as well as a church to help them with their Halloween party.
Halloween was great—visiting a farm, carving pumpkins, and going trick or treating. The corn farm was shaped like the state of Washington, and so we had to find all the cities. It was a fun experience.
"Knock, knock, trick or treat," I said as I walked from house to house with my host sister begging for candy. I earned half a sack of candy. I dressed up as Captain America. It was such a wonderful experience.
—Lois (YES, Ghana), hosted by the Tibbits family (WA)