BFA and the Olympics

Did you watch the Olympics opening ceremony?

As athletes from around the world walked into the arena, they carried flags, snapped pictures, captured the unforgettable moments on video.  They were proud to represent their countries!  We viewers were amazed to see all of these countries side by side, putting aside their differences long enough to compete in the 2012 Olympic games.

I was picturing a similar ceremony that will happen at BFA in just a few weeks.  To open each school year, students parade in with the flags of the 50+ countries represented by BFA's student body - places where the students have lived or have parents currently serving.  It's a powerful ceremony, strikingly similar to the Parade of Nations.

These countries that were once unfamiliar to me now have a personal meaning.  Moldova, Tanzania, Slovenia, and others - where BFA students have gone on mission trips.  South Korea - the country several of my small group girls call "home."

For the first time in my life, I'll be watching most of the Olympics from another country.  That doesn't mean I'll cheer any less for Missy Franklin and Ryan Lochte!  But, I can't help but think about the international perspective I have as I watch the games.  Somehow I find myself cheering for many countries at once, knowing the connections that my BFA friends have to their "heart homes" around the world.

And at BFA, we don't have to wait for the Olympics to roll around every two years.  We do "international" and "multicultural" every day of the school year.