Living the Amish Lifestyle (at least for a day!)
I must admit, from day one back in January when we were going over the syllabus for this class I was the most excited for today- I couldn’t wait to spend a day in Amish country and learn about their lifestyle, and it didn’t disappoint me! First, I have really enjoyed learning about the differences between the Amish and the Mennonites. I never really knew how closely related the two groups are, and I love hearing all of the stories about them (thanks Brian for sharing so much with us!) The drive out to Lancaster County couldn’t have been more spectacular. I know everyone believes that the wonderful Hawkeye state (that would be Iowa) is flat and ugly, but it is actually very much like what we saw today. So from the beginning it felt like I was going back to what I saw growing up. And that takes me to the Amish. Believe it or not, when I was in college I used to see the Amish at our University Hospital and was fascinated with them- I never expected to see them there. However, I really never knew much about them. I had learned a few things, and have visited their stores many times, but it is somewhat commercialized (not quite like where we first visited). So today, to hear our adorable guide Ada talk about their lifestyle just kept me on the edge of my seat (literally, I was sitting on the edge of my bus seat listening to her and looking at everything that surrounded us). I expected them to all live close to each other and not be intermixed with the other cultures, so that was one of the first things that surprised me. I loved what was said at the end of the day- if an Amish family was your neighbor you knew you had a good neighbor. It was so interesting to see one house with the field and carriages and the laundry line right next to a house any of us would live in. I also had no idea about the green shutters on their windows, but I missed why that particular color was chosen. Then seeing all the kids in their barefeet just amazed me- again it just seems to be part of their simple lifestyle. I think there are a lot of stereotypes about the Amish- they are strange and backwards, not part of this society- but when we spent the evening with a family you see how wrong this is. I thought their children, not having access to all the technology most kids have, seemed extremely happy and well adjusted. It seems like most parents should take a parenting lesson from them. By the way, I fell in love with the two little ones. If it would not have been a serious crime that would have kept me in Pennsylvania for a lot longer than I want, I would have snuck them on the bus and taken them home with me!! It seems very sad to me that the lifestyle these people have chosen to live seems to be looked down upon so much, and seems to be such a contradiction to their value system of humility. I feel bad, though, because I was as much a part of that today, not being able to take my eyes off them. I was fascinated by their carriages, their buggies, their clotheslines, their quilts, their food 
, and everything about their lives.
In the classroom, I would introduce the Amish when I discuss colonial life. I think the Amish, especially in Pennsylvania, are as much a part of the history here as the Quakers or any of the founding fathers. When we discuss who settled the colony of Pennsylvania, I think that would be a perfect time to introduce the Amish and when they settled here (late 1720’s, and to Lancaster in the late 1760’s). In addition I would also introduce the Quakers. To me these aren’t religious groups, they are an integral part of the culture of Pennsylvania. I would also have the students study the groups (probably just focusing on the Amish and Quakers) through history- how are their lifestyles similar/different. What I find interesting is how the Quakers are throughout the world, but there are no traces of Amish remaining today in Europe. One key thing I would want my students to find out is why that has happened, what led to that. I don’t know if my students would have similar thoughts as me, but I think of Quakers as being from the colonial time and Amish as the more present time, and I think it would be important for them to discover how long both of these groups have been present in Pennsylvania.
FYI Tidbit- Did you know President Buchanan was from Wheatland in Lancaster, PA; the only president from Pennsylvania.
