Autism Society of Colorado: Day Five

Friday--March 25, 2011

I can’t believe that today was our final day here in Denver working with the Autism Society of Colorado. Each of us is astonished by how fast this week has flown by. The morning part of our today in Denver was spent at the Thomas Jefferson High School. There we hung out with the students and participated in activities with them. Around midmorning, Maggie and I also got to watch Elizabeth work in a different classroom at Thomas Jefferson, teamed with a Geography teacher. This classroom of mostly freshman is considered an inclusion classroom, with some high functioning disability students. Afterwards, Elizabeth took us to the sensory room she had set up when she started working at TJ, and the bike room that the kids often use for exercise.

It was a hard goodbye as we helped the teachers gather up the students and take pictures. Since these kids were so wonderful, and we had spent the majority of our week with them, we struggled to say bye and leave the school. Each of us had built some form of a relationship with these students, and had been deeply impacted by their wonderful spirits. However, we had an afternoon plan to head up into the mountains to Boulder.

After about a 45 minutes drive, we arrived in the town of Boulder around 2:30PM. Once there we drove around the University of Colorado campus, and searched for the various sorority houses the girls in our group belonged too. Then we headed down to the famed Pearl Street to investigate the shops of the area.

After finding a parking spot, we walked a couple of blocks to the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. This Teahouse is famous because it was brought over piece by piece from Tajikistan and then erected near Boulder’s downtown area. Ornate engravings, drawings, and vivid colors covered the walls of the building.

The interior and exterior screamed luxury and the people inside eating lounged in comfy chairs or pillows. Not only was the building a piece of art, but the chai tea was delicious. After a stop at the tea house, we made a straight shot to Pearl Street. As we walked up and down the pedestrian only mall, we explored a multitude of original and amazing stores. Each of us picked up small (or big) souvenirs, clothing, jewelry, and other various presents for friends. Outside the stores street performers were surrounded by groups of tourists, and the sounds of musicians and children playing filled the air. Once we had our fill of shopping, we went to the closest bar and grill and asked if they were playing the KU game. We snagged a table and ordered our food before sharing our day’s purchases and taking about our trip. We then took a collective breath of relief as the KU game showed up on half the TV’s in the restaurant, a sure sign of home. Over the game we laughed, cheered, and even meet a few former KU students. Overall, we could all agree, this had been a great alternative break, but we were ready to head home. With five minutes left in the second half--and a twenty point lead-- we headed back to the Tahoe, and Kansas.