Amish in the City

I don't know if anyone has been watching Amish in the City on UPN, but if you haven't you have been missing out. The show is basically like the real world where eleven people live together in a house in L.A. The big twist is that five of the people are Amish. The five Amish kids are on "Rumspringa."

Rumspringa: Some Amish groups practice a tradition called rumspringa ("running around"). Teens aged 16 and older are allowed some freedom in behavior. It is a interval of a few years while they remain living at home, yet are somewhat released from the intense supervision of their parents. Since they have not yet been baptized, they have not committed to follow the extremely strict behavioral restrictions and community rules imposed by the religion. They may date, go out with their friends, visit the outside world, go to parties, drink alcoholic beverages, wear jeans, etc. The intent of rumspringa is to make certain that youth are giving their informed consent if they decide to be baptized. About 80% to 90% decide to remain Amish.

It was a very interesting show. These kids went from not having electricity or running water, to L.A. The Amish also only educate their children until the eighth grade, after that they feel education is useless. In the beginning it seemed like the Amish would not fit in, but by the end one had gotten his G.E.D. and was considering going to college, and the others all had goals outside the Amish community. It was fascinating to see a culture that I knew so little about. If you catch the reruns, I would highly recommend it.