I know I am LATE, but here are some Halloween pictures I've been wanting to post for quite some time! Not that I am super busy, but some new hobbies and my tutoring sessions have interrupted my extra time for blogging. I have some highly ENTERTAINING/EDUCATIONAL blogs coming your way.
We celebrated Halloween with these kids for a good hour. Most of them were dressed up in costumes. Some were bought from the store, others were homemade. I have a ton of respect for the student who hosted our celebration as Harry Potter. His English was impeccable. Funny note: I mentioned in an earlier blog that they usually learn British-English in Asia; so his Chinese-English has a British accent. It's adorable.
There were two speeches made about Halloween: 1) Harry Potter delivered a
festive power point presentation describing the history of Halloween
and cast spells on us all, 2) Vice Principal, Paul, gave a brief
satirical speech on Halloween traditions. Both speeches were translated
in Chinese. Candy was cast, spells were shot, and spooky music
entrenched our souls. We made it rain, heavily.
MY COSTUME: Double Fail
Teachers did not really dress for the occasion. Many threw on costume extras from the students. I am pretty eccentric, BUT, I am just as much CHEAP. Ha. I do not condone spending x amount of dollars on a low-quality costume. I didn't have much to work with in my closet, so I turned myself into a nurse. Out of paper. I am THAT cheap! It was actually pretty awesome and saved me trips. My second graders just finished a lesson on JOBS so they all knew the English word/job nurse. Turned out to be a double-fail. 1) It was so hot that my stethoscope and first aid sign kept falling off (along with my sweat) and everyone kept asking me what the boo-boo was on my forehead (band-aid) 2) Besides my second graders, the kids did not know what I was trying to pull off (a red hotdog around my neck?). I THOUGHT the face mask would make it obvious, but they thought I was wearing it for the same reasons so many Chinese people wear masks on a daily basis (sad, right). Yea, fail.
My students
The common question:does China celebrate Halloween?
In
short, no. In details, sure. It is slowly gaining popularity. It was
appropriate to celebrate it in my school because they are international.
Once that school celebration is over, that is it. No kids come knocking
on your door. More commonly it is celebrated in bars or colleges. It is
an excuse to dress up and party. America wouldn't know anything about
that....ba-ha.
You can find costumes, but really only in
larger stores such as Walmart or a popular city like Xienjekou
(shin-jay-ko). Fashion Lady (a ginormous, electric underground shopping
center) sold many costumes. Most of the costumes I saw were pretty
generic, and in my opinion, overpriced. I am talking adults here. The
kids costumes were adorable. Similar to home, but the material felt as
if it wouldn't make it through 1 wash.
Browse through some pictures! It was a blast!
Give Kitty milk and she is happy!
Tiger (best name ever)
Harry Potter giving a phenomenal power point presentation on the history of Halloween.
Vice Principal making a speech on Halloween and (right) his translator
