Happy Halloween from Huantar!

How does one celebrate Halloween in a country that normally ignores it altogether? Why by doing a little cultural exchange in said person’s English classes, carving the largest melon around, and traveling to the coast to hang out with a bunch of other Americans on the day itself!

Part I.

I introduced Halloween to my students by playing Pin-the-Nose-on-the-Jack-o-Lantern.  Blindfolded and dizzied, they did their best to give ole Jacky a nose.  Nearly all of them were acceptable.  I had a video of the greatest fail (the student managed to wander all the way to the opposite side of the classroom, all the while being cheered on by helpful classmates shouting, “You’re almost there, you’re so close, that’s it just keep going right!”), but it has been, by means I know not, been transferred to a file called LOST.DIR and is un-openable.  On a sidenote, if anyone knows how to retrieve photos and videos lost in this manner, please comment or contact me in whatever manner you can.  You will be rewarded with good karma and a sincere thank you note. Here are a few of the photos I was able to save:

 While all of the classes proved to be delightful in their own unique ways, I think my favorite group were the first graders.  Somewhere in translation, they missed the part about it being a competition.  As each kid blindly walked up to the Jack-o-Lantern, their classmates shouted, not misdirections, but actual good advice.  “You’re too far to the left!” “A little bit up!”  By the end of the class, all of the little triangle noses were stacked on top of one another, perfectly placed.  They all cheered, shouting “We all won! We all won!”  Adorable.  Though hardly in the spirit of Halloween, which as I explained, is the day of the year when all the creatures and spirits of the night walk amongst us, causing havoc and chaos in their wake.

I finished up class by explaining the definitions of a series of words I’d made into a word search for them all.  Word searches are so popular.  I cannot even begin to explain how much they all seem to love word searches. 

Part II.

Calabaza is the word for pumpkin in Spanish.  And there are lots of calabazas here in Peru, though none of them are orange.  But in the spirit of resourcefulness, my host sisters and I used a lovely white and green calabaza for their first Jack-o-Lantern.

Nicole demonstrating both her personality and the edible qualities of the calabaza in question

Scooping out the innards

Nicole pretending, for the sake of the photo, to cut the pumpkin.  She was not allowed to actually cut as she is an extremely uncoordinated seven-year-old.  

Lesslye and I hard at work

Melly initially didn't want to be in the photo because she wasn't actually helping us carve it. 

Jack in his completed state.

Jack in his completed spooky state

Nicole, refusing to sit at the same level as Lesslye and I for the photo.  At this moment I was trying to teach Melly how to use my camera.  There were a long line of mistakes before this triumph below:

The three pumpkin carvers.  Nicole at long last pulled down into the frame of the picture.  Her expression I think sums up how she feels about it.

Part III.

The night before Halloween, with a few other friends from my training group, I traveled to Chiclayo, a city on the nortern coast in the state of Lambayeque.  I was only there for a day, but it felt so wonderful to celebrate Halloween with other Americans.  We all got into the swing of things, a fact aided by the fact that I received a candy-filled care package from my Aunt Judy just hours before I headed out.  Here we all are, ready for a night of trick-or-treating:

The galaxy--best group costume ever.  I'm the sun, if you couldn't guess :)

Besos! And a very Happy Belated Halloween!