Halloween

Overview//

My class (⅝)  is part of the English program and we were granted special permission to celebrate Halloween (October 31st, 2018) at my school, something most Thai schools do not celebrate.

Preparation//

I got up bright and early on Halloween to put on my costume: a pumpkin! I wore an orange dress with black leggings (both courtesy of Kru Nok) and the silly hat that Chloe, Luke, and I bought in BKK for our own celebration. I walked to school, which was a little embarrassing in comparison to the other students in uniform per usual. You’d think I’d be used to the staring by now. Kru Nok had another student do my makeup with bold black eyeshadow and red lipstick, which I adjusted to my liking. We met my friends at Morning Assembly, all dressed in cute costumes like vampires or ghosts. My class had prepared for a few weeks to give a presentation at the assembly and celebrate later in the day.

Celebrating//

First, my friends Baitoey, Saiphan, and Pik told the school about the history of Halloween and invited me onstage to discuss what Americans do to celebrate. I explained that we trick-or-treat and watch scary movies with friends. Some people go to costume parties or contests, carve pumpkins, or go to haunted houses. My friends performed a scary skit that they wrote about trick-or-treating and monsters that ended with one of my friends’ character’s being shot down. I was shocked by the graphics and the plot but it was certainly entertaining. Lastly, they had a Halloween themed dance presentation.

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That day, during our usual lunch period, my class held a Halloween festival of sorts, with lots of decorations. My friends ran the haunted house, which I did not partake in despite my friends’ sly convincing. I had already seen the end result: students covered in baby powder. They also sold themed snacks and desserts as well as Halloween trinkets. We did a lot of activities together.

That week, Teacher Nee-On was kind enough to invite me to assist her in teaching some of her English classes. We played Halloween games to teach vocabulary, read stories about Halloween to practice listening comprehension, did riddles, and quizzes. It was lots of fun and the classes were very competitive and enthusiastic. I was so pleased to have the opportunity to celebrate and teach about my favourite holiday in an unexpected place.