I absolutely love Halloween. I might even go as far as to say it's my favorite holiday! I couldn't wait for the festivities to start here and spread my spooky cheer with Spain! However, I can't say the Spanish love the holiday as much as I'd hoped for! All week long I taught about the holiday in classes, dressing up a little everyday. The kids loved it! But when I would ask 'who's going trick-or-treating?' No one would raise their hands! I was shocked really because it's such a big thing for the little ones back home. I remember as a kid picking my costume out months in advance and dreaming about the one night I'd actually be allowed out in public looking like a crazy person! Plus the loads of candy made the anticipation that much more intensified! I definitely didn't see that same excitement here.
On Halloween day I decided to dress as a pineapple! I was so excited for my costume! I spent about a week making the top of my pineapple, as well as buying a few things to complete the outfit. I was sure I'd have the most clever (and most random) costume at school! When I came down from my room and went to my class, everyone looked at me so confused! When I explained what I dressed as they understood but they still didn't get why I was dressed up. What was even weirder was walking to a shop in my costume and getting the intense stares and the occasional 'what the hell are you wearing' (of course in Spanish) from people passing by! It wasn't the warm Halloween welcome I'd expected! No one at school was dressed up and no one in Caceres was really dressed up. I was kind of sad about the lack of excitement for my favorite holiday. But I made up for it by teaching a couple of the boarding girls how to make a Jack-O-Lantern! We spent the night painting our faces like cats, hanging out with the glowing face of our new pumpkin friend and watching detective shows. It may not have been the Halloween I'd expected, but it sure was an experience!
Happy belated Halloween,
CAZ
