“Tricker Treat!”



Some finsihed products from our Halloween mask-making extravaganza!



Ray making his Halloween face.



My jack-o-lantern made from a file folder. It was a BIG hit.




My new Halloween skirt!



Last year, I didn’t do much to acknowledge American holidays, but this year I decided to change that, starting with Halloween. A big help was my dear friend Rachel who mailed me holiday-themed fabric so I could have my host-sister make festive skirts. Another noteworthy contributor was my wonderful mother, who sent an obscene amount of candy to share. So, on Halloween evening, while wearing my fabulous new skirt, I gathered up the smallest kids (grades 1-3) and had a little mask-making party. But first, to set the mood, I made a make-shift jack-o-lantern out of manila folders and a candle and set it up in the room before the kids came in, and shut off all the lights. The children freaked out. They LOVED it. I used manila file folders (cut in half), colored pencils, scissors, and yarn to help my family create their masterpieces. But as it turned out, the kids had absolutely no clue how to make a mask. And thus the party turned into a class. I sat with my usual partner in crime; the 2 year old named Ray, and made his mask as an example. Then the kids went to town. Word eventually spread and even the older boys decided to come give it a try. One of my cousins Villazone even managed to scare the crap out of me, much to his delight. But otherwise, they didn’t really want my help (typical teenage boys), but observing their enthusiasm from afar was enough. Then came the candy. In hindsight, I should have distributed the candy much earlier in the evening, because as I finally was falling asleep around 10pm, the kids were still running wild, screaming in the darkness outside. But I smiled, in spite of the fact that I had to wake up early the next morning, because my stomach was full of candy and the kids outside were having a blast. Earlier that evening I gave up on trying to explain that the phrase is “Trick or Treat” and that it’s actually a question. The kids were not to be bothered with such details on such an exciting night. Instead, I fell asleep listening to their voices echoing through the trees, “Tricker treat!” and “Happy Halloween Day!” Hope your Halloween Day was fun, too. Enjoy the photos! --Christy