Island Trick-o-Treats

My U.S. mommy sent me a Halloween themed care package that actually made it to me BEFORE Halloween!!

I woke up on October 31 and decorated the class 5/6 room with the fake cobwebs she sent me. It just happened to be a Monday, which is when we do a morning devotion as a school in this room so I had an opportunity to explain the “American custom” of Halloween and some of the things we do on this day.

I wore my clown mask and matching gloves- awesome. The villagers simply call it the “devil”, as with any scary ‘false face’. A lot of kids were afraid to come in to the room for devotion because I planted myself right by the door. I’d be afraid too, considering my childhood fear of clowns (thank you ‘IT’). The teacher’s loved it, however, and all took turns trying it on. I didn’t have a costume to wear other than the mask, but my rain poncho worked just fine.

I gave the teachers and my family halloween lollies.

I don’t know the origins of Halloween but I explained trick-or-treating, jack o’ lanterns, and haunted houses. After this my apu Charity and the headmistress insisted that they parade me around the entire village in my costume. I wasn’t sure why, other than to horrify the children and try to scare the villagers. So I walked around with my little basket saying Happy Halloween and making babies scream and young children run for their lives. About halfway through my walk, people started putting things in to my basket like money and candy. I realized then that my Charity and headmistress were actually taking me Trick-or-treating. In local language they were instructing everybody to put something in my basket. I had no idea this was their intention and was completely surprised by this. What an awesome surprise though! I ended up with quite a loot: soap, money, chips, calicos, bush apples, and chewing gum.

A lot of the villagers even apologized that they hadn’t known beforehand or they would have given me a lot more. That’s why I love my village and my family. My apu Charity wanted this holiday to be like it would be in America, and felt her part was to get everyone to give me lots of stuff so that it would be like a true Halloween. Little did she know I haven’t trick-or-treated in over 5 years. But it was completely endearing and worth being completely soaked in sweat when I got home.

I only regret not having a priceless photo of the terrorized children as their mothers forced them to drop things in my basket as they were screaming and holding on for dear life.

Definitely a memorable Halloween.