Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween! Halloween is a holiday that most of our students have heard of, but not one that is generally celebrated here. So the yearly Halloween party that we throw with our classes is always a lot of fun. We started last week, teaching lessons on the traditions of the holiday and (one of my favorite lessons) the art of storytelling. At our English Club on Friday we took our cue from the season- our topic was ghosts, witches, and fortune telling. It was a great opportunity to discuss the reality and dangers of such practices.

The weekend was spent preparing for the party (pumpkin shopping, anyone?) and putting together our costumes. It's interesting to do it without the benefit of ready-made costumes and props, though Sara did find a shop with some cool stuff. She and Jennifer ended up portraying the 1940's and 20's respectively, and I got a chance to try my hand at victory rolls. Word to the wise- they are not so easy. We would have done better to have a bit more time to practice. But it turned out well enough in the end. Amy went as a clown and I, true to form, was still wandering around the apartment at 1am the night before looking for inspiration. I ended up going as a nun, though I felt more like Maria von Trapp.

Our class parties went well, although we were decidedly more organized with our second classes than with the first. We bobbed for apples, told scary stories, had a costume contest, and did a mummy wrap. Everyone had fun, and we now have sweets and beverages enough to last until the end of time (or at least Thanksgiving break).

After classes, we had our various non-student friends over for a second party. We ate a lot more of said sweets and played a few fun games. The evening took a more subdued turn, though, when the doorbell rang around 11:30, and not with cute kids looking for candy. Our upstairs neighbor had come down to complain of the noise and inform us that she had called the police. We quieted down, of course, and several of our friends hung around to talk to the police for us. We were so grateful for their presence. Not only were they able to translate, but they also were able to run interference with the police and reassure us, as locals, that it was nothing to worry about. In the end, we simply recieved a verbal warning and multiple reminders of the law about keeping quiet after 11pm. The policemen also took it upon themselves to usher our guests out the door before them. Needless to say, after this we will be imposing an 11pm curfew on our friends hanging out here. If we want to hang out more after that, we'll go to a cafe.


All in all, it was a (mostly) fun, event-filled day. Though the ending left a little something to be desired, it was certainly memorable. Never a dull moment when you live in Kazakhstan!