Halloween in China!

Halloween, of course, is not really celebrated in China, but in an effort to make foreigners feel welcome in their country, and, well just a reason to have a party, the Sea Star Restaurant at the Golden Qilin Hotel across the street from the school decided to hold a Halloween celebration. The foreign teachers from SIE (our school) and the Normal University were invited to attend. When we came in the door, the restaurant was all decorated in Halloween style, complete with tiny jack o’ lanterns and things hanging from the roof. We were allowed to choose a mask from a table full of all different sorts including ghosts, lions, Frankenstein and very pretty feathered eye masks for the ladies. Karli and I both chose these ones.

We got the best seat in the house to see all of the entertainment of the evening. The entertainment included many of the students singing, some dancing, and some comic standup (of course in Chinese, so we are not sure if it was funny or not). Karli and I also competed in a game they called “Biting Apples”. We know it as “Bobbing for Apples”. Karli, as it turns out, is an expert at this game, but was robbed in the final round and lost to a Chinese student/cheater. In the end though, it all resolved itself, because he graciously relinquished his title to its rightful owner, Karli. Ha, ha! The prize? A horrific jack-in-the-box twist, that gave Karli nightmares and cackled all night.

Throughout the evening, the foreigners were being videotaped for some purpose and then at the end of the evening they made us pose in various spots in and in front of the hotel and videotaped us some more. Who knows what they are planning to use it for, but we are often asked to pose for photos that will likely be used for promotional purposes, so this is likely the purpose. Apparently nothing sells like a group of foreign faces…