Dead Man's Party

When I was a kid, Halloween was my favorite holiday. Come October, I'd beg my parents to drive me to Target to browse the Halloween decorations. I watched Nightmare Before Christmas on VHS until the tape wore out. I loved dressing up and especially loved the free candy. Even though, as an adult, Christmas has surpassed Halloween as my favorite holiday, come October 31 I find a way to inject a bit of the macabre into my day.

So what does one do when they are in a foreign country on Halloween?

To be fair, I've come at a time where Halloween is becoming a more "recognized" holiday here in Spain. My teachers recount, years ago, when no one had heard of it. Now, our school puts up Halloween decorations and the kids dress in costume.

See that small pumpkin? I made that.

Nevertheless, it's not quite the same here in Spain. You can't exactly go "trick or treating" when most people live in apartment complexes. Even finding a pumpkin turned out to be a bit of a challenge, but thankfully my local grocery store sold some.

Also pictured: Halloween-themed nails

Unfortunately, I've been sick since Monday (for the record, today is Saturday), which has put a damper on my holiday celebrations. I almost took the 31st off, but thought against it since I was curious to see how my school celebrated Halloween. The first half of the day is normal, but after lunch the kids (and teachers!) change into costume and have a Halloween "parade." Then everyone goes home.

Pirate! The coat is for storing tissues

Teachers in costume: dead Infanta Margarita (my favorite costume) and a mummy

Waiting for the parade to start

Had to admire this kid's dedication to stay in character

Dance party!

I'm glad I went, but afterward I decided to spend the night in and rest. Madrid probably has some great Halloween parties, but I was in no shape to go out.

Alvaro bought me these to make me feel better. Notice the box of Frenadol (Spanish cold medicine).

I carved my pumpkin which catching up on season 7 of Dexter. While I had hoped to spend the night in bed with some good horror movies, Alvaro's mom ended up visiting and I spent the evening cleaning instead. Oh well.

Happy Halloween!