Happy Harroween!

In the spirit of Halloween, and because I'm in Japan (and because real pumpkins are outrageously priced and exist solely to empty your pockets for Halloween) I decided to carve a jack-o-lantern out of a daikon radish. I had to do unspeakable things to it with a butterknife and a tablespoon, but what resulted is probably one of the more interesting lanterns I've ever made. The radish's shape resembles that of a ghost (which is what inspired me in the first place), and with the insides carved out, has a nice soft luminosity. If I had better tools I'd carve out more of the inside though. When I was finished, I lit a teeny votive candle inside for tradition's sake, even though it was kind of a lonely "carving party." But it was a hit at school, until the candle started cooking the radish. Kids thought it smelled, but it actually reminded me of soup... Still, nothing compares the scent of burning pumpkin, and that is one thing I will miss about autumn this year.

So apparently "Boo!" in Japan isn't what ghosts say. Ghosts say "Wah!" "Boo" is the sound of a fart. No wonder kids merely looked confused when I said that it to them.

Teaching about Halloween in class is a little interesting for me, since that was the question they asked me in my interview for JET. I had to ad-lib a holiday lesson in front of my judges, and I chose Halloween. I did a good job at the time, but it's funny that I didn't use that approach at all in my real classes.

So, I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. Do some laundry, make some scones, real domestic stuff. To everyone one else in the states enjoying Halloween in full force, party hardy.