This Is Halloween

     Halloween is my favorite holiday. I get to indulge in my childhood fantasies—I become another person, a favorite character from a book, or another creature entirely. The fact that I’m currently living in another country, one that doesn’t celebrate Halloween as rabidly as America, didn’t prevent me from celebrating my favorite holiday.

     To tell everything about our Halloween experience is both boring and time consuming. So, for your enjoyment, here is a snippet of our Halloween—pumpkin carving in China.

     Two weeks before Halloween:

     “Chloe!” Courtney called to me over the heaped fruit. Her voice bubbled with excitement. I leaned around the pyramid of apples to see what had caused her exclamation. One hand on the cart, she stood in front of one of the many wooden barrels which held cabbages. This barrel, however, did not cradle heads of cabbage, but rather the beautiful orange spheres of pumpkins.

I almost dropped the bag of apples. Knowing that it was thoroughly odd, I let out a squeal and danced over to the treasure trove. Our fellow shoppers glanced at us curiously, then looked away with a shrug. Foreigners.

     “I sent a photo to Hammerstrom,” my roommate said, “We can carve them for Halloween!”

“We can come back next week, so they stay fresh.” I finally acknowledged the strange looks from the customers, and my happy dance petered out.

How Not to Haggle

Haggle: to talk or argue with someone especially in order to agree on a price  

-Mirriam-Webster Dictionary

     Like most Americans, I don't haggle on a regular basis. Culturally, it's not a norm, and that's fine--except when I'm studying away in a culture in which haggling is very much an everyday experience. If you can't tell, this is one of those stories in which I did not get it right.

First Post!

     Intentions are beautiful things--when they are fulfilled. I had intended to write this post about a month ago, but I got caught up in the whirlwind of traveling through China. I had also intended this blog to be a bi-weekly affair. The problem with that is that this blog would become more of a diary, and no one wants to read that.
     So, what am I intending to put into this blog? As the title of this blog suggests, I'm a very fallible human being who makes mistakes, and I'm one of those people who find themselves in peculiar situations with alarming regularity. The results? Hilarious--and sometimes cringe-worthy--stories, which I intend to share with you. These stories won't be in chronological order--where's the fun in organization?--but rather I'll post whatever story has been percolating in my mind.
     This particular blog will revolve around my experiences in Chengdu, China, where I'm studying at SiChuan University. I attend classes, go visit tourist and religious destinations, and hang out with the amazing people of this school.
     The stories will arrive, that's one intention I will fulfill, but for now, enjoy some photos of China!