Halloween Party

Kayla had a Halloween party at her school today, which she had been looking forward to for a couple of weeks. She couldn't wait to wear her costume.

Halloween isn't really celebrated the same way as back home. Some wealthier neighborhoods may have Halloween parties in people's homes and some schools in larger cities may have kids costume parties but kids actually go door to door asking for 'gifts' (i.e. money and candy) during the Christmas season. All Saints Day is on November 1st which is equivalent to Halloween . This is when people honor the saints, go to the cemetery with all their family members to remember their deceased relatives. It's a big family picnic at the cemetery.

It was a real cultural experience going to Kayla's party as we were able to just observe how Filipinos interact with one another. This was also the first time John and I were able to see Kayla interact with her classmates. She's a real trooper. Tagalog is spoken quite a bit in class and we could tell Kayla doesn't understand it all but she still tries to participate. She speaks to her classmates in English although they may not understand everything she says, she sings all the Tagalog songs so enthusiastically, we're really proud of her for just being there and doing her best in everything.

Golden Pot Learning Center is in a very close knit community where everyone knows everyone because they all grew up together. John and I have wanted to in someway, connect with some of Kayla's classmates' parents but it's been a challenge. I think for the most part, they're a little bit intimidated by us because we're foreigners and we speak English. Although we felt watched, we also felt welcomed by the other parents at the party. It was so great that one mother of Kayla's classmates came up and chatted with me after the party.

Everyone looked so cute in their costumes and Kayla of course, was the cutest TinkerBell :)
We are thankful for all these experiences.