What Halloween Is to Me:
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:
First of all, I am a Christmas girl at heart, but I like to go all out for every holiday because they are:
- Little bursts of joy to look forward to – especially during the colder, academia-focused months when days can get repetitive
- An opportunity to dress up and remind yourself that you are unique and beautiful
- When you finally get to reunite with loved ones
How My Halloween Went Down This Year
The Costume
I usually start thinking about Halloween costumes a few months ahead. This year, I considered being Niki Minaj from the Super Bass music video, Medusa, or Claudine from Monster High. But then I watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame and was in awe of Esmeralda. She looks like me if I had green eyes and was blessed by Aphrodite. With her dark curly hair, brown skin, and strong spirit, I easily identified with her. The fact that she was the object of desire for my biggest Disney Crush – Claude Frollo – also helped. And yes, I am aware that liking Claude Frollo is probably my biggest red flag, but his performance in “Hellfire” really stood out to me HAHA. I couldn’t stop singing it for weeks. Please watch it here if you have yet to see it.
Once I was set on Esmerelda, I ordered the materials:
- A long purple skirt
- A dark purple waist scarf with gold coins
- A white blouse
- A green coset
- A hot-pink headband
- A green corset
- Cheap gold jewelry
- Green colored contacts
I didn’t try anything on until the day of the Halloween Party I was invited to because I love surprising myself. My hair &
makeup + dressing up took about 2 hours, but I’m pretty happy with how it came out! Here’s a little photo:
The Halloween Party
I’m not too fond of large parties, clubbing, raves, and most social events that involve loud music and drinking. But I adore little get-togethers with friends with cute little activities and spooky snacks. This year, my Pookie invited me to a little ‘party’ at his friend’s house in Worcester. He and 8-10 of his friends had a yearly Halloween get-together every year. All my friends live further away, so I was SUPER excited for the chance to show off my costume. I also wanted to meet his friends and was touched that he was ready to introduce me. Pookie also offered to dress up as Claude Frollo even though he had been planning to be the Ice King from Adventure Time, which was so sweet that my heart melted.
On Saturday, I got ready and headed to his dorm to do his Frollo makeup, which consisted of many wrinkles, dark circles, crusty white lips, and a pointy nose. It was hilarious because it looked so realistic – but I secretly thought I would be okay with it if he looked like that in 50 years. Once the makeup was done, I put in my colored contacts, which were bright green and perfect for the costume. He joked that it reminded him of light-skins (black/mixed people with lighter skin) who have green eyes and make it their entire personality trait. I was a bit shocked that he knew what light skins were because most nerdy white boys don’t, haha. Together with his friend (who dressed up as a frog), we took the train to Worcester. They kept joking about how there’s nothing much to the area, but the train ride there was beautiful. I felt like I was cheating on my favorite season (Spring) because I was falling for Fall. We also watched the Hunchback of Notre Dame on the train to get into the spirit of our characters. Once we arrived, more friends picked us up, and I started getting nervous about meeting new people.
I consider myself an extroverted introvert, meaning I talk a lot, but I am not great at meeting new people and value my alone time. This bit me in the butt during the car ride to the party because I made the mistake of bringing up an ex in conversation. His friends had been talking about car accidents, and I don’t know what I was thinking, but I blurted out that one of my past dates got us into an accident on the first date. I guess it’s a social no-no to talk about past dates because the car fell silent. I felt terrible but was able to change the subject quickly. And things turned around once we got to the party!
The Party
His friend’s mother welcomed me warmly and thanked me for bringing snacks + a present for his friend. His friends also complimented our outfits and took pictures of us. Pookie’s friend group was pretty nerdy – mostly comprised of C.S. majors who like to game – and lovely! They were also very funny and fun to be around. I did my best to interact with them, although most of the time, I had no idea what they were talking about. I might have to start gaming or coding to understand their culture, haha.
Throughout the night, his friend’s mom kept bringing amazing dishes for us. I went out of my comfort zone and tried some of everything. I was able to eat foods out of my regular meal plan because I am less stressed when I am with my B.F. and try harder to be present. For the first time in my life, I ate spinach-artichoke dip, cheesy chicken balls, brie cheese, and falafel. I also had some cake and crackers for the first time in years. Everything was delicious!
After a while, I asked him to make a cute TikTok with me, and he agreed, even though he’s not a fan of social media. I was ecstatic because I had always dreamed of making cute videos with a boy I adored. Once we got a few good takes, we returned and sat before the fire. He told me his brother told him about a great
place we could go to for our 1st anniversary (6 months away), which warmed my heart because it meant he saw me in his future and had finally told his brother about me. I had been a bit nervous that no one in his family knew he was even seeing someone. But I had put my worries aside because I understand that some people like to keep things private, and not everyone has a close relationship with their family. I respect his privacy & boundaries because I w
ould want him to do the same for me.
Going Home
On the train ride home, I was still elated from having fun at the party, trying new foods, and just being with my happy person. I got him to watch my favorite show ever – Teen Wolf – and he seemed to like it! It was also the perfect night to start the series because it was a FULL MOON! He thought it was funny that Teen Wolf is my favorite sho
w because it reminded him of Twilight, my favorite book series. Basically, I am guilty of loving teen romance/ supernatural stories with cringy love confessions and bad CGI. When we got bac
k to the station, he walked me home, and I immediately called my mom for a debrief of my busy but great night. This post turned out to be more of me oversharing than talking about Halloween, but I hope you enjoyed it!
All love,
Joy
P.S. My Answer to This Week’s Theme
- Question: If someone gave you an elephant that you can’t sell or give away. What would you do with it?
- Realistically: I would try to get it taken to Botswana, one of the African countries that has long prohibited hunting and poaching of elephants. The big guy should be safe and free there. No animal should be in a cage.
- Not-so-realistically: I would train the elephant to give me rides anywhere. Who needs a car when you have an elephant that will crush anyone who tries to get in its way? The elephant would be a little guy (the size of a big car) who loves living in Boston and is willing to chill at Boston Common when I am busy with work and class. I would also get their favorite leaves, shrubs, fruits, and root vegetables so they are comfortable here. Then, during winter break, I would build them a big hut in Amherst because the city is not an ideal place for an elephant. I would also paint its nails every week to match mine and give it its favorite bamboo treats after every ride.
