Handog, Halloween and Cemetaries

Week 10
10/25/09 - 11/01/09

Week 10 saw a lot of fun stuff happening for us.

First, we had out "handog" with all the host families. Basically it was a big thank you party from the trainees in our cluster. The funny thing is, the host families still ended up doing most of the planning. They are master party planners here! We had the event at our LCF's house (which is also our language training site). A big tent was erected, a videoke machine was rented, and, of course, lots of food was made.



The difference in this party is that the trainees got to make some American food for the host families to try. I don't think they trusted us enough to do all the food, so our food was just the "merienda" before the actual meal. Jessie and I made BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. They turned out quite well and most of the host parents said that they enjoyed them. Whether they actually did, or were just being polite, who knows?



Saturday was my first Halloween abroad. They recognize the holiday here, but it is not widely celebrated. Our host family (being awesome as usual) invited all the trainees from the 3 clusters over for a Halloween party/beach bonfire. A couple people found costumes, which made it feel a little bit Halloween-y. One of the other trainee's family in the States sent him candy corn, which he was generous enough to share with all of us. While there isn't tons to note, it ended up being a great time for all of us.

While Filipinos don't generally celebrate Halloween, they do celebrate the day after, All Saint's Day. On All Saint's Day, everyone (or at least lots of people) head over to the cemetery where their families are buried to remember them. To an American, it may sound macabre to be sitting in a graveyard with the tomb of your relatives, but it really didn't feel that way. It was actually kind of pleasant...a bunch of people getting together to celebrate loved ones who have passed. It was interesting to Jessie and I. I wonder if there are people in the States who celebrate this way?



Alright...one more blog of weekly updates and then I think I am changing how I update...