Bicultural Autumn: Pulpada and Halloween

In Lugo, the month of October is associated with the festival of San Froilán and feasting on pulpo, so once again this year I joined the teachers for a pulpada (octopus dinner). This year it wasn't in a caseta, but a regular restaurant which also had other groups celebrating that night. The "entrées" before the pulpo were delicious, perhaps even more so because I've been eating a lot of rice-and-tuna and plain pasta lately. There was tortilla de patata, croquetas, stuffed mushrooms (I don't even like mushrooms, but it tasted like a veggie pizza), and squid. Dinner was accompanied by red wine, and when I asked for some water after starting the pulpo, the teachers flat out denied me! They claimed that the pulpo would feed on it and then grow inside of me. Or more reasonably, they insisted combining water and pulpo caused indigestion. For dessert I could barely finish the homemade and very orange carrot cake, and a glass of sweet Crema de Orujo to help the digestion.

After the dinner, which ended around 1 AM, the majority decided to "go have a coffee". We headed towards the center, because that was the closest place with places open. Then the director asked me where we should go! I was tickled when they actually followed my advice and we went to a place I frequent. It was also a good decision because there's an upstairs where you can sit in a big group and everyone can talk to each other, unlike at the long tables of the pulpo dinner. I had a swell time, probably because I know the teachers better this year. It was fun to joke around with them and just listen to their banter with old friends.

As for the American holiday, in my classes we talked about haunted mental institutions for the oldest students and basic Halloween traditions and vocabulary for the youngest. I'm always pleased when they laugh at me acting out vocabulary, because hopefully the definition will then stick with them as they imagine my maniacal face saying "mentally unstable = crazy" haha. Some of the older students also celebrated by making a haunted classroom. I went in arm-in-arm with the English teacher who is also a good friend. It was pitch black, and pretty good, but I couldn't stop laughing because she kept screaming every time a kid grabbed at her. I was reminded of this clip from Ellen "Stop it! Just STOP IT!" I was impressed at their effort, because they don't seem to dedicate themselves to most things. One of the younger students came out completely acojonado (freaked out) and later threw up in class! Poor kid!

At my apartment we had a small Halloween party and amused ourselves in typical Halloween ways-- a mummy-making race and bobbing for apples. When we went out afterwards, not too many people were dressed up in the streets. Some had dressed up the night before Halloween. In Spain, those who do celebrate with costumes go for scary. The general/funny costumes are reserved for Carnival.