This Halloween I attended two parties, one for adults and the other for kids. Dress-up overdose! It's nice when people throw theme parties and go through trouble, so I think dressing up is a must, even if it requires wearing something silly for once! It's a way of expressing gratitude towards the host. I went as a fortune teller this year.
My friend Katrina moved from the US to Finland roughly six months ago. She has been waiting for a residency permit from the Finnish Government ever since. I can't even imagine how stressful it must be for her, not knowing whether or not she'll have a future in Finland. She's lucky to have a job waiting for her, she's engaged to a Finnish guy, they have moved in together and made their house look like a home. She has even started to study the extremely complex language of ours, Finnish.
A physically and mentally healthy, young person who would bring tax income for the government instead of being a mere burden has to wait for over six months (the average waiting time is 3 months) for a residency permit. She's not allowed to take a job or work, she's not allowed to leave the country if she still wants to come back and she doesn't get help of any kind from the Government. What kind of message does this send out to all foreigners considering to move to Finland, especially for the ones that have higher degree education?!
It was great that Katrina decided to throw an American style Halloween for us Finns, it seemed to really cheer her up and make her feel more at home. She made some traditional American Halloween delicacies. My absolute favourite was caramel corn, she made an enormous bowl of it, seriously, I've never seen a bowl that big! We even got to take some of it home!
Halloween isn't a big thing here (yet). Although you can tell that it's getting more popular each year. I was lucky to get introduced to the holiday the right way at a young age, at the Finnish-American Kindergarden.
My "little sister" C.C. has a Halloween birthday each year. We decorate the house with spooky Halloween decorations, kids and adults get to dress up, there's a treasure hunt or an obstacle course (the old, creepy attic and cellar are perfect for setting the mood), some trick or treating, a disco and the best outfit is rewarded - ultimately a lot of fun! No wonder friends of hers start asking about her birthday and plan their outfits already in early August!
This year there was a dance teacher from a local dance school teaching guests some vogueing moves! I recommend you to try it if you like a challenge. My respect for all vogueing dancers just got up a hundred notches! It was a great idea to hire a teacher to come home! The kids ( and adults) loved it!
