November 3 , 2004

One of the most exciting things, I think, about travelling abroad is the opportunity to watch life back home in America from a distance and get a foreign perspective on what is going on there. In addition, it's fun to see some of my favorite American traditions and even daily routines in a new light.

This past weekend, we celebrated Halloween. I’ve been seeing decorations in the stores since I first arrived in September, so I figured it was a pretty big holiday here. It is, in fact, much bigger than in the States. I went to a huge outdoor Halloween party, complete with live music, dancing, and a fireworks show. And dressing up in ‘fancy dress’ is not reserved for the young – people of all ages are expected to observe the holiday with a creative costume. I went as a Swiss ski instructor. I’m quite sad that there will be no Thanksgiving here in the coming month, that being a distinctly American holiday. But I already have plans to make my own Thanksgiving dinner with some of the other American and international students here.


 

Another favorite American tradition during the month of October is, at least at my house, the watching of the World Series. You may have heard the phrase, ‘As American as baseball and apple pie.’ Well, that's definitely true because most people here have no idea what baseball is or have any
interest in watching it. And they certainly don’t understand the historical significance of a Red Sox victory in light of the great ‘Curse of the Babe.’ Luckily, I found some Bostonites on campus. Boston and Ireland are interestingly connected because Boston was one of the most popular