Happy Halloween! (Hogwarts Style)

I must say I was quite happy to find out that Halloween is almost as big in Britain as it is in America. They still get dressed up and have parties. I think most kids go trick-or-treating, but apparently fewer houses give out candy. With Halloween falling on a Wednesday (and morning classes falling on a Thursday) I didn't actually go out for the night. However, Uni Hall had a special dinner that was waaaaay cooler than any Halloween party.

Harry Potter!

Yes, we had a Hogwarts-themed hall dinner. And they went all out. For all you Muggles (non-witches in Hogwarts-speak), you may not appreciate the great lengths they went to. The rest of you will be quite jealous. The tables were arranged in four rows, just like at Hogwarts. When we arrived, we picked our table from the sorting hat. I was Hufflepuff (boo--everyone now Hufflepuff is the reject house). Two of my friends got Gryffindor. I'm not bitter.

Inside the hall, the decorations were amazing. They had ghosts hanging from the ceiling. Spiderwebs were stretched across the tables. They had plastic bugs all over, including in the salad bar--that was a fun surprise. There was even the music from the movie playing in the background. Possibly the best part was seeing everyone dressed up. First off, its pretty cool that the University has gowns in the first place. Even better, they are perfect for a Harry Potter dinner. Most of us had the red gowns on and witches hats, along with the occasional wand. It looked quite authentic.

Fortunately, the cooks stuck to the regular menu. In the past, they've tried to do the gross looking Halloween-themed food and it just ends up being gross tasting. I was very afraid of the possibility of slimy, green-dyed, and/or fake-body-part-looking food. Thankfully, the scariest thing was Sahara-dry chicken, which I don't even eat.

So, the dinner pretty much made my night. I hope everyone at home had a fun Halloween, too. I did miss getting to see little kids all dressed up. I also missed candy corn. Apparently, it's an American thing. I went to a candy shop and asked for it. This place literally has hundreds of jars of candies. I got blank stares. I then try to explain candy corn. Before you read this, imagine how you would try to explain it to someone who'd never seen it before. It's hard!

My attempt: It's a sugar-type candy...looks like a corn kernel...but longer...(I'm gesturing at this point)...with three colors. Blank stares. I leave the store.

After this fine moment, I call home and ask Dad to buy a bag and not let anyone eat it. I can have it all to myself when I get home--in December.

Oh, and just an update from the last post: I have told the parents about my travel plans. However, it's late and I don't have the energy to get excited about them again right now, so you'll have to wait for the next post. I promise I'll share them soon.