It seems, each year in Russia brings about more Western "comforts." Do not get me wrong, there are many comforts I desperately miss while abroad (my list would fill pages), but rather than dwell on the list, and things I cannot change, I will celebrate the small things that made this Halloween.....happy.
I mentioned this last year, and again earlier this year, I desperately wanted to find carve-able pumpkins. I missed the opportunity last year, but I was determined to succeed. Success was on the menu, I found a small, white pumpkin at the local market (success #1) and then stumbled upon Halloween pumpkins in our nearby grocery store (success #2). Bear with me a moment as I ramble about a theory I have:
I do not know how grocery store "ordering" takes place. I like to think there is a person in charge of ordering all items that stock the shelves. It also brings me joy to think that this designated person flips through a grocery store "catalog" choosing various items. With that said, I believe the "orderer" at our nearby grocery store, flips through the catalog and thinks to himself "I wonder what crazy things an American, expat wife would buy?" He then proceeds to order those items, stock the shelves, and sit back to be delightfully entertained when I walk in, spot the new item, then proceed to let out small cheers, occasionally breaking into a "happy dance" and buy up a large portion of the stock.
Case in point, Halloween pumpkins.......
Rambling complete; I believe this theory is correct because from my discussions with local Russians, Halloween is not a popular "holiday" (though it is growing) and last year, while questioning my Russian teacher about where I may locate a carve-able pumpkin, she shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't believe there were any. So, the pumpkins were not purchased for the general population, but rather for the entertaining reactions of expats walking into the store. Regardless, it brought me great joy (and I am pretty positive, the nearby employee who witnessed my reaction was greatly entertained).
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| Our Western, commercialized pumpkin and our Russian pumpkin. |
Saturday, Ryan and I carved our pumpkins, They are small but mighty. I was afraid upon first cut we would find mold, or some other nastiness inside, but they were great. Their small size made cleaning and carving quite difficult. We prevailed and were handsomely rewarded. I was so excited to have pumpkins sitting in our window!
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| Ryan was going to challenge the commercialized pumpkin. |
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| I wanted to carve the Russian pumpkin. Russian lesson.... pumpkin - тыква |
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| Tiniest pumpkins. Both of us had to throw away our "lids." After cleaning the pumpkins, the lids fell through the openings. |
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| Finished products! |
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| Ryan chose a bat. Bat - летучая мышь (literally means, flying mouse) |
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| I chose ghosts because of the white pumpkin. I also decided to carve ghosts around the entire pumpkin. Ghost - привидение |
And, since every American holiday includes food of some sort, Halloween being no exception with the plethora of candy purchases. With the lack of trick-or-treaters, we do not have large amounts of candy sitting around, but we did incorporate Halloween treats.
To everyone celebrating Halloween with costumes, parties, and trick-or-treaters feel free to share pictures and stories, I will live vicariously through you!
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| During his trip to Houston, in September Ryan surprised me (though I shouldn't have been) with bringing these back! Ryan LOVES his Oreos. |
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| Since I didn't join Ryan in Houston.....insert sad face and a sigh..... I resorted to a homemade Halloween treat. Sweet pumpkin seeds. |
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| Since I can't help myself, I made a treat for the office....hypnotizing Russian tastebuds one treat at a time. I heard from Ryan, and an email from my friend at the office, the puppy chow was a big hit. |
What were popular costumes?
What was the best costume?
What was the cutest trick-or-treater dressed as?
And please have a piece of Halloween candy for me!
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