Real American Halloween

Do you know what October 31st was? Yes, it was Halloween!

I looked forward to Halloween because it is such a huge event in America. So today, I'm going to share what I did.

I went to the embassy to trick-or-treat. Abroad at AU run this program for international students. We met in front of the Mary Graydon Center and went to the Dupont Circle, where the embassies were crowded. Costumes are highly recommended, but it's up to you. In my case, I wore the witch costume I bought on Amazon. You can purchase costumes for under $30 on Amazon or at Target. The other students simply wore veils or makeup. Wearing no costumes is also okay.

Starting from the Embassy of Portugal, we knocked on the doors of almost 30 embassies. Some embassies welcomed us by wearing their traditional clothes or costumes. Other embassies placed candy baskets outside.

We also saw the first floor of the embassies, which exhibit each country's history, clothes, and other traditions. My favorite place was the Korean Culture Center – and I’m not saying that just because I am Korean. At the center, there were DJ rooms for you to dance with your friends. You could also experience Korean culture by looking at hanboks, and eating chicken and spicy rice cakes called tteok-bokki. The backyard was filled with Halloween decorations, making it perfect for taking pictures.

After visiting a few more embassies, most of the students were tired, so they went back to the school. I decided to go to the Embassy of Finland with my friends from Finland and Guatemala. When we arrived, Santa Claus greeted us with deer bells. Our picture was actually posted on the Finland Embassy’s Instagram page!

I will never forget this experience. Being greeted at an embassy with candy is an experience that can only happen in D.C., so I highly recommend you check out AU if you’re considering studying abroad. It's late, but Happy Halloween everyone!

~ From Heeyeon Ryu, an SAF Student Correspondent