It All Started With A Box

Three weeks ago I came home to a large box of love. I took the box into my room and opened it to find Halloween. I pulled out a couple of things and then stopped. Anna (my roommate) couldn't figure out why I wasn't taking everything else out of the box. I explained to her that if I were to take out everything I would never be able to fit it back in. You see, this box was from my mother and she has a way with boxes...she can fit more in them than any person I've ever met. Curiosity eventually got the best of my and I dumped the contents on my bed. Anna quickly understood my rationalization and was very impressed. I sat there staring at my new treasures with visions of Italian Halloween parties drifting through my head.



Three weeks and MANY emails and Skype calls later ("I can't find that ingredient...we need a new recipe") my mother and I had a potentially marvelous Halloween party planned. I spent way too many hours in the grocery store wandering around trying to find things that may not even exist here and pulling out my dictionary to make sure that I was buying what I thought I was. Go ahead and picture it and laugh. Imagine somebody walking around a grocery store in the US with a dictionary in hand and picture the look you would give them. Now multiply that by ten because Italians don't hesitate to show what they are thinking on their face. I also discovered the best way to get the Italians to talk to you. If you spend enough time in the grocery store and have a cart full of food that isn't chocolate or ready-made then everybody just assumes that you are Italian. Ah contraire! (Am I French now?) Despite what it may seem, I do not understand you! People didn't seem to get. I had a lady have a five minute conversation with my while I was staring at the meat trying to figure out what kind animal I was actually buying. I'm pretty sure she asked me a question...something to do with the weight and the meat I was looking at versus the meat she was looking at. That's about all I got. One lady ran into me with he cart twice and felt the need to have a full conversation with me both times. Another woman explained in full detail why I shouldn't go down a certain aisle...I'm still not sure why. Anyway, you get the idea.

I spent the day invading Peter and Leah's house cooking up a large storm for a lot of people. I was very grateful to have Leah around to help. You see, cooking becomes quite a bit harder when you are in a country that doesn't even have measuring devices. Everything is one big fat guess. It was oh so exciting. As usual, everything took longer than expected so we were late to the church so the party started late. It's ok though because I had two things in my favor. Not only was I dealing with Mormon standard time, I was also dealing with Italians. Everything is late in Italy so I figured it was ok that I was as well. Eventually the party began though. We had a rather large American meal and it tasted so good if I do say so myself. After we had eaten our fill and then some we began the true Halloween festivities. It was so great to teach the Italians some of our American games. We had an amazing time with our slightly altered games. We bobbed for apples, had mummy wrapping races, ate crackers (yes crackers) off of a string, had a balloon popping/candy eating relay, and topped it all off with trick-or-treating behind doors. I would have to say that it was a pretty fun evening. When you can't have a Halloween party in Park City why not have one in Italy?


Everybody was awesome and very ready to help me. Good thing too or else the party wouldn't have happened.


I'll admit, I was extremely surprised when the missionaries came out dressed as gangstas'.


I was so glad that some of the Italians were able to make it. They made it so much more fun.


You doubt that eating doughnuts on a string can be changed to crackers on a string? But what if you have really long crackers with big holes?


What's Halloween without sticking your head in a bowl of water?


The trick-or-treating behing doors actually went better than I thought it would. We turned out the light in the hall and made the kids knock on the doors to get their candy. These girls got quite into it...witched through and through.


Oh yes, I was definitely Disco Tiger Lily for Halloween. It just kind happened and it was great. I wish I had a picture of my whole costume, but my head will just have to do for now.