ETA Natasha Anis was so excited when she started getting questions from her community about Halloween in October. Halloween was always one of her favorite holidays back in the US, and she still had lots of candy to pass out to students! Wanting the celebration to reach as many students as possible, across both Campus A and B of the school, Natasha and her co-teachers in the English Department decided to host a Halloween party at SMAN 10!

Costumes were encouraged, an Instagram flyer distributed, and the students responded! They were decked out as their favorite scary, cute, or popular characters! Vampires, scary masks, blood makeup, and flashy jackets were just a few of the many ways students expressed their own personality and creativity through their costumes. Some students coordinated costumes with their friends and the photobooth was a hit.

The students sampled different American candy (Pop Rocks, Pixie Stix, or Fun Dip, anyone?), try on temporary tattoos, and practice their English writing two-sentence horror stories (“I never go to sleep. But I keep waking up.”). The English Department teachers and some alumni acted as MCs for the event, hosting a “Balloon Bop” game and teaching the students the steps to the most famous Halloween song: Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” There was also a costume contest and the first place winner was dressed as a “Pocong,” which is an Indonesian ghost. The last activity was for students to carve watermelons into jack-o-lanterns! All the students had a great time guessing what their friends were dressed up as, eating candy, and taking many photos with their friends.

Natasha Anis is currently teaching at SMAN 10 Samarinda, East Kalimantan.