The end of October and beginning of November has been a fun yet hectic time here in Birmingham. This was the 6th week of classes at the University, and for many departments it is reserved for “Reading Week.” This is essentially a week where many people don’t have lectures and it’s meant to be a time for students to catch up on course work and have a little bit of a break from the regular schedule. I’m in classes from a wide variety of departments. Therefore, some of my lectures were cancelled while others were not. the schedule I did have was light, so it was enough of a break for me.
Along with being Reading Week it was also the week of several other events including Halloween! The decorations came out halfway through October. But now people were starting to line up costumes and on Halloween the dining center had a Halloween themed meal. My flat went all out with decorations, face paint, costumes etc. Oh, and we also got a pumpkin named Patrick. (He’s still hanging around.)
After Halloween on November 2nd there was a big event in the accommodation village where I live. Carnival rides, games, and food trucks were all brought in. For the main event there was a fireworks display held. The streets were filled with people and it went well into the night. It was the sort of festival that one would expect to see in the summer, nonetheless it was a fun time!
Now that October is gone, and Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in the UK, everyone is gearing up for Christmas. My flat took all of our Halloween decorations down. We plan to go shopping to replace them with Christmas decorations this weekend. Including a tree of course! Too early? Nahh.
The American Globetrotter 