The Gathering of Social Halloween Pumpkins

While looking for Halloween-themed events on campus, the first thing that caught my eye was the pumpkin decorations hanging on top of the School of Music office. Before I attended UVic, my memories of Halloween have always been associated with dressing-up, lighting up candles inside hollowed pumpkin carvings, and trick-or-treat for bags of candy with friends. The teachers would “coincidentally” give us exams right before Trick-or-Treat, then let us enjoy the evening together.

(All photos are taken by me at the event gathering)

The event I attended was on Wednesday, October 26, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm hosted by the UVic Global Community.

5 pm after class, half-beaten in the pouring rain, the UVic Grad House looked like a beautiful warm shelter to gain. The Grad House is located right beside the Student Union Building and the UVic Bus Loop in the Halpern Centre for Graduate Students.

As a member of the Global Community since September 2022, I received a very hospitable welcome from former friends and Global Community mentors. Before school got busy in October, we trained together, laughed at each other’s sense of humour, and discussed ideas about food, nature, and learning strategies on campus.

The welcome banner

To my surprise, the Grad House lounge was FULL with UVic international students from around the world! I could hardly remember how many languages I heard that evening, maybe more than 30+ new languages!

Thinking that my knowledge in English, Mandarin Chinese, and French may have helped communicating, I was proved wrong. There is so much to learn in a multicultural gathering over cups of free hot chocolate and hot apple cider.

The Oreo cookies were “wonderfilled” with some sort of sweet cream magic that drove the newcomers nuts over how “delicious” it was vs. the Chips Ahoy! (mini chocolate chip cookies). A few special guests even brought in apple juice cartons and the popular orange juice for first year students.

While playing BINGO with new friends and Global Community friends, I wondered where the hosts got the mini pumpkins from. A local farm in Victoria, BC? Somewhere sunny and lovely near Sidney or the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal? It can be any farmer’s golden contribution.

Delighted by the sight of acrylic paints over mini pumpkins, I took out my iPhone camera and snapped lots of photos with the permission of enthusiastic students. They really should consider art as a hobby! Maybe they are already artists before arriving at UVic.

Next time a Fall-themed event like “The Gathering of Social Halloween Pumpkins” makes its way into my newsletter, I will attend the event right away :). Special-themed events like these are a great opportunity to take a break from studying and enjoy a cozy evening.