For the past two weeks, Chinese exchange (CHEX) students and their host siblings have been busy preparing for Halloween. Last Thursday we carved pumpkins. We were put into groups of two that consisted of a CHEX student and their host sibling. We carved faces out of pumpkins using spoons and knives. Each group ended up with a creative and special pumpkin for Halloween. We brought our pumpkins home so that they could be decorations for our houses for halloween.

Tuesday was Halloween and we gathered to go Trick-or-Treating at about 6:30 p.m. We went Trick-or-Treating on Clark Road. The houses had scary and extravagant decorations. We encountered boys in masks, smiling faces, girls dressed up as angels and even puppies dressed up as ghosts! We staggered home loaded with candy, great memories and a taste of fun American culture.

We also visited New York City this past weekend. We walked around Manhattan and saw many landmarks. For instance, we visited Wall Street, the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, and the Empire State Building, Central Park and Columbia University on Sunday. The excursion was exhausting, but fun.

For me, the most memorable activity was walking on the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday evening. The bridge stood proudly facing the stars and buildings reflecting on the Hudson River. I love the beautiful view from the bridge—the harbor, the sea, and hundreds of buildings behind us.

During the evening in Manhattan, the city was bright and gorgeous with a thousand glittering buildings, enumerating the pride and hope of Manhattan.

Our adviser, Mr. Lantos, dedicated so much to the New York trip and was so caring and inspiral during our two-day tour. He even went out of his way to find a Chinese restaurant in Manhattan for us on Sunday.

The past two weeks were great and memorable.  We look forward to more joy and exploration in the next three months.