by Blessed Fabellon
As an international student from the Philippines, there were a lot of “firsts” that I got to experience in my 4 months living here. As someone who can say they’re up-to-date with American media, I thought I was already familiar with American culture. Boy, was I wrong!
One of the things that I got to experience for the first time was Halloween, which I’ve seen portrayed in movies and TV shows since I was a kid. Even though we had Halloween back at home, we certainly don’t go as hard on it as people do here! I was shocked to see how much dedication people put on putting up decorations. When I went trick or treating, the further along I went, the more eccentric and extravagant the decorations were. It was definitely an amazing experience.
Another “first” that holds a special place in my heart was when I went to Kuipers Family Farm with my boyfriend. It’s safe to say that it doesn’t get more midwestern than that. We’re talking all the staples: pumpkin pies, an apple orchard, a pumpkin farm, a corn maze, and so much more! My boyfriend and I decided to go into the corn maze to see if we could figure it out. We thought it’d be a piece of cake, but we were wrong! We went back the way we came because we started to get nervous after spending 45 minutes inside. There were also a lot of mini games that we took part in like mini basketball, ring toss, soccer, sack slide, and the trampoline. We felt like little kids running around trying to do everything all at once.
Something that really touched my heart was seeing families spend time with each other. This is a little after Halloween, so there was a dad wearing a tutu chasing after his daughter in a fairy costume, and a mom wearing a Batman mask taking pictures of her little son. Going through the farm and seeing little kids have fun with their parents just warmed my heart. It made me appreciate this part of the midwestern experience so much more. Of course, we couldn’t end the day without some delicious hot chocolate paired with some specialty donuts! This day was definitely the highlight of my fall experience.
Coming to the US wasn’t easy for me. Although I’m someone who likes to experience new things, going here alone was scary. However, the more I immerse myself in the culture and collect more “firsts,” I realize how lucky I am to be given this opportunity to see and experience new things.
