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Q: Will any of you, especially teachers, dress up for halloween and go to work?
I know they don't really celebrate Halloween in China, but will any of you dress up for work? I think it would be fun to go as a clown or something in the primary schools. Would you get fired? LOL Are Chinese kids afraid of clowns?
12 years 25 weeks ago in Business & Jobs - Chengdu
I fixed a roll of toilet paper to my shirt and wore a toilet seat around my neck. I didn't get fired, but I don't work of a school. And the poor guy next to me on the bus that night acted really weird for some reason.
HugAPanda:
LMAO.. he was prob tryin to figure out how to squat on you !!
My first halloween as a foreign teacher, the foreign teachers were told to wear costumes and "act fun" in front of the entire (uniformed) student body, hundreds of rich parents, while all the Chinese teachers were wearing three-piece suits and marching in perfect formation (for a halloween ceremony), while an announcer screamed "laowai" a bunch of times over a loudspeaker. I quit.
The second halloween, they had all the foreign teachers dress up as ghosts and wallpapered the school with all kinds of signs saying "don't be afraid of ghosts", to the uproarious laughter of the Chinese. Eventually I convinced a Chinese co-employee to put on the ghost hat thing and called her "假洋鬼子" which quieted up everyone and I think I quit shortly thereafter.
Since then, "no costumes" has always been a deal-breaker when negotiating a contract.
HugAPanda:
I thought it would be fun for foreign teachers that do celebrate halloween at home to do for the kids, probably more so for the little kids. I can understand, however, that after being treated like a dancing monkey for so long, the costume thing would just make it even worse. I guess it's the way you look at things.
I'm Australian and we have a rule about traditional celebrations. If we don't get a public holiday for it then we refuse to agknowledge it. lol So I will be doing what I always do. Ignoring it completely.
It is an American custom only (although commercial interests are trying to foster it onto the rest of us), so why would it be a big deal here in China anyway.
HugAPanda:
Actually, it originated in Europe, and is celebrated in several countries around the world, although not all celebrations include costumes. The commercialism of it has caught on in other countries, including Japan and other Asian countries. I was in NZ 2 years ago with my boyfriend, and kids in his family's neighborhood were dressed up and trick or treating. His mUm passed out coins, I think. I asked because I have seen places where expats are getting together and having halloween parties and dressing up. Some clubs are also hosting halloween parties.
Well, it's not like I had room in my suitcase for a costume. I'll probably just wear cat ears I brought with me during class, but that's it.
