Pumpkin Carving: Universally Fun

By Jared Vaillancourt [creative writing bureau chief]

Recently international and exchange students at Kwantlen got to enjoy a unique taste of Canadian culture; the chance to carve pumpkins for Halloween.

Directed by Kwantlen’s International Liaison officer, students from Europe, China and Japan gathered together at the Richmond campus to create their first Jack-O-Lanterns in preparation for the pagan-turned-popular holiday. Prizes were awarded for the scariest pumpkin and also anyone who showed up disguised in their festive costumes.

While some of the students were at first put off by the goopy innards of the traditional fruit, the example set by others who immediately jumped in and started to recount anecdotes of other foods they’ve carved quickly allayed any awkwardness. From the laughter audible all the way down the hall, it’s clear that this is one more tradition that our foreign friends appreciate about our culture.