Being critical is an easy sport. Wherever you go, whatever culture you find, there is something strange, hilarious and sometimes even stupid to comment on.
That I quite often indulge my passion of bashing things which are not understandable for the average Swiss mind, you might know if you did read my last blog entries.
Now it’s all different.

Today I was taking part in my first pumpkin carving contest ever. Jasha invited me on short notice and so I drove to the local super market to buy a pumpkin. I got a squash.
For my excuse I have to say that in Switzerland all pumpkins and squashes are called “Kürbis” and are available in all sorts of colors. Therefore I did not ask twice and bought two small squashes, one green, one yellow with green dots.

Arriving in San Diego’s city centre and being let in by Jasha’s friend, I found myself among a cheering party of young people gathered in a cool flat with Jacuzzi and swimming pool. When I presented my squashes I brought the house down. Compared to the huge pumpkins which all were of orange colour, my little squashes indeed were at a complete loss.

I had to accept the fact that I would not have a chance to win the carving contest and reluctantly put the 5 bucks participation fee in the pot. Good-bye forever.
 
Together with some other 15 participants I started to carve and drink beer. Nice tradition. It was much more fun than I would have thought. The others cut amazing faces out of their pumpkins and somehow mine turned out quite well, too. I decided that I would go for an alien, since aliens always are green and since my squash was green, too.

Ladies and gentlemen, you will not believe it: after some 2 hours of carving and after I had cut myself in my finger (whether due to the extensive consumption of beer or because of the sheer pressure of the competition, I don’t know) the jury voted my alien pumpkin with its yellow ears and its antenna into first place! Unbelievable!

I got 44 bucks price money!

Personally I must admit that the craftsmanship of some other pumpkins was far better than mine – but they all were in boring every-year-again orange while mine was green with yellow ears. There we go! 
Therefore I start to like Halloween and with it a part of the American culture. Lesson learnt.