Karen Chen (‘23), Shanghai, China

In Shanghai, Halloween is celebrated by many, and most public places employed a Halloween theme during this weekend. Karen spent the holiday with her friends, starting off with pumpkin carving. “We carved pumpkins, which was fun and reminiscent of our annual pumpkin carving with Mrs. Quick,” Karen said. Later, they went to an amusement park that had a special Halloween event. “The trip didn’t go as planned, because the park was very crowded,” Karen said. “We didn’t get to go on any rides, and the majority of our night was spent in line and in the car.”  Nevertheless, Karen is grateful that she could spend the holiday with her friends at an amusement park despite the pandemic. “Though we didn’t do much, this Halloween was still very memorable,” Karen reflected. “It’s the people that matter, not the places.”