The International Common Room was brought to life by UIC’s International Development Office (IDO) and International Student Club when students from overseas, as well as their friends, came to celebrate Halloween with costumes, games, and of course, lots of candy on 28 October.

Halloween is celebrated in many Western countries, and revolves around excessive amounts of sweet treats, spooky decorations and creative costume ideas - not to mention pranks and scary films.

French international student Vincent Plancher said “IDO and the International Student Club provided so many treats. We had to distribute them in the campus during the rest of the evening. It was very fun as people were scared or surprised, and it was overall one more opportunity to meet new people.”

Students get ready to participate in a sour candy eating contest

Over the course of the night, students tried a variety of Chinese and Western candies, and even took part in a sour candy eating competition. Students also took many photos with Halloween photo booth props and decorations, as well as discussing their previous Halloween experiences with one another. Year 4 Applied Translation Studies student and International Student Club Vice President, Xie Zijun, said, “It was absolutely fun for me to dress up and experience Halloween for the first time! I really love the cheese crispies!”

Costume contest

At this event, students were encouraged to dress up and come prepared to compete in a costume contest. Year 4 Applied Translation Studies student Huang Jia Hui accompanied Zijun to the event and said "It was pretty exciting to dress up for the Halloween party. I tried to be as scary as possible and I won the ‘best costume’ contest, with chocolates as a prize!" Many costumes were featured that night, including Little Red Riding Hood, an Egyptian queen, a pirate, a witch, a huntress, and even the matchmaker from the Disney movie Mulan.

ELC Intern Jamie Siemsen and Korean international student Bae So Jeong enjoying some cookies

This event was Korean international student Bae So Jeong’s first ever Halloween celebration. When asked to reflect on this special experience, So Jeong stated, “My roommate and I dressed up like vampires. She bought a Halloween costume of Little Red Riding Hood. My friends and I took lots of pictures together and we enjoyed delicious food that IDO prepared for us.” So Jeong continued by commenting on ELC Intern and International Student Club President Jamie Siemen’s home-made baked treats, which she described as being “really delicious.”

(From left) International students, interns and UICers all enjoying the party

Whether it was their first time celebrating Halloween or not, the night was filled with spooky fun, tasty treats, and provided a nice break from studying.

Reporter: Jamie Siemsen (ELC, IDO)
Editors: Samuel Burgess (MPRO), Marissa Furney (MPRO), Étienne Fermie (GEO)
(from IDO)