Happy Halloween

Halloween in Japan is like Halloween in the States, with the addition of bats flying about. Yes, you read it right, we have real live bats! Of course they only appear at night and are harmless, but I've only seen them on base flying from tree to tree.

The base was open to the local Japanese as long as they had a sponsor to pass through the gates. Joey and I volunteered to be on Pumpkin Patrol, due to the fact that we are childless. Might as well help keep the kiddies safe, right? I didn't dress up, and Joey had to wear his uniform. We met up the other Pumpkin Patrollers to be assigned a neighborhood and were given reflective belts/vests and glow sticks. Receiving the glow sticks was the highlight of my night. The rest of the night consisted of walking around the neighborhood for two hours in the slightly humid weather, in jeans that didn't breath and shoes that are too small for my humidity inflated feet. Not fun. Not fun at all.

Although, I do feel good for helping kids cross the street and helping a little kid walk back home after he ran out his house looking for his brother, who apparently was already home. Next year, if we decide to be patrolling again, I'll wear a light weight kimono, slippers, and bring an Ipod.