Game day and Halloween
It was my turn to experience the American tradition of tailgate parties, on the day of the football game between USC and the University of Utah. It was the first time I was in the university on a game day. The streets leading up to the university lived up to the fervor associated with ‘game day’. Tents were set up outside the fraternity and sorority houses, decorated with cardinal and gold coloured balloons. People sported the USC colours in the form of tees, wrist bands, caps et al. It was ironic that the parties would go on, no matter what the outcomes of the games were, whether USC was rising or plummeting down the points table. This is probably the undying spirit that we all need to have in our lives.
As luck would have it, I was asked to join a friend to watch the game too. Brushing aside my skepticism about going owing to a mid-term exam coming up, I did go. The university campus was packed to the maximum. It was hard to find empty spaces without any tents. I was rather tempted to drink the juice, or rather, a juice with a mix of alcoholic beverages. The cut pineapples in it were too inviting. I managed to gulp down a glassful a little later, in the spirit of tradition! I was in awe of the idea of sticking a bottle into a watermelon, and consume the drink infested watermelon. True to the name ‘Desi tailgate’, Bollywood songs were played and we danced to our heart’s content until a Department of Public Safety (DPS) official asked us to shut down the music. There were games and there had to be a lot of photos too.
When the game was about to start, we could hear the trumpets. The band of USC was playing the ‘fight on’ song. We joined as they marched out from the university to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, situated right across the street. The verve that filled the air was contagious, such that the only thought on my mind was that we have to see USC winning! I was trying to contain my feverish excitement as we entered the stadium, my first time in such a place. They were giving away tees, especially to people who were in blue. The band performed before the game started. I was lost during the first quarter, trying hard to understand the game. It was all the more enjoyable when I got a hang of it. The cheerleaders were on their toes the whole time, and were doing an exemplary job dancing to the tunes played by the band. It would be hard for the most reserved people to ignore the vibes each time there was a touchdown. I found it amusing that someone shouted ‘Get off the field’ when the other team’s band performed during the break. It was crazy, the rivalry and how much it meant to people here. Like someone said, I had chosen a good game to watch-USC won! It was a show of sorts after the victory, and everybody somehow ended up cursing the school across town, the one which must not be named.
I spent the next couple of days studying and to unwind after the exam, we had a Halloween themed party organized by the student association of the engineering school at USC. The pumpkin carvings by our neighbours, on display outside since a week or so, had alerted us that Halloween is oncoming. It was our first Halloween here. We had not taken the effort to get a costume, even though a lot of my friends had. I and my friend tried to look our scariest best, smearing some ‘vampire blood’ on our faces. Like a friend said, I did not need much makeup to look scary, with my hair let down. There were quite a few pirates, vampires, witches, Robin Hoods and other characters from a myriad of comics and games. In the coming days, it was not surprising to spot people dressed in uncanny costumes at the library, on the streets and so on. Seeing a lot of children knocking at doors asking ‘Trick or Treat’, and the houses decorated with lights gave us the festival feeling. I hope to be a part of many more such festivals and celebrations here.
