This year, my older brother Nick began his junior year in college with a semester abroad in Madrid, Spain. Obviously we couldn't spend a holiday without the whole family, so of course we had to visit him for Thanksgiving.

My family and I had some great experiences leading up to Turkey Day, but finally the holiday rolled around and my mom made a reservation at Casa Patas, a half-restaurant, half-theatre reserved for traditional Spanish flamenco dancing. We arrived, and squeezed through multiple tables covered in tapas. We reached the musky back room and found our reserved table near the stage, which was surrounded entirely by men eagerly anticipating the start of the show.

After about 15 minutes of waiting, a group of 5 people, one carrying a guitar, slinked out out from behind a small black curtain and took their places on fold-out chairs (not exactly the most extravagant affair). Suddenly, the guitarist started playing, the singers started clapping, and one man started to keep the same beat on a cajón, a type of box drum. When the performance began, I understood why Casa Patas didn’t dip too far into their savings to decorate the stage - the music itself was enough. It was a different style of singing from anything  I had ever heard before, and even though I had no idea what they were saying despite the 7 years of Spanish classes under my belt, it was amazing.

The show did not fail to give me chills all night, and paired with the traditional dance, was an experience I'll never forget. The dancing was performed by a woman in a traditional long skirt and heels, but the entire night I was never more surprised than when I saw the second dancer take the stage - and it was a man. Let me just say I've never seen a man move like that before and never expect to again. However, the best part of the night was when the tapping of their heels on the wooden stage lined up perfectly with the clapping and guitar strumming of the musicians, and the dancers finished with a flourish as the whole room went wild.

OCTOBER 31st.

What imagery popped into your mind when you read that? Skeletons, pumpkins, candy? This date has a particular connotation for most people born and raised in America: Halloween. We think of it as the day when we can dress up however ridiculously we want, get away with it, and score some free candy at the same time. October 31st, however, means the start of something very different to some cultures south of the border. I’m sure you’ve all heard about a holiday known as “the Day of the Dead”, celebrated widely across Mexico. I first learned about this holiday in my freshman year Spanish class - but the explanation I received barely scratched the surface of what this day really means to millions of people. Here’s what you need to know:

WHEN

The Day of the Dead, or Dia de Los Muertos, is officially on November 2nd, but celebrations begin on the 31st of October and November 1st.

WHO

This holiday is mostly celebrated mostly by residents of Mexico, but some states with high immigrant populations have brought this ancient holiday to the United States. Slightly different variations of this celebration can be found in other regions of the world, like South and Central America.

WHAT

Dia de los Muertos is a day dedicated wholly to the deceased. While to us this may sound like country-wide funeral, a sad spectacle at best, it is one of the most joyous days on the Mexican calendar. It may be an alternate way to view the dead from what we see as “normal”, but people will spend a lot to make this day special for the departed members of their families. In fact, poorer rural families are known to spend close to 2 month’s worth of rent on preparation to ensure they properly honor their dead ancestors.

WHERE

The day is mostly spent in the graveyard where their loved ones lay. Many families will bring elaborate meals, clean and decorate the graves, and spend the day next to the tombstone. This holiday can also be celebrated from your home, and some families will spend what seems to us as an inordinate amount of time creating altars dedicated to the dead.

WHY

El Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated to honor the dead. The reason it continues to be so extravagant, even while it has been celebrated for 4000 years, is because the people who work so hard to create this holiday hope that the spirits they are recognizing will bring good luck to their families in return.

This is still only the beginning of getting a full understanding of this salient holiday celebration. To get a better understanding of the feeling surrounding this holiday, attached is the CGI Student Academy Award Gold Medal Winner Short Film: "Dia De Los Metros".

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the transfer students at our school. He’s 18, and showed up to the interview in a pink polo with a popped collar, styled hair under a camo snapback, and gray skinny jeans. Here are a few things about him you won’t get just by looking.

1) His Name: Azure Qüinn Koikos Caldwell

This one is quite a mouthful. Not in a bad way, more in a “are you a prince and can I see the bathrooms in your castle” kind of way. The most surprising part of his name was that his parents just made it up - there’s no family history behind it.

2) He gets around.

No, not like that you dirty-minded people. Azure has moved a lot: he was born in Leverett, Massachusetts, he’s lived in Florida, and moved all around New England, including Vermont and New Hampshire, before coming to Darien.

3) His life B.D. (Before Darien)

Azure’s East Hampton school was double the student body of DHS, and was a lot more diverse.  90% of the students were of a Spanish background, however he mentioned that they weren’t nearly as accepting or friendly as the kids at DHS. Leggo Wave.

4) His wheels

    This is what you’ve all been waiting for. Don’t deny it. We want to know the truth about the Porsche, the Alfa Romeo, the Ferrari, the Bugatti - or whatever other car rumours have been circulating. Here’s the thing: Azure doesn’t even drive to school. The sweet ride we’ve all heard about actually belongs to a close friend. (I wasn’t given much info on the friend; perhaps it was one of his regal buddies.) Myth=busted.

5) The aesthetic

Of course I asked where he shops, this is hard-hitting journalism. I need to ask the tough questions. Less than a second after I inquired, Azure began listing off places that I would only ever be allowed into if I was with my mom. His favorites are Purple Label by Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Louboutin. When I asked if he had a job to finance these expenditures, I was hit with an articulate “No.” 100% a prince. I’m not crazy, right?

6) His Hobbies

When he’s not running a small country (I’ll chill with the prince jokes now, sorry) he likes to play the guitar and write his own music. Azure also returns to his country club in the Hamptons on the weekends, called Maidstone. Here’s the kicker: he is close friends with Max Kenyon, a senior who graduated from DHS, through meeting him at their shared country club. Small world, huh?

7) Ethnicity

Despite the rumours that Azure is Italian, Peruvian, or just from Europe in general, he has an all American background. His mom is from Connecticut, and his dad is from Florida.

8) His family

Azure’s Mom works for Meridith Baer, one of the top home staging designer for celebrities in the nation - we can now see where he got his impeccable style. In the interview, he talked about his mom and her side of the family a lot more than his dad. When we finally got around to the other side, I learned that he, his sister, and his mom had left his dad when he was 5. They don’t speak anymore. On a lighter note, he told me that he has 5 siblings - kind of. His sister Maitreya is his only sibling who shares double parentage - the same mom and dad. He has another sister, Kayla, who has just the same mom, and three other siblings who just have the same dad. He didn’t know them well enough to provide a lot of information, so we moved onwards and upwards.