Interview on April Fools Day for IS students

April 1st is the holiday April Fools also known as “All Fools Day.”  Its exact origin is not known, because there are so many stories as to why it started. The most plausible tale is that New Years Day in France used to be April 1st, but the King changed it to January 1st. Not everyone accepted this change for several years and those who didn’t were scoffed as fools, thus the term April Fools.
Today people from many parts of the world are recognizing and celebrating April 1st in their own unique way. Here at International school is a fruitful student body from all over the world. I decided to ask a few of our fellow classmates from IS to pass on what they did for April Fools and also pass on this tradition to this who don’t know about this good hearted holiday. Maybe through Jinan University, April Fools one day will really be global.

A girl from Djibouti:
“We played with water and powdered friends we saw. The rule was we couldn’t get mad at each other because it was April Fools. A lot of girls stayed home because they were afraid of getting fooled. We made big lies to scare each other and we always did that the night before April 1st. Above that, we looked for fun “troubles” to do with friends the morning of April Fools.”

A girl from Taiwan
”Taiwan as a country doesn’t have any grand occasions but personally I remember the first year I was here at JNU, I played a prank on my boyfriend who was back in Taiwan. I told him I had gotten in a car accident and was terribly injured, but I’m a terribly bad liar and he saw right through me.” 

A boy from Malaysia
“My classmates and I played a trick on my teacher one year for April Fools. During class we told him that his pants zipper was unzipped. This year, I wish there was something funny I could pull.”

A girl from Myanmar
“I didn’t pull any tricks for April Fools in previous years, but this year I will play a trick on my boyfriend. I’ll tell him something he doesn’t expect, like I want to break up with him. His shock will be hilarious.”

       Three years ago, I myself, had completely forgotten about April 1st. My friends, as devious as they are, stuffed my locker full of balloons. In the morning when I got to school and opened my locker, I realized a mountain of balloons had fallen all around me.
It can be understood that whatever the prank, students here at JNU just want to have a good laugh amidst all the studying and stress. April Fools has become a chance for us to let loose and become a kid again. So have a good laugh, play a prank on friends. Need some ideas?What did you do for 2008 April Fools? Need some ideas for future years? Visit this website, http://www.something.com/. I’m sure you’ll find something interesting.

Written by Jessica Zhang
Edited by Amy Wang
IS journalist team