Happy Birthday To Me :)

Even though it was a week ago, I wanted to post some pics from my birthday. To most people 26 isn't a big birthday year, but for me, I realized that I'm now closer to 30 than I am 20...yikes! It's also a big year for me because I spent it in another country, my first year living in Indonesia. I experienced many things that were out of the ordinary and new experiences for me on my actual birthday and made the day really special!
Well, Malang(the city I live in) was kind enough to host a 10k and marathon on my birthday. I've done a few races before, but this was unlike any other race I've ever done. For example:


 Even though the Start Time of the race was 5:30am and we all lined up for it, it didn't actually start until 6:30am(Indonesians like to call it "rubber time" since it's flexible to say the least)

There was an entire performance before the race began of traditional dancing and "gamelan"(the traditional music here).



The group I ran with(see below) were about the only foreigners in the race. This is a picture that sums up my life here...stick out much? :)



Part of the group I ran with(there were 3 others not in the pic)

After the race, we were flagged down by the officials(because we were white) and were given a gift bag and had our pictures taken, like we were important or something--even though we all finished far from anything impressive. I thought these 2 guys were worthy of acknowledgement...in their 70's and still running strong!!

Needless to say, we did make the newspaper the next day! I think it will always be hard for me to understand why we get so much attention and why they make such a big deal of being a bule(white person)

One big difference in birthday traditions culture wise is the person who pays. In the States the birthday person never pays; usually they are treated by friends or family. Here it's the complete opposite. If the birthday person plans a gathering or outing, they are expected to pay for everyone who comes. Well, I sure am glad I learned that one early on in language class...that could have been a really awkward experience come my birthday outing! I took out some of my kostmates(those who were around) to a cafe nearby.

Then, a total surprise...they took me to a karaoke lounge. Karaoke is HUGE here. Indonesians love to sing, and for good reason--they're so musically talented!! It was a blast and a great way to end my birthday. I'm so thankful for the friends God has blessed me with here and am looking forward to and am very expectant for the next year.