Independence Day...Merdeka!

Yesterday was Indonesia's Independence Day and most kampungs and neighborhoods have their own celebrations as a community, with games, music and events a lot like block parties. The last 2 years that I've been here, it has fallen during Ramadan, the month of fasting, so there hasn't been any kind of game day or big celebration. This was the first year I got to experience celebrating it.
On Friday my festivities started out at the school I teach at, we had a Field Day to celebrate. The kids broke into teams and competed in games all day and then ended with eating traditional Javanese food.

The kids doing their stretching :)

One of the games was called "Menara Air"(water tower). The kids had to build a human tower to unscrew a bunch of bottles hanging from a tree. Every group without fail asked to borrow me...funny. Esther's about to find out what happens next...

 

They all get doused with water!

There was also an obstacle course of crawling through flour and water. It was hilarious to see their different reactions!

Hizkia for example, was less than thrilled :) Please take note that he's wearing gloves...not because it's cold(it was about 90 out). Oh, it's so his hands don't turn dark from the sun. Almost all the kids wore them!

After school I went and visited a friend in her kampung. That night they were having their 17 Agustus celebration and I got to join them for that. They had a stage set up in the middle of the road with mats laid out in front. They had live music playing traditional music, along with karaoke(Indonesians love their karaoke!!) and dancing. 

I made some friends as soon as I got to the kampung :)

I kind of wanted to take this little guy home with me...he was so cute!!

Me with some of the kids before the festivities began...the one on the far right has an identical twin and I kept mixing them up all night!

The set up. I stayed for the music and singing, but apparently I left before the dancing began and before they brought out a guy with a snake. Phew!