Hari Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia

Happy Independence Day, Indonesia!

65 years ago Indonesia was proclaimed to be a nation independent of its former colonizing nation, the Netherlands (can you guess who most Indonesians were NOT rooting for in the World Cup?). In celebration, the 10th graders at my school and students from the middle and elementary school plus their teachers all gathered at the district office in our village and had a special flag-raising ceremony. It was pretty neat. A few of the 12th graders from our school were the ones who actually raised the flag and it was interesting seeing them dressed in white and red (the colors of the Indonesian flag) and marching and looking so proper! It was over by 10 a.m. and we had the rest of the day off from school.

This is definitely a big difference from how we celebrate our Independence Day back home...barbecue, picnics, big firework shows, giving fire to little kids. I spent a good part of the morning and the last few days explaining the differences to many different people. It is interesting how for such a big day that is basically the same, it is celebrated so differently. I can't even remember the last time I saw a flag being raised before coming here (by the way, we have a flag ceremony every Monday morning at my school), I think it was in elementary school. I don't think one is better or worse than the other, but it sure did make me miss bbq and sangria...