Similar to the US, Indonesian Independence Day is not only celebrated on the day, which is August 17. It’s pretty much celebrated throughout the entire month of August, and spills into September as well. It’s an exciting time for Indonesians, and there are lots of festivities happening, planned by town governments and schools. Many PCVs don’t have class because of this. Strangely, my school followed it’s regular schedule for most of July and August. I was busy lesson planning and preparing for class with my counterparts, preparing material, and grading quizzes, while other PCVs were hanging out at school with not much to do. The only time class was cancelled was for three days at the end of August. This was for the annual karnaval, which could only be described as a massive street parade/party where people are dressed up in outrageous and amazing traditional costumes. Other schools hold games and competitions, with special games only played for independence day.
Before I go into talking about the carnival though, I want to talk about the actual day of August 17th. By mid-July, streets are already decked out in red and white flags and banners. Decorative Christmas lights are also hung up, as well as creepy scarecrow-type looking dummies that still scare the life out of me. The excitement for independence day is almost palpable. However, the actual day was a bit anticlimactic for me. For Americans, the day of the 4th is usually spent in backyards, at the beach, or on a boat. There’s barbecues and fireworks shows, and typically your standard amount of drunken degeneracy. Indonesian independence day is devoted much more to structured military parades and flag ceremonies. From an American’s point of view, it can be seen as very nationalistic. Teachers, students and other PNS employees (similar to civil service) participated in a massive flag ceremony on the morning of August 17th. They also do a second flag ceremony at the end of the day.
When I arrived to the massive field in my town for the flag ceremony, also known as upacara bendera, I was expecting to watch the ceremony from the comfort of a shady patch of grass. However, teachers immediately pulled me out to the field to line up with the rest of the teachers from my kecamatan, or town. It was sunny, and it was hot, and because it was every teacher in the town, and not only my school, there were many people hoping to chat with me and get a photo. Writing this now, I’ve been here for almost a year. Being asked for a photo with someone in a crowded place, or having a phone pushed in my face without a request to take a photo first still gets me. It's mine and most PCV’s least favorite thing about being here. It was overwhelming, and as I was being grabbed by another ibu to take a photo, a teacher from my school finally whisked me away to the viewing area that was covered with shade. I then joined my principal and other random people to watch the remainder of the ceremony. The ceremony itself was pretty standard to the weekly flag ceremony held every Monday morning, only it was on a much larger scale. Only two students fainted. Several students in each class were chosen for “paskib” which is the marching group that brings the flag in and marches in other events. It was fun seeing those students marching and seeing all their practice pay off (worth it for them to miss English class for 6 weeks? Unsure).
As I sat there with random ibu's, most of which were principals of elementary schools, I enjoyed watching the whole thing go down. I started noticing a shift in energy toward the end of the event though, and when the ceremony ended, I was literally swarmed with people asking to take photos. A whole blog post can be devoted to the photo conundrum in Indonesia, and all I will say is that I had to physically unhook people’s hands from my arms, and force myself out of a crowd of 20 people that were surrounding me asking for photos (and not asking, only sticking there phones in my face and expecting me to smile). The situation ended with me only saying “NO!” and storming off to find my uncle and other teachers from my school. I can laugh about it now, and laughed about immediately after, but people taking photos of me without asking is f**king annoying. It’s just that. Anyway!
As I mentioned, the carnival was scheduled for later in the month, and given the lessons learned on being a foreigner in Indonesian crowds, I was skeptical. So many teachers asked me if I would get my makeup and hair done, and dress in traditional Javanese clothing, and I gave that a hard pass almost immediately. I wanted to wear what all the other teachers would wear, which was a thick, bright green, long-sleeved polo shirt, with track pants and sneakers. Amazing.
I rode into town with follow teachers, sat with students as they prepared for the parade, and chatted with folks. All the students in the parade were in 10th grade, and because I’m only teaching 10th grade this year, it was SO cool seeing them dressed in the most phenomenal outfits. I seriously could not recognize them. The parade itself was two hours long, starting at the town hall and ended several miles away. It was hot, and those marching were in heavy, hot costumes. I could only imagine how they felt. The parade moved slowly though, and students that were not participating in the actual parade were stationed throughout the route with water and snacks. I sat in the school car and waved from the comfort of the front seat (given my fear of random spectators jumping into the street to take photos, which they still did, next to a moving vehicle). Three students passed out during the two hour parade, and our car served as the makeshift first aid ambulance. Overall it was a fun experience! It was long though, as most Indonesian events are.
It was fun witnessing independence day activities for the first time here, and i’m even more excited for next year’s now that I already got a taste for it. I’m also really grateful for friends and family including me in the festivities. Other things that happened in August? I went to Chelsea’s site to learn more about project design and management, started taking daily walks in the village to watch the sunset with the neighborhood kids, and visited PCV Kieran’s site for an English Competition at his school. August was crazy busy, but it also flew by. As I’m becoming more comfortable living here and being part of my community, I’m excited to take part in more events that connect me with community members even more. I cannot believe that I've been here for almost a year.