Wednesday, August 17th is Independence Day in Indonesia! That meant a day off from school on Wednesday and celebrations on Thursday! Thursday morning was a formal two-hour ceremony for the school: songs, ceremony, flag raising, and prayer. I wish I'd thought to take pictures of the impressive ceremony, yet looking back, I don't feel that it would have been appropriate. I didn't understand a good portion of the ceremony as it was in Bahasa and I'm not quite fluent (ha!), but the sincerity and pride accompanying the ceremony spoke volumes. I did find it a little ironic that there I stood, a little Dutch girl, celebrating Indonesia's independence from the Dutch.
The junior school had a separate ceremony and then they went out on the field for house competitions. The students at SPH are divided into four school houses: Meropi, Krakatau, Kintamoni, and Bromo. Each of the houses is named for a famous volcano in Indonesia. Throughout the year, houses compete against each other in a variety of ways and accumulate points. Our family is part of Meropi! I had a free period during the house competitions, so I ventured out on the school fields to find my kids. Don't they look adorable?
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| Brielle is the core of the group--giggling all the way. |
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| PULL!!! |
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| Filling the bucket one sponge-full at a time. |
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| View of the Junior School games from my classroom window. |
Everyone wore red tops and white bottoms to represent the Indonesian flag. Usually, kids wear their team colors on competition days which means green for us!
The competitions consisted of relays, races, and tug-of-war. The senior school also had a house competition in the afternoon. Teams wore house colors and participated in trivia alongside races, relays, and tug-of-war. What a celebration!
Prayers for us:
-Praise for a day off from school--a much needed break!
-Continued prayers as we settle into this school system and community.
-Prayers for good friends, especially for Koen, Tysen, and Brielle.
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