100 Days of Happiness – Day 40

This morning while lying in bed I could hear lots of noise and laughter out on the street so decided to have a quick look over the fence with Samudra and I saw what looked like the colourful tops of ondel ondel (large puppets used for folk performances).. so I ran back inside threw a tshirt over my pajamas and grabbed the camera and baby sling and ran to the front door. By the time we got there, the procession had already disappeared down the alleyway and there were hundreds of kids around laughing, while guests arrived dressed in their finest clothes and carrying large offerings of food.

Due to the fact that my Indonesia language skills are still at an embarrasingly basic level, I couldn’t understand what was going on, but I guessed it was a Betawi engagement party as I happened to see the crocodile shaped bread on a platter being whisked past us. I got distracted by mothers and grandmothers wanting photos of themselves with their children, so by the time I entered the alleyway, out came a guy carrying the colourfully decorated ondel ondel sticks and madness broke loose with people jumping and screaming trying to reach them. It was only once I had checked my photos that I realised that there was money and lollies attached to the end of the sticks and that’s what everyone was after. I also noticed from my photos that one guy managed to take almost all the sticks with money in one foul swoop, leaving the little kids with the sticks that had nothing on them! I’d say he had a very unfair advantage being so much bigger than everyone else!

I walked home with a camera memory card filled with faces of kids and parents from the alleyway and am now wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to print them out and give them to the people in them. Last time I started taking photos of kids in kampungs and printing them in large size for them to keep, word spread quickly throughout the neighbourhood and soon I couldn’t go anywhere without bajaj drivers, satpam, warung owners, etc all asking me to take their photos and print it for them. I’m not so sure I am up for that kind of chaos once again, as last time it left me not wanting to leave my room some days, but at the same time, it’s for people who wouldn’t normally own such possessions.

A visit to Lippo Mall and an afternoon of clearing out Samudra’s overflowing clothes cupboard, and donating a HUGE bagful to Iyah’s grandchild, playing and then the day was over again! It ended with some baileys on ice and a dvd… and the weekend had come and gone so quickly yet again.

I hope you had a beautiful day too wherever in the world you are.