Graduation Day

After many phone calls from someone who knew someone who could call someone who could make the decision, permission by the police was granted for us to attend the graduation at Eka and Ervita’s school Under a typically hot Sumatran sun, we arrived by pedi-cab and watched the participants and observers filter in. It was held outside under a large canopied covering to protect us from the sun and as guests we had a front row seat with Eka and Ervita. Since it was a nursing high school and most of the students would be going into that profession there was a large disparity between male and female graduates. There was also a large number of inordinately tall girls, which Eka told us was a necessity for nurses here. I didn’t get the answer to why that was. There were four different groups of students, each with their own distinctive attire. The groups represented different classes, or homerooms, which the students belonged to and each with approximately 25 students comprising the group.

The boys were dressed without fanfare, a rust colored shirt with subdued matching tie, or white coats with black ties but the dresses that the girls wore were totally amazing. Each group selected the color and style of the dress, but they were all floor length and bright in color. The individuality came in the girl’s headdresses. All were turban types, piled high up above the forehead with the face fully exposed, but that was the only skin shown besides the hands. Each girl had a slightly different shape or adornment to the turban reflecting their personality and taste. They all looked magnificent. Iridescent reds, pinks, greens, and blues gowns shimmering and giving the girls the appearance of Indonesian princesses.

From a distanced of 20 feet or so, I could only think how lovely they all looked. Up closer all I could think of was how miserable they must be so totally bundled up without any escape from the building heat underneath the garments. They were also very heavily made up and Carol commented that made it even more difficult for them. They carried little tissues with which they daubed their foreheads and eyes, trying to ensure that their make-up didn’t smear. I could only feel empathy for their discomfort, but Eka said they are used to it. They seemed miserable to me, but they never showed any discomfort.

A welcoming dance in the traditional provincial style was performed by one of the under classes, various performers sang or did skits, and other dance routines were performed in traditional Indonesian and Aceh (the province) style. After all the dances and skits, the students lined up by class and received their sashes showing them as graduates and went down the long line of teachers and other officials receiving their congratulations and giving them their thanks… because this is a new school it was the very first graduation for the school. It was all quite poignant and impressive. Again, we were somewhere between an anomaly and rock stars as we were continually asked for photos with the graduates. We posed and tried not to look miserable in the hot sun while they smiled and seemed unaffected by the stifling heat. Eka told us that since the eclipse of a couple weeks ago, the weather has been much hotter….don’t know the meteorological basis for this but I’ve learned not to question local knowledge on such things. After two hours, we returned to the relative comfort of our hotel with AC while Eka and Ervita remained to finish up their duties. Later in the afternoon, we went by motorbike to a swamp-like nature reserve, and, since the tide was out, the mangrove trees roots looked like tangled masses. The houses along the channel leading to the adjacent ocean were wooden structures on stilts and plank walkways leading from the road. I asked Eka if these people were poor and she said that they were not. I’ve learned that my version of poverty doesn’t always fit with other’s view points. Another example of how and why I have to check my cultural stereotypes at the door when I visit a place. We stopped for some roasted corn. We had two options, sweet or spicy…we choose sweet, which it was not, but certainly better than spicy. Ervita put hers down beside her for a second to check her phone and zip, it was gone…monkeys abound in the area, and they are slick and quick thieves….her corn on the cob was quickly in the tree being munched on. I hope they enjoyed the spicy cuisine. The following morning we left for Bukit Lawang and the national park where we were to visit the jungle and search for the orangutan. Eka had reserved a car and driver for us and she and her dad wanted to go with us so it was decided on an early morning departure for the five hour drive. When the car arrived, it was packed with people…In addition to Eka and dad, mom, brother, sister, and auntie all decided they wanted to come with us. Auntie was the only one who had been there and so this was a great opportunity for the family to have an outing for something new. Bukit Lawang is only 120 miles away from Langsa, but it might as well have been a foreign country. None of the family has been anywhere, for all practical purposes. So the nine of us packed into the SUV and off we went. As we crossed the border into the next province, mom had to buckle up and didn’t know how to do it. In Aceh province you have to wear the head scarf, but don’t have to buckle up. In Medan province, you have to buckle up but don’t have to wear the head scarf. Such is the variation in culture within short distances. In fact, a majority of women here did not wear the scarf and that seemed very different since we were used to the practice just a few miles away. We reached our hotel in Bukit Lawang after five and a half hours of driving and were greeted by porters who offered to carry our bags for the equivalent of $2.50 per bag. Not knowing what how far it was, it was tempting to just dismiss the idea and take them ourselves, but since we were tired, we agreed. That was a VERY wise decision since it was about a half a mile to the hotel over very uneven terrain. The family came with us to have a last picnic lunch. When researching the room type at the Orangutan Hotel, I saw a 3 story building and the comments were that it was great to book the top room for the view, even though it was a climb…..so I did…Only when I saw where the actual room was did I realize that we were in for more of a climb than we had expected…what the photos didn’t show was that far above the building where most of the rooms were located was a little chalet HIGH above. 115 steps we were told, but even that was deceptive since most of the steps were almost double steps and could be taken only by planting both feet on the step before getting the energy for the next one. We again opted to have porters carry our heavy suitcases up to the room for an extra $1.50….I’m liking more and more to be able to buy my way out of difficulties. Certainly the view was great, but it really affected our decisions about how often we would go out to explore….much better to sit on the patio, fight mosquitoes and relax. It’s an “eco-friendly” area, as it is more popular to say when they don’t have true facilities. Which in this case meant no air conditioning in the stifling heat and since the nights were still in the high 70’s, there was little relief from the heat and sleeping was problematic at best. A ceiling fan did cool things a little bit, but the mosquito netting prevented any real relief. The air movement was negligible and we, shall I say, “suffered.” Choice between being bitten by mosquitoes or trying to sleep in an oven didn’t present any real positive options…after one night in the pressure cooker, we opted to “cover our body up with oil” as Dr. Hook said at the Freaker’s Ball and raise the canopy netting. It’s a sign of my aging, I guess, that these types of things bother me a lot more than they did when I was younger and tougher…Now, I’m all about paying the freight for more comfort in my life….my “eco” days, I fear, are well behind me. Tomorrow into the jungle to search for the elusive orangutans in the wild.