Buckets of Love

My 24^th birthday. This was my third birthday in a row outside of America and celebrated away from family and friends. The first and the second birthdays were still exciting and I was also more connected to everything back home with reliable internet and a more relaxed schedule. I’m usually one to focus on my birthday for months prior and then celebrate for a week afterwards. This year was different. Since IGLOW-IBRO Indramayu is closing in on us, I have been so busy running around between 7 different sub-districts and getting things finalized that I didn’t have time to even think about my birthday. The day before my birthday I was in Anjatan, which is a sub-district and also another volunteer’s [Rita’s] site because we had a technical meeting for the participants and their parents to brief them before the camp. Since the technical meeting went late, I planned to leave in the morning because I had to teach again the next day. About a 3 hour commute away, I planned on leaving around 4am in the same clothes I slept in. So the next day, Rita surprised me with a REAL birthday card and I ended up getting a ride around 6am with Rita’s counterparts who were going in that direction anyway. They dropped me off on the main road where I started my 20km bike ride back to site. 

I already took a shower that morning, sweating after my bike ride and also kind of down that this is how I’m starting my birthday, I took my second shower of the day all before 8am. I get to school and my counterpart has already started the lesson so I entered and after she finished explaining the assignment, she asked to leave the classroom. Since the kids just started the assignment I decided to take attendance. My tenth grade automotive students all of a sudden were a bit more rowdy than usual. After the first 6 names, they started getting wild, throwing chairs and tables, getting into fights, taking off their uniforms, some even left the classroom. Any normal person would have been horrified, but having lived here for long enough I knew something was up so I just awkwardly smiled and pretended to care because I knew it was all an act. 

In Indonesia, in order to surprise someone you try to give them the worst day possible and make them stressed out first. As the boys are going wild, I have a group of girls from my morning class come to the class entrance and start whining and complaining about how I’m irresponsible and evil for not coming to their class this morning. Since I was still nervous smiling, one of the teachers comes in and starts yelling about why the class is out of control followed by my counterpart joining in on the “genuine” sense of shock. Next thing I know, about 4 classes come in with Meng Idi (one of my besties) holding my cake and singing Happy Birthday to me. I blew out my candles and made a wish, one of the kids put some icing on my face, but the icing war had yet to begin. 

The kids asked me to come outside. I was reluctant, so 7 of them grabbed me and pulled me onto the field where their classmates were ready with buckets of water, water bottles and flour. After being drenched, the kids stopped to take photos with me and during the photos I would have a rascal or two dump more flour or water from behind. After I relaxed, one of my automotive students dumped a bucket on me, I chased him with a bucket and lost my shoes in the process and then I gave up because I kept slipping and he would get me with another bucket of water, this cycle of dumping and chasing continued at least 3 times before he stopped to take a picture with me and I rubbed a good chunk of icing on his face. Before 11am, I had been covered in 6 buckets of water, smothered with cake icing and flour which I kindly shared with my students. It may sound silly, but these gestures are how you know you’re truly loved according to one of my friends. There wasn’t one student who didn’t wish me a Happy Birthday. I went home and took my third shower before 11am and came back to teach again. Afterwards, we had a technical meeting for the participants and parents in my area and two of my closest friends and also coincidentally committee members made me a handmade bouquet of roses followed by a visit from two more friends. I head back to school afterwards so I could use the internet and get some work done, but only 10 minutes in, the power went out. So I spent the evening of my birthday talking to my parents on the phone in candlelight and talking about how the last time I had a birthday in America was my 21^st and the next one I will celebrate with my family again will be my 25^th. Years go by in the blink of an eye but I guess that’s how we know we are truly living life, when we don’t even realize how quickly time is passing.