"Left!..Left!..Left!.." and the kids all dressed in their little uniforms of colored shorts and matching t-shirts with their school name on them, and baseball caps, march two abreast along the main road. their little arms are swaying in unison from side to side, unlike our usual front to back arm movement while marching. there are about 20 of them, either girls or boys, with the "leader" marching along side mid-way yelling out the command to keep them all in sync.
this has been going on for 2 weeks already from 7:30-till about 9:30 and then again in the late afternoon for an hour or two. it is all a training for the independance day celebrations on august 17th. on that day all of the children who have volunteered and trained for the past month, will be marching some 15 kilometers in unison, singing, or whatever, and trying to be the best team full of vigour, strength, and power as they compete with all the others that will be marching too.
so, for the past couple of weeks, when the kids are on the narrow 2 lane main road that goes from the east to the west of bali and is dotted with villages every couple of kilometers, traffic backs up and patiently waits for an opportunity to pass them safely. no one seems to be concerned that their trip is taking that much longer, and that each time they arrive near another village there are more children marching! there is a teacher that escorts them in the back, and sometimes is on a motorbike....to carry the stragglers, as they slowly build up stamina for the long march on the 17th.
i wondered how the judges will choose which group to give the trophies to...but each time i am sitting on my veranda and begin to hear the "Kiree!..Kiree! " call, or singing in unison, i run over to the main road on the other side of my room, and take a look at the kids. i keep expecting them to all be smiling and looking at me and giggling, but they are very serious and focused and no fussing around with a tourist now. also, they have been marching for an hour so they are not all smiles....but what is most interesting is seeing how the groups are each so different, and have such different energy to them, and it is clear that some are enthusiastic, and others are doing it out of duty.
the fact that the streets echo the childrens singing and marching each day for 3 weeks, is an interesting approach to national pride and devotion. there is a feeling in the air of the approaching celebration (i think the country is celebrating 65 years of indendence....) and a kind of naivete which is nice.
it is the first time i am witnessing these preparations, since i am living on the main road and am more a part of the village life these days. the first day that the kids started training i was visiting my adopted family, and their 10 year old daughter just returned from her first day of the training, taking off her older sisters tennis shoes, that were already tearing at the seams, and too big for her and causing blisters. (they are very poor and cannot afford luxuries like new shoes, or even high school education for the older daughter who is concerned that next year she will no longer be able to continue school, even though she is a star pupil, since she doesn't have the $18 a month to pay for high school... ) i wonder if her shoes will hold out until the 17th! it is sad for me to think about that, and i want to try and save her and buy her a pair of shoes, but on the other hand, i am so happy for their "independence" and that in spite of their financial situation, she is full of pride and health and desire to make this effort for her class and country. "Kiree!"
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