Last Day at MAN 4

Novi had told us there would be a closing ceremony on Friday, and we thought it would be right after lunch.  She had actually said after Maghrib, but we assumed that was right after lunch.  It turns out, that is the time for prayer as the day is changing from evening to night, and I discovered this by asking her what the different prayer times were called.  She wrote them down in my journal: Shubuh (dawn); Dzuhur (noon); Ashr (afternoon); Maghrib (twilight) and Isya (evening).  That’s when I realized the closing ceremony would not be until around 5:00.  As it turned out, that’s because the school had planned a big dinner to break-fast after the ceremony.

But before the ceremony, Jeanne and I had brought gifts to share with the students and teachers, so we spent the morning hours passing these out to the senior and junior classes.  Jeanne had several University of Tulsa t-shirts that proved very popular.  Students were also intrigued by the rowdy towels donated by the athletic department on behalf of the basketball team.  By the time we had done this, we were ready to return to the principal’s office for lunch. 

Class 12 displaying their new t-shirts

Novi had asked the hotel kitchen staff to prepare sandwiches for us, since we wouldn’t be leaving campus that day.  But since the two students (Lantana and Dibya) who were going to be masters of ceremony stayed and talked with us, we didn’t want to eat in front of them (they were fasting).  Our box lunches were out of sight, but the water and baked goods and pastries the school provided for us every day were on the table in front of the girls.  We felt bad about this, but they didn’t seem to mind.  We did, however, wait until they left before we had lunch. 

Dibya and Lantana

About 4 PM, Novi said we needed to prepare for the closing ceremonies, so Jeanne and Novi dressed in their kebaya.  Dibya and Lantana returned and they looked beautiful in their clothes.  The hall for the ceremony was in another building, and when we arrived, the TGC banner was already hung on the stage, the keyboard and Mr. Tommy were ready, the tables were set, and the girls did a mic check.  There were several people there, including the head master and the district superintendent for curriculum from the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Head Mistress Dekok and the Superintendant of District Curriculum from MORA 

Dibya and Lantana announced (both in English and Bahasa Indonesia) what the program would be.  There was an opening prayer, speeches (superintendent and head master and then Jeanne and I), singing (Jeanne and I sang Oklahoma! and ‘Top of the World’), and then exchanges of gifts.  One last surprise: Dibya sang a traditional song and wanted me and Jeanne to dance.  Which we kind of did.  It was a bit of a surreal experience.  The ceremonies concluded with a beautifully sung call to prayer and the MAN 4 drumming group.  After all of this, we were ready to break-fast (even though Jeanne and I were not technically fasting, we were hungry).

This was a very joyful closing ceremony, and we will always remember the friends we made at MAN 4.  We have talked about collaborative work and teleconferencing, and Jeanne and I will work very hard to make sure that happens.  Everyone we met was very gracious and did their best to make us feel welcome and honored.  We have learned a lot not only about the Indonesian educational system but about ourselves and our home schools.  I hope we are about to embark on further adventures in collaboration and understanding.