Let's dance - how to graduate from kindergarten in Indonesia

When 5-year-olds are plastered with makeup for 50-year-olds, dancing moms showcase their karaoke skills over extremely loud subwoofers, and banyak (many, here: countless) photos are taken in front of a library photo canvas, one knows: it's Wisuda time!

Wisuda is the farewell party where kindergarten children are fantastically (and that's an understatement) released.

The day starts with make-up. All the girls are made ugly..uhh.. (almost unrecognizable) by a professional makeup artist, because they should look pretty after all. All the children receive black robes, a fake diploma roll, and a graduation hat that only Harvard graduates can claim (I mean, really, for my graduation I received my certificate by mail. Goodbye!) But hey! This is all about kindergarten graduation, the most important step into adulthood ;-)

So back to the story: after all the children are dolled up in their costumes and not (!) allowed to run around or play, because that might smudge the make-up, the big photoshoot begins. First individual pictures in front of the amazing library photo canvas, then group pictures with the moms (we don't know where the dads are, unfortunately), maybe even a selfie or two. And finally, the highlight of the photo marathon: a group picture with all the children and the entire team. None of the children are smiling. Oh, what a beautiful day! But it must also be super exhausting to have your picture taken for four hours straight. But hold on, that's not all, because the flower-decorated entrance gate and the bright yellow wall of the school building are not enough for us as a background. No! That's not enough! The photographer edits the group photo afterwards and depending on her mood, adds a rainbow with rainbow-colored unicorns or (like this year) a romantic sunset. Following the motto: the cheesier, the better. Wonderful! We love everything about this day and can't stop marveling at it!

Then the party starts: Butet, one of the three power-kindergarten teachers, has learned a lot with the kids in the last few weeks before Wisuda, and she also rehearsed some dances with them, which they now showcase. Boy, can she shake her hips!! And the children are also impressive! With homemade feathered headbands and waistbands, they sweetly dance along to what Butet effortlessly demonstrates. There's no rigid clapping and one-two-step (like we know from our school events in childhood). Even the 4-year-old Playgroup kids - especially our hip-shaking queen Yasmin - move their bodies as if there's no tomorrow!

After the presentations of the little ones, the big ones want to take the stage as well. Did we mention that the sound system is ridiculously loud? If not, just imagine these extremely loud speakers from which the moms' singing blasts. With a phone in one hand and a microphone in the other, they sing one Indo-hit after another. We are also called up to the stage. With children in our arms, we dance our hearts out and laugh at this bizarre and phenomenal party! What are we celebrating again? Oh yes, children who have completed kindergarten!