Graduation with Indonesian Cultural Style

Graduation can be one of the best moments for someone's life. Uniquely, this is both the end and the beginning; the end for studying in a school and the beginning for facing a new stage of life. Graduation mostly gives the mix of feelings between sadness to leave friends and excitement to find other following challenges. Graduation is usually noted with prom night or farewell party. In Indonesia, students are common to use Indonesian traditional outfits in prom night or farewell party while when they have to take graduation result at school, they just need to use their regular school uniform.  However, Solo city (Surakarta) under the governance of Mayor Joko Widodo makes unique policy since 2012 for junior high school students. When they take graduation result at school, they have to wear Indonesian traditional outfit.

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I felt so glad to witness that event. I accompanied my brother, Satrio Budi Utomo to take his graduation result in his school SMP Negeri 11 Surakarta. Early in the morning, I drooped him in a place to rent the Javanese traditional costume. He chose the blue one. He wore blangkon (the Javanese traditional hat), beskap (the formal Javanese traditional shirt), jarik (kind of clothing with batik motives to cover the feet), keris (Javanese sword put on the back), and selop (the slipper). While for the girls, they mostly wore kebaya, one kind of Indonesian national costume. It was very impressive to see those young people in Indonesian traditional outfits. They looked very happy and excited since that costume were not commonly used in their daily life at school. Without they realized, their action actually was one step to preserve national culture.

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The event was also one of effective ways in reducing their nervousness before taking their graduation result. No wonder, they were so cheerful to participate in fashion show as well. The school had the idea to create fashion show by walking in the simple catwalk made by some school tables. The school at the end gave awards for the best costume. After spending three hours since 10 am to have fun with friends in the touch of cultural outfit, at 1 pm the moment of truth came. The graduation result was announced and thank god, all of them successfully graduated.  Congratulation for my brother and his friends! May you have brighter future ahead with more opportunities in creating achievement!