The People of Jogja

At the mosque at a village school, I found a bunch of boys sitting quietly in a circle.  At first, I thought they might have been praying.  But don’t they normally sit in rows facing Mecca while they pray?  Upon closer inspection, it turned out they were playing chess.  

Outside, another bunch of boys were playing soccer, with bare feet.  At first, I thought perhaps they were too poor to afford shoes.  It turned out they just came out of the mosque, where they had to take their shoes off.  Later on, I found them putting their shoes back on, in the classroom.  Apparently, they had to put their shoes on for class.  

On the wall of the primary school, 5 major religions were listed: Islam, Christian, Catholics, Hindu, and Buddhism.  Even though Indonesia is predominantly Islamic, many other major religions are well-represented, and respected.  

On the sidewalks of a busy street, a father is sitting with the son.  For a change, it is the father who is playing with the phone.  

A man was making candy by hand, stretching and folding, stretching and folding, …

Many women vendors were roasting meats.  

Many families were out. 

Enjoying themselves. 

At the same time, a young backpacker seemed to be staring forlornly into the distance.  Who was he waiting for?

People watching can be fun, and also thought provoking.