In Indonesia, November holds national Hari Guru, or National Teacher’s Day. ETA Nitika Johri got to play a role in her school’s celebration of Hari Guru. As a tradition, the teachers of SMAN 1 Salatiga performed a play, Ande-Ande Lumut. The story is a traditional Javanese story that parallels the story of Cinderella, complete with the jealous Javanese step sisters, scheming step-mother, and a surprising outcome.

It was interesting for Nitika to learn about the history of this story, and how there are versions that carry over across all the islands, each of them shifting the story slightly to bear local, cultural significance. Nitika played the role of Kleting Ungu, or the “purple sister,” who was from America, spoke in Javanese and Indonesian, and sang in Hindi. She thankfully only spoke three lines, which were a mix of Indonesian and Javanese. Nitika participated in rehearsals leading up to the performance, including singing, dancing, and acting practices. These practices were not only fun because of the activities, but were also a great way to meet and joke around with other teachers Nitika did not often spend time with. She also was able to practice speaking in Bahasa Indonesia and English with new teachers, and was able to learn about Javanese stories and culture. The drama was well-received by all the teachers and students, and produced a good share of laughable photos and videos.

Nitika Johri is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Salatiga, Central Java