Well hello November 10. Day for all heroes. A day when the people of Indonesia celebrate National Heroes
Day to commemorate a chain of events collectively known as the
Battle of Surabaya — a confrontation and battle between pro-independence
Indonesian soldiers, or Nederlandsch Indie Civil Administratie , and
British and Dutch (VOC) troops during the fight for independence. Bung Tomo (Sutomo), is one of the key icons celebrated on National Heroes Day.
I played 'Bung Tomo' once in elementary school and rewarded as the 'Best Performer'
:) ( yes, I played a man's character).
As I reluctantly leave my childhood behind, I realize that National Heroes Day is not merely about people who have died in a battle field. Your hero, can be anyone in you life. With all my high respects to the veterans, whenever this day comes, I always treasure other heroes I luckily happened to cross paths with, and heroes I still have in my life.
They are:
Teachers. This mostly because I grew up with one, my dear late Grandfather/ Ompung Andersen Simanjuntak. His noble life enables me to see teachers as a bridge to my dreams. They teach you, they make sure you understand, they test you so that you will be prepared and armed by the time they have to let you go. And they just stand there. Being proud and all, before soon to be forgotten. It saddens me to admit the bitter truth that here in this country, my one and only Indonesia, teachers welfare is somewhat there below the horizons. 'Heroes Without Medals' indeed. If you still have a chance to bring an apple to your teacher's desk, do so. Thank them. It will shower their heart with even more happiness to teach their students.
Mothers. My Mom is nothing like Claire Huxtable or any other ideal Mom you can ever think of. My Mom is the most unique, unpredictable, free-spirited and bluntly speaking, a handful! But trough her history, I learned to appreciate life even more. Witnessing what she has been through and the fact that she keeps going; somehow elevates me. I know her well so I can say that she's been really brave. She did fight for me once after all. And, yes, every mother did. The battle they went through during labor risk nothing but their life. And it does not end there. Or maybe, it never will. So be grateful if you are a Mama. No matter what your teenagers say to your face today, they will soon look back and realize how much they love you.
How about you? Who your heroes are? Firefighters?, Doctors?, Missioners?.
ps: Selamat Hari Pahlawan, Indonesia.
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