J My Name Is Jagat

Halo Teman

J my name is Jagat

I live in Jakarta, Indonesia

My friend’s name is Jasmine

We like to play Gajah, Orang, and Semut

We speak Indonesian

And now we’ll say “Selamat tinggal”

Gajah, Orang, and Semut

Two players face each other and hold out a fist in front of each other. One the count of three, each makes one of the following hand signs:

Semut (suh-Moot): point with the little finger

Orang (orr-AHNG):point with the first finger

Gajah (gha-jah): point with the thumb

Semut means ant. Orang means person. Gajah means elephant.

Orang wins over a Semut because a person can step on an ant. Semut beats Gajah because an ant can crawl in an elephant’s ear and bite and tickle. Gajah wins against Orang because an elephant can stomp a person.

References

Kids of Courage

Here is a video clip of the original A My Name Is… jump rope chant.

Welcome to my 2019 Blogging A-Z Challenge. Each day in the the month of April (except Sundays), I will bring you a memory of games and a jump rope song. It is similar to the classic A My Name Is… Do you recognize the chant? A world of children will greet their friends and skip through the alphabet alliterating their name, a friend’s name, and their home city. They will also state their country, the language they speak, and their favorite game. Descriptions of the games are included. I chose games that are played on playgrounds or streets where children negotiate their teams and terms. You may recognize your favorite games that differ only in name. As the alphabet progresses, it becomes apparent that the pursuit of laughter and fun are universal

Antoinette Truglio Martin is the author of Hug Everyone You Know: A Year of Community, Courage, and Cancer. The memoir is a wimpy patient’s journey through her first year of breast cancer treatment.