Chicken Pox and Ancient Rocks

Since our last post, Nadia has had the chicken pox. It was the mildest case i've ever seen, and for that we're so thankful. This past week she watched her first full length movies and generally spent a great deal of time just sitting, sucking her thumb, and staring off into space... which is very obviously not normal for her.

Completely zoned out with a fever.

Nadia "brushing" my hair while I color in her coloring book.

In completely unrelated news, here is some interesting cultural stuff about the town we live in.

The other day my tutor and I drove a little ways out of town and spent some time looking at these rocks (named, Prasasti Plumpungan, for those of you who are curious). They are special to the residents here because they serve as a reminder.

In the middle of the day on Friday, the 24th of June, in the year 750, the reigning king of Java passed through this city (at the time it was just a mid-sized hamlet in the middle of an expansive jungle) and declared that the residents of this area would live tax-free.

He set up a massive stone and had it inscribed with that declaration. Since that day, these stones have been guarded and protected as precious. Today, our town is actually taxed just like every other area, but the residents are very proud of the fact that at one time, their ancestors lived free. It is unclear why the king made this exception for them, but they are proud of it regardless. I think it's noteworthy that the people here have managed to protect these rocks (which used to be only one giant stone) for the past millennium and a half.

The Sanskrit inscription is nearly still visible.

Here, my tutor reads the sign which contains the inscription's rough translation from Sanskrit to Indonesian.