Kampung Kids- Playing Outside?

As a kid I loved being able to play outdoors all of the time. I was always lucky to live in neighborhoods with lots of kids so there was always something going on. I am sure that my Mom worried about what I was up too (of course there were no cell phones to check up on me), but she knew that because she controlled access to food that I wouldn't stay gone for too long. One of the sad realities of today's world in the US is that I no longer see kids outside just playing and having fun.

Things were very different on Mabul because there were kids playing everywhere. As a scientist I tried to come up with some hypotheses about why I see kids outside playing on Mabul but not in Lubbock, or KL for that matter. Perhaps because Mabul is an island there is no way for the evil child-snatchers that seem to be lurking around the neighborhoods back home to escape with a kid. Much more likely kids are playing outside because they don't have TVs, Game Boys, and cell phones (I am really dating myself because I have no idea what the cool games that kids are playing with now). I thought it was great to see kids outside entertaining themselves!!

If I lived right next to the world's most beautiful swimming pool then I would go swimming every day as well.


I can't remember the last time that I saw kids playing with marbles!


Playing football (soccer) in the street.


These girls were playing some kind of hop scotch type game.


The men were often busy playing games as well. They played volleyball pretty well. They added one interesting rule twist. After a passer bumped the ball to the setter the setter could set the ball into the net and then set it to one of his hitters after it bounced off of the net. I bet that screws up the timing for the blockers!


Playing football in the big field in the center of the island.


This girl was totally happy playing with a plastic bottle tied to the end of a rope. Imagine if any kid in the US got a toy like that in their Christmas stocking next year!!!!

o