This past week we got to experience helping out with an English Camp for kids ages seven to fourteen. And I don’t think I actually understood how seriously they took it until the “graduation ceremony” in which we handed out certificates of completion and posed for individual pictures with each of the 65 students.
This culture has so much to offer; so much to teach us about what honour and respect really mean. They greet each other by slightly bowing their heads and holding their hands up (in a prayer position) to their chest or chin or forehead. The higher you hold your hands, the more respect. We get a lot of hands at nose level which is very humbling.
When we visited the temple, we noticed that you are to keep your head lower than the Buddha statues and the monks. When our students exited the classroom and walked by us, they would keep their heads lower than us. It makes me want to express my respect that much more!
We also went and saw the Hunger Games in theatres on our off day and noticed that before the movie they had a salute to the King. A short clip in which everyone in the theatre stood up and extended their respects to the King. I actually really loved it. Imagine if we all did the pledge of allegiance or just took a moment to be thankful before our movies. I feel like we, as a democracy, don’t understand what it means to put all of our trust in one person. And this person doesn’t even get to choose to be King.
Can you imagine waking up one day and your parents breaking that kind of news to you?
“You’re going to be a King. You’re going to lead a nation. Let’s hope you’re good at it.”
I mean, we all learn that we can be or do anything if we set our minds to it but we also learn that there are certain things in which we just aren’t that great at.
All of that to say I really love this culture. Probably my favourite on the Race so far.
