Heather in Neverland Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 So I had a major "culture shock" moment this week... There is this Indian restaurant across the street from our school that is very popular with the staff. The food is awesome and inexpensive. The waitstaff all know who the Dalat staff are and my family and I eat there probably three times a week. This is an outdoor restaurant of sorts. It is a long rectangle covered by a roof but no walls. At the far end there is a small "play area" for kids that has a swing and a teeter-totter. It is over dirt, though, and it is the rainy season so it can get pretty muddy. My kids were down at that end playing while dh and I waited for our food to come. My 5yo apparently fell off the swing and splat! right into the mud. We didn't see it but my 11yo ran up to us and told us that Alex fell off the swing so we naturally ran to see if he was OK. What we saw next is something I would NEVER have seen in the U.S...... Two waiters had picked Alex up out of the mud (he was covered in it, literally) and had taken off his shorts and shirt and were rinsing them off with a hose. The other waiter was rinsing Alex off. They then laid out his shorts and shirt in the sun to dry and sent him to us to eat...in his underwear. :lol: Now I ask you, if this happened at say, Applebee's in the U.S., if your child got covered in something like, I don't know, ketchup I guess, and you weren't right there to clean him up and your waiter who "knows" you (as in you are a regular) took your child's clothes off to rinse them out, what would happen? He would be arrested of course. But not in Malaysia! :lol: They definitely have the "it takes a village to raise a child" mentality. No one in the restaurant even blinked at the whole scene including the fact that my son ate dinner in his underwear! Dh and I thought the whole thing was hilarious, ds (11) was mortified but puberty seems to make him mortified at everything these days! And of course, ds (5) was not hurt and thought eating in his underwear was awesome. I am definitely not in Kansas anymore. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 That is all kinds of awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 That is all kinds of awesome. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 That's awesome. :) When I was on a mission trip in the Philippines we watched as a squeeling pig was taken by a few men into a restaurant- through the front door! Don't see that here either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 So I had a major "culture shock" moment this week... There is this Indian restaurant across the street from our school that is very popular with the staff. The food is awesome and inexpensive. The waitstaff all know who the Dalat staff are and my family and I eat there probably three times a week. This is an outdoor restaurant of sorts. It is a long rectangle covered by a roof but no walls. At the far end there is a small "play area" for kids that has a swing and a teeter-totter. It is over dirt, though, and it is the rainy season so it can get pretty muddy. My kids were down at that end playing while dh and I waited for our food to come. My 5yo apparently fell off the swing and splat! right into the mud. We didn't see it but my 11yo ran up to us and told us that Alex fell off the swing so we naturally ran to see if he was OK. What we saw next is something I would NEVER have seen in the U.S...... Two waiters had picked Alex up out of the mud (he was covered in it, literally) and had taken off his shorts and shirt and were rinsing them off with a hose. The other waiter was rinsing Alex off. They then laid out his shorts and shirt in the sun to dry and sent him to us to eat...in his underwear. :lol: Now I ask you, if this happened at say, Applebee's in the U.S., if your child got covered in something like, I don't know, ketchup I guess, and you weren't right there to clean him up and your waiter who "knows" you (as in you are a regular) took your child's clothes off to rinse them out, what would happen? He would be arrested of course. But not in Malaysia! :lol: They definitely have the "it takes a village to raise a child" mentality. No one in the restaurant even blinked at the whole scene including the fact that my son ate dinner in his underwear! Dh and I thought the whole thing was hilarious, ds (11) was mortified but puberty seems to make him mortified at everything these days! And of course, ds (5) was not hurt and thought eating in his underwear was awesome. I am definitely not in Kansas anymore. :D I guess you should be grateful the mud didn't get down to his undershorts...they may have cleaned them too! Yeah, here in the States if the waitstaff had even gone over to attempt to help the child they would be running the risk of the parents not approving and being vocal about it. Sadly, I see this so often now, and have even felt it myself....a child falls and is hurt (but not seriously)....my heart wants to rush over and scoop them up for a quick hug just like I would my own.....but street-smarts tell me to just walk away. I hope that if it were serious that I'd throw caution to the wind, but somedays I wonder. Enjoy your time there, it sounds so refreshing and REAL. I envy you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncmomo3 Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 That is all kinds of awesome. :iagree: There would have most likely been a law suit filed here for that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 :lol::lol::lol: I'm laughing so hard I--CAN'T--BREATHE!!! (gasp) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2GirlsTX Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 What a great story! I love that he was so quickly helped, definitely a different world from the one I know. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivetails Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 awesome! :lol::D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paz Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 That's great! I love this story. Makes me want to live overseas for a while and get a different perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 That is all kinds of awesome. :iagree::iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 When I did my driver training on base, they made a big deal about the concept that if you were in an accident, you should call the police as well as base security (who comes to help), but be very wary of giving medical aid. There is no legal concept of a Good Samaritan Law here. So if you do something that seems like a good idea, but results in injury, you are open for incredible liability. On the other hand, all I have to do is stand on a train platform looking confused and someone will come up and ask me where I'm trying to go and tell me what platform I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 When I did my driver training on base, they made a big deal about the concept that if you were in an accident, you should call the police as well as base security (who comes to help), but be very wary of giving medical aid. There is no legal concept of a Good Samaritan Law here. So if you do something that seems like a good idea, but results in injury, you are open for incredible liability. On the other hand, all I have to do is stand on a train platform looking confused and someone will come up and ask me where I'm trying to go and tell me what platform I need. Man I want to go to Japan so badly!! The guitar shops there are AWEsOME!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 There are times where, even though we have a lot of things here in the US, I think we have traded off common sense for it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 There are times where, even though we have a lot of things here in the US, I think we have traded off common sense for it all. I think people still have common sense (mostly) but are afraid of the ones who don't because they sue you know! :D ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 I think people still have common sense (mostly) but are afraid of the ones who don't because they sue you know! :D ;) That or just the thinking "oh my! How inappropriate! They took his clothes off and just went about eating. They should have gone home. They shouldn't have let him play to start with....." ramble, ramble...too many people have time to judge and no time to actually try to turn the situation into a positive one. It was nice to see that it happened for Heather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 That is a much better outcome than your restroom story. Even though they are nicer, I cant squat, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 :) Very nice of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Very cool story, Heather. Thank you for sharing! It sounds like a wonderful community of people caring for each other. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 That reminds me of the time my landlord came running into my flat in his underware. We were in Germany and he was quite amused at my reaction. His exact words were, "You Americans are so weird! You have Playboy and yet you are startled to see someone in their underware?" Cultural differences sure make life interesting. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 I went to pick my son up at kindergarten in Germany once (kindergarten = 3-5 yo) on a really hot day. All of the kids were running through the sprinklers in the grass in their undies. The teachers were sitting in the shade with hand fans and bottles of sunscreen for the kids. It was REALLY hot, and there is no air conditioning. I was tickled pink. If it had happened at an American school, everyone would have been arrested, and the school would have been shut down. a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camibami Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 MY youngest told me she is "getting to be Korean" because she just peeled off her clothes and changed into her leotard right there in the practice area at the meet last weekend. At the first meet, she wanted to go into the bathroom and change, and there were several changes as she had group and individual routines. We noticed all the other little girls just changed where they were- stands, practice area, hallway. She and her big sister also roamed the streets of Jaechon, Korea with the other gymnasts and siblings at 10 pm while the moms (me included) finished our meal and drank...beer! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 We see male European tourist here at the beach in their undies regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 That is a sweet story. When my kids were littles DH & I had long conversations about wishing restaurants had healthy foods and a playland! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 That is all kinds of awesome. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubamama Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 I love your story! While visiting my sister in Mexico City, I was roundly scolded for taking my 3 month old daughter out in the sun! I only understood about half of what she said. Apparently, a combination of the sun for her fair skin and the evil eye would seriously harm her! Naturally, I apologized back to her and said, "I'm so sorry, Abuela! Thank you!" Satisfied, this tiny foreign busybody continued on her way thru the outdoor market we were at. Another time, we were visiting my sister in MX again with another baby (a theme in our family, I guess! Have a baby, go to non tourist Mexico!!)and he was so very fussy. 2 grandfather-aged men in the restaurant we were at marched over and picked him up and began to sing to him and pretty much adore him - my sister made small talk with them as we ordered our food and I shooed the stray dog out from under the table. My son stopped crying and was completely relaxed. The two men handed him back and made the sign of the cross over him and went back to their coffee and dominoes. Sigh...I wish I was still there! Here inthe US a crying baby only gets you a rude stare! Viva Mexico!!! Michele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceandaughter Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Here in Wales I never have to ask for help with my stroller on the train and once at the Cardiff train station this man chased me down to give me a bag I left behind. However I did spend 2 hours crying at a train station with my four kids and nobody asked me what was wrong. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 (edited) That reminds me of the time my landlord came running into my flat in his underware. We were in Germany and he was quite amused at my reaction. His exact words were, "You Americans are so weird! You have Playboy and yet you are startled to see someone in their underware?" Cultural differences sure make life interesting. :001_smile: Oh yeah, we all make sure to read our Playboy every month :001_huh::lol: *sigh* all these stories make me want to wander outside the US again. Edited October 4, 2009 by mommaduck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 4, 2009 Author Share Posted October 4, 2009 I love your story! While visiting my sister in Mexico City, I was roundly scolded for taking my 3 month old daughter out in the sun! I only understood about half of what she said. Apparently, a combination of the sun for her fair skin and the evil eye would seriously harm her! Naturally, I apologized back to her and said, "I'm so sorry, Abuela! Thank you!" Satisfied, this tiny foreign busybody continued on her way thru the outdoor market we were at. Another time, we were visiting my sister in MX again with another baby (a theme in our family, I guess! Have a baby, go to non tourist Mexico!!)and he was so very fussy. 2 grandfather-aged men in the restaurant we were at marched over and picked him up and began to sing to him and pretty much adore him - my sister made small talk with them as we ordered our food and I shooed the stray dog out from under the table. My son stopped crying and was completely relaxed. The two men handed him back and made the sign of the cross over him and went back to their coffee and dominoes. Sigh...I wish I was still there! Here inthe US a crying baby only gets you a rude stare! Viva Mexico!!! Michele That is an awesome story! I love Mexico. I love the U.S. too. I am very patriotic but I think we could stand to loosen up a bit you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Your children are going to have the best stories to tell when they get older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LND1218 Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 (edited) That's great!! Americans need to chill a bit. Here parents have had child protective services called on them if their child is seen in their underwear in their yard!! What a great experience for your family. Edited October 4, 2009 by Steph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in WI Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 That is all kinds of awesome. :iagree: I love the stories from other countries, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 That or just the thinking "oh my! How inappropriate! They took his clothes off and just went about eating. They should have gone home. They shouldn't have let him play to start with....." ramble, ramble...too many people have time to judge and no time to actually try to turn the situation into a positive one. It was nice to see that it happened for Heather. We get scolded for letting our kids run around barefoot, for goodness sake! My mil is horribly offended if our 3 yo dd gets up from her nap, wraps up in her blanket and comes out of her room wearing only that blanket and underwear. She is fully covered but apparently that will make her promiscuous when she is older. :001_rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Great stories on this thread. I knew I was in a foreign country when I had to step over the German Shepherd lying (laying?) between the tables at a patio restaurant on my way to the unisex bathrooms....giving a coin to 'Madame PiPi'.... walk past the urinating man at the urinals to the stalls. One big happy bathroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Great story Heather. I've told it to half dozen people today. Love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 :lol:. That is so funny. Thanks for sharing I really needed a good laugh today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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