A little bit of my time

Friday arvo. After my language class at uni I didn't feel like going straight home so I stopped in at my local, air-conditioned service station. I sat down on a stool with a drink, snack and a news magazine, prepared to relax and catch up on some world events. As soon as I sat down, however, a group of about ten kids started tapping on the window and calling out to get my attention. I'm not sure about the depth of their English proficiency, but all of them seemed to know, "hello...one dollar?"

I wondered how I should respond to these kids. Could I ingore them? Should I give them some money? Would it be better to buy them some milk? I decided to give them the thing they seemed to want most- a little bit of my time and attention.

When I finished my drink, I walked outside to meet the kids. They skipped away nervously- unsure if I was about to yell at them or give them something. I greeted one of the older boys and asked him a couple of questions in Khmer. He came closer, as did the rest of the group. I asked each of the kids in turn their name and one or two other questions about themselves. A girl of about eight or nine stood in the centre of the group wearing only a small, green pair of shorts and some plastic beads around her neck. When I told her that she looked beautiful with her necklace on, she grinned shyly.

I was just about to leave when a younger girl behind her started speaking quickly buy softly. I bent down and said, "I'm sorry?". She repeated the words, louder and much more deliberately,
"You didn't ask my name!"

With an apology, I asked. I then placed my palms together, raised them to my chin and greeted her in the polite manner that Cambodian people use to show respect. This produced a few giggles as adults aren't expected to greet children in this way. I knew that but figured it was OK for the foreigner to look a bit silly by acting just a little too formally. After that, I decided to break all the rules and shake her hand too. The girl smiled a six or seven year old- look at my missing front teeth- kind of a smile. I shook all the small hands that were offered and said goodbye.

If I had given these kids a dollar I wouldn't have missed it. If I'd given a dollar, they probably could have used it. But maybe all they really needed was for me to stop and ask their names.