Thank You

According to Wikipedia, "thank you" is an expression of gratitude, gratefulness, or politeness, in response to something done or given. In the west, whether it be in America or Europe, it is accustomed to say thank you to people not only to those close to us such as friends and family, but in restaurants, shops, and even strangers. It is quite natural you say. Strangely enough, it is not custom to do so in developing countries.

Travelling on several occasions to Cambodia, I noticed how people there seldom say thank you among themselves. I found this to be quite odd coming from the west. In Cambodia, there's such a huge gap between the haves and have-nots. It seems as if being sincere and polite is a sign of weakness. Gratitude or courtesy to the have-nots appears as if a person lowers his or herself to the same status. It is as if those who are less fortunate are completely meaningless. Perhaps I am completely wrong, but it is my observations and interpretations on what I have seen and experienced. And when you do say thank you for a service or out of gratitude, people would ask why you say thank you to them???

Several years ago, while a friend and I were touring Paris, we met this really charming Korean girl with curly hair, who was touring by herself. We asked if she wanted to tag along, and she agreed. She tagged along with us the entire day, and truly enjoyed herself, as she was able to discover other parts of Paris she would not have seen otherwise. By the end of the day, she was quite grateful and said "thank you", and offered me a necklace from Insadong market in Seoul, South Korea. It was the first time that someone I barely knew, was this nice to me.

For a long time now, I have always been a big fan of HK and Korean movies. So it was natural that when I had the chance to visit HK that same year, that I would stop at Seoul as well. I had kept in touch with my Korean friend, and for a couple of days, she in turn gave me an absolutely wonderful tour guide of Seoul. I say "thank you" Sue for being such a great host!