Thank You For Saying Thank You

My college roommate flew into Anchorage this morning for jury duty, so Greg and I were at the airport at 7am. Because it is Halloween and because it is Heather, we dressed up in our Cameroonian outfits. We have the same fabric from head to toe. It is a lot to take in and we look somewhat ridiculous. In fact, when we wore them in Cameroon people made fun of us because of our pale skin and overwhelming fabric. Heather loved it, though.

I wore the skirt to class the other day. The outfits aren't too much in moderation. In fact, when separated, they're fantastic. One of my students came up to me and said that he liked my skirt and that it made him think of home. I could tell by his accent that he was from Western Africa, but I couldn't decipher the country. I told him that I was given the outfit while visiting Cameroon last winter and found out he was from Nigeria. And then he said, "thank you for wearing that and reminding me of home. It made me feel good."

I was relating this Greg this on the way to the airport and mentioned that I was glad he said something to me because it made me feel connected to Africa again, but that I was surprised that he officially thanked me. Greg looked at me for a second and said "why does that surprise you? That is the culture. When you unknowingly made someone happy, they tell you. You may not know you deserve the thanks, but they acknowledge each way you touch their lives. The culture is freer with Thank Yous and I think that is tied up in the idea that everyone is family and interrelated."

Isn't that great?