Over and over again, I've found myself saying "well, back home this would never work" or "we would never do that where I am from" statements. I get it. I'm in a different country. People have different expectations, standards, etc. I see them all of the time. But today....today was one that shocked the shoes right off of my feet.
We had a "water day" in place of our Field Day that got cancelled last week due to rain. Each building had water relays, water fights, etc. It was a lot of fun. Not so shocking, right? Well, here it is: a kid in underwear! He had a shirt on, but was in his underwear, so his pants wouldn't get wet. And several were in swimsuits (not as shocking as underwear). I was flabbergasted! In America, if we let a kid run around school in his underwear (granted, he's only 5), we'd be in all sorts of trouble. And so, there it is again - the comparing of my home country to what I am seeing here in Kazakhstan.
I fully agree with the fact that Americans are too censor-happy in media, etc. We never want to openly talk about sex with teenagers. We want to just portray the "safe" image of life and hope they aim for it. But in reality, we are doing more harm than good. In Europe, seeing a naked person on a magazine cover on a sidewalk vendor stand didn't phase me one bit, but seeing a child in underwear at school blew me away. I am a product of my societal upbringing. At least next time I'll be prepared.
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