The Kindness of Strangers

PART II: NEW ZEALAND

The Kindness of Strangers

In New Zealand, people were unbelievably friendly. Especially the elderly. I remember one time, my mom and I were at a McDonald’s, I was about seven years old. While I was stuffing my cheeks full of fries, my mom suddenly poked my waist and turned me gently towards the opposite table. There, an elderly couple was waving at us. “Your daughter is so cute!” the lady told my mom. Soon, they asked us to join them at their table, where they ordered me ice cream to keep me content as they talked to my mom. The elderly me had called man “charming” although I can’t recall doing anything worthy of that superlative. After all, I had just moved to this strange country where people spoke English in a funny accent. Although I couldn’t understand everything they were saying, I do remember being struck by their warmth and friendliness. I remember feeling that this display of unwarranted openness left me slightly confused; it just seemed strange. In China, age practically made up the hierarchy. Everybody knew their place. China was also in many ways a very traditional, conservative culture. Hence, there was always a formality and etiquette that governed relations, especially those between the elderly and children. It is not to say that the elderly weren’t friendly in China, but it wasn’t exactly in our tradition to invite strangers to dine with us. On the contrary, virtually everyone in New Zealand was friendly.

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