Signs of Gratitude

One of the things I notice is some Zambians place their hand over their heart and bow slightly indicating "thank you".  Maybe it is also a sign of deep respect and being humble.  Sometimes the night watchman will greet me in this manner.  I am reminded of the gestures of southern gentlemen. They would tip their hat and slightly nod their head . My daddy and Mr. Tom Stanley did that.   Yesterday we went to Choma to experience the market and visit the museum. Part of our "field trip" was picnic on the grounds of the museum.  The weather was ideal, in fact, it was perfect.  Each of us were provided with a soft drink, rotisserie  chicken, "chips" (French fries), bread, & cookies.  The chicken & chips were wrapped together and included ketchup and a plastic fork.  Beckie purchased an extra order in case someone was extra hungry but no one wanted it.   Beckie intended to give the extra chicken & chips to the guard at the museum gate but he wasn't there. She noticed a woman going through the trash and offered her our leftover lunch. The woman immediately engaged in the traditional Zambian handshake thanking Beckie for the food.  And, in the blink of an eye, the woman fell to her knees in front of Beckie. I didn't witness it but I know it was the deepest sign of gratitude anyone could offer.  Beckie fought back the tears.

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I am a school-based Speech-Language Pathologist with 36 years of experience and I am about to embark on the experience of a lifetime!

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