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After Griffin ran out of the mini-city jungle, nearly screaming to escape the mosquitos, I found a Muslim mother tending to his mosquito bites. You can see in the picture above that she was applying mosquito bite salve to his bites. She then offered to give me the salve, after giving me some mosquito management tips. I was so touched to find him tended to with such care, by a stranger.
From the moment we arrived in Asia, even in the Delhi Airport, all the adults seem to believe it takes a village to raise a child. A Delhi Airport security guard held Boom Boom on his lap and proceeded to stamp his hands with customs stamps while I went through a body check, separated from Boom. They feel very comfortable hugging, touching, comforting, and physically playing with our kids. It was striking from the start and made me realize what boundaries we've set up between ourselves and others' kids in America.
All of the adults here are crazy about Boom Boom. They adore young kids. People have talked to us in Malay, Chinese, and probably more, all while reaching out to touch Boom. Or, just looking at him, giggling and smiling. When Boom walks into our hotel breakfast room, all the workers yell "Boom Boom!"
The pictures above show the Malay Muslim teacher at the science museum interacting with Muslim students. Being a Muslim woman here is different from our stereotype of the burka-ed Middle Eastern Muslim woman. While those burka-ed Middle Eastern Muslim women are touristing here, usually trailing behind their husbands, the Muslim women here just wear a scarf over their heads, with their arms and legs covered, often in casual pants or jeans. As far as I can tell, the women seem to hold the same positions as men, like geologists for the big oil company, Petronas.
