Gege Says, "Water Hides, and It Also Comes Back to Find You"

We live in Bangkok now, a tropical city. It is very hot here, and it rains often. There seems to be a great deal of water, but in fact this is a country short of water.

Though there is plenty of water, you can't just drink it, because we still don't really know how the tap water here is treated. We know Gege has learned about the water purification process, and we know that in some countries the pipes aren't all that clean; sometimes water looks clear but may still contain bacteria or heavy metals.

So people like us who live in Bangkok, locals and foreigners alike, often don't drink straight from the tap. We order large bottles of water.

When the water is delivered from the factory, it comes in big bottle after big bottle; we keep three of them at home. A white pump is fitted on top, and with a single press the water comes gurgling out.

Today, as soon as the water arrived, Meimei saw the bottles and ran off excitedly to get her toys, wanting to fill them with water and play. It is a scene I know all too well.

I remembered when we first visited the kindergarten Meimei now attends, we saw several children doing the same thing: turning on the taps and playing with the water nonstop, soaking the floor, and the teachers didn't stop them; instead they encouraged the children to get to know water "through play." In that moment I felt somewhat shaken.

I respect every mature educational approach; behind each system lie its philosophy and its history. But if such an approach is "transplanted wholesale" to Bangkok without being deeply integrated with local culture, resources, and ways of life, then I have questions.

Where does the water come from? Does this city really have so much water to waste? Is it hard work for the people who deliver it? How many systems and resources stand behind our being able to "play with water"?

The children are not reminded of these questions, and no one helps them feel their way into them.

They have learned to brush their teeth, but not to cherish water;

they can use cutlery, but don't know where their food comes from;

they say grace before meals, but aren't truly grateful for the food.

This is my observation, and it is what I wanted to write down today.