In the morning as I walk across the school courtyard and listen to my students recite the Pledge of Allegiance (I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. . .) my mind goes back to waking up at my friend's apartment in Ekamai and listening to the Thai national anthem being sung at the school across the street.
Now my mornings are filled with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Star Spangled Banner. But I'm hearing these "old" things in a new way. For example, I overheard the principal talking with a student today about why she refused to stand for the Star Spangled Banner. As I listened to their conversation, I realized that I heard what the principal was saying through the framework of how we might respect Thai royalty. I tried to imagine this same student not standing for the Thai royal anthem. Unimaginable.
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