I had met with the Scouts county development officer last October and nothing had come of it since, for I had been busy with my studies. But now… I’m trying to get back into uniform once again, this time as a leader. So I’ll be the ACSL, and I had the chance to interact with the kids yesterday – cubs from a newish group in Westminster that was established not long ago. They’re so new that they don’t even know what a Grand Howl is yet.
They were really bright children, and were extremely welcoming. One of the first questions I was asked was, “Are you from China?”
I laughed and shook my head, and told the cub that not all Chinese come from China. I answered that I was from Singapore (since that was where I started guiding, and to say ‘Hong Kong’ would only complicate matters since technically HK is now China, but I am definitely not from China!). She had no idea where Singapore was, so I said ‘Asia’. And when she was still lost, I offered… “Well, I did a bit of guiding and scouting in Australia.” Almost immediately, she lit up, “Where all the kangaroos are from” and “So that’s why you have an Australian accent!” I did a quick broad Aussie imitation and she was delighted. (It’s odd. Why do so many Brits think it’s Aussie?)
Another cub did a flying kick sorta thing while running at me and asked if I knew kung fu. When I nodded, he begged me to teach him some moves…
It’s funny how we don’t think much about such things anymore… these labels and icons that people associate other people with. We’re all a global village, and in this metropolitan city, as much as we tend to define ourselves by our race, nationality or culture, we’re essentially Londoners. But to the young, simple-minded 8-year-old, most people of black hair who look Chinese must be Chinese and Chinese come from China, and they know kung fu and eat Chinese food with chopsticks… for how else can it be?
