Understanding Standards

When I spent the day alone in Disneyland Paris (how many people do you know that can say that!) it was very hot. Not the dry desert heat I've come to know and love but a wet soggy Parisian heat. I had moisture pooling in all of my crevices and I just wanted to take my clothes off and jump in a body of water but I couldn't. I was waiting in line to get on Thunder Mountain. To distract myself from my own moistness I began to observe all of the foreigners around me. The people behind me were speaking German, in front of me French and the ride instructions blaring overhead were spoken in a heavy American West English (music to my ears). But what caught my attention in this melting pot of people were three teenage Arabs a little way ahead of me. One was a boy and the other two were girls. The boy looked like a normal teenage boy in shorts and a t-shirt but the girls were completely covered from their foreheads to their toes. They were wearing normal clothes, jeans and sneakers and stuff but they were in long sleeves, no sandals, and their heads were covered. I stared in disbelief. I was dying in the heat. Literally dripping pounds of water weight right off. I couldn't imagine wearing more than I was. "Incredible," I thought "And just for their religion. They must be dying. I can't understand how they can put up with wearing that much in this heat just because their religion says so." As I tried to wrap my mind around this I took notice of my own attire. I was wearing knee length shorts and a high necked t-shirt. I glanced around me. Excluding the Arabs I was the most dressed girl in line. Everyone else in front or in back of me no matter their size or age was wearing a tank-top and barely butt cheek grazing shorts or a skirt. Suddenly I understood. I still don't understand why they were completely covered from head to toe but I do understand why they choose to dress the way their religion and culture dictates. Because I do it too. Who knew that in a line of foreigners I would find the most in common with three Arabs.

"There's so much that we share that its time we're aware its a small world after all"