Shoe-less and Satisfied.

In Cambodia, taking off your shoes is a sign of respect.

Every Sabbath there are piles of shoes outside of that sanctuary, because that is how you show respect.

During parent teach conferences, most parents took their shoes off before entering classrooms as a sign of respect to the teachers.

Whenever you enter a home, you take your shoes off, without question.

At school, in the office, you take off your shoes.

The same is true in other Asian countries too, I think. In Thailand we went to an old palace, and we had to take our shoes off first. I made a comment about how lucky the tour guides were to have a job where they didn't ever wear shoes. One of the other SMs looked at me and said, don't you also have a job like that?

This is true.

I don't wear shoes. Really ever. I put them on long enough in the morning to get to school. And then for the rest of the day, expect for the bathroom or crossing to the other building, I am barefoot.

At first my kids questioned, Teacher, where are your shoes?

But now it's more of a, Teacher, why do you have shoes on?

There is something completely wonderful about not wearing shoes. There is a freeing feeling in it. Maybe I'm the only one that thinks so, but thats fine.

Sabbath is my favorite day for a large number of reasons, but one being, shoes.

I live about the church, so I leave the house and go down without putting shoes on, join the mass of people barefoot in the sanctuary. If I can make it through an entire Sabbath without putting shoes on, it's been a good day.

And Shona's comment a few weeks back made me laugh, I walked into vespers, shoe-less and she said, you're just loving this Cambodian thing aren't you?

Maybe this is how I embrace the culture, or maybe it's my own version of crazy.

Whatever it is, I am satisfied.