I have discovered another similarity between my Kindergarten students in the States, and my Kindergarten students here. And let me tell you, it is one that a I wish had NOT come about.
When I was teaching Kindergarten in Alabama, every year, about 4 or 5 months into the school year, my students would discover how to play a little game on the playground. And the game was the exact same, every year. One kid, usually a boy, would somehow be determined "the monster" and then would proceed to demonically chase all the other kids on the playground. Said monster would be roaring or what not, and all the other kids would be screaming at the top of their lungs. It is maddening, especially when they come towards their dear teacher to hide, and the screaming gets way to close for comfort. I can no longer keep count of how many "We are not going to play monster on the playground" conversations I have had with kids.
So you can imagine my... well not surprise, but more like disdain, when I started to notice that my class here was chasing each other around and screaming. I started to watch a little bit closer, and sure enough, I noticed that one person was always chasing the others, making threatening noises or roaring sounds. And finally the truth came out. It just took a little bit longer because of the language barrier. But they play Monsters in Cambodia. A closer translation would be "Zombies" or "Ghost" but the concept is still the same and my headache is still the same.
As annoying as I always have, and always will find this game to be, it does amuse me that it spans the continents.
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