Got etiquette?

I have been asked to teach the youth boys at our church some etiquette. I however don't have great etiquette so I had to go searching the web for some creative inspiration.

Here is what I came up with:

• Shrek 2, dinner scene with Fiona's parents and Shrek. I thought it provided a good example of what not to do.

• Etiquette quiz. Here is the link if you want to gauge your social graces. http://www.quizmoz.com/quizzes/General-Etiquette-Quizzes/d/Dining-Etiquette-Quiz.asp

• A bundle of do's and don'ts for everything from personal space to table manners.

• Of course I'll end it with food.

The tricky part is incorporating American manners with Chinese. Some of the boys are foreigners but not all. The American etiquette rule is often the polar opposite of the Chinese. Table manners for example. Chinese eat ' buffet style' using chop sticks to get individual bites from the serving dish. (If you are a germaphobe, this is not the country for you.) In the States that is only okay late at night, with your sisters and an ice cream container.

Another example would be entering and exiting anything. It is a mob scene. There is no holding the door or letting people exit the elevator, metro, bus, store, etc. before you try to jam your way in. We have spent our children's short lives telling them to say 'excuse me' when they bump someone or be curious and let someone go before you when you open a door. Not here; we smash and cram through the crowd like everyone else. There is no regard for personal space or manners.

Overall, this is not a country that understands 'common courtesy'. I realized that my first weekend here, when the fireworks started at 6:00 am. It is solidified everyday, when I'm tripping and pushing through crowds (with a stroller and four kids) and people are cutting me off or pushing past to get out the door first.

I guess when you grow up surrounded by 12 million people you do what it takes to get where you're going.

I'm not even going to mention the spitting. That is a post all on its own.