Perfect Asian manners: Polite Thai children remove shoes before entering a 7-Eleven

We are all too aware of how children can be like tiny hurricanes, leaving behind scenes of destruction and chaos in their trail — be it urinating on the floor of the Forbidden City to throwing killer litter and damaging artwork installations.

These Thai children, however, are so pure that they can only be described as exceptional angels. Even though they didn't have to, they took off their shoes before entering a 7-Eleven store out of respect for the shop.

Photos of the children and their shoes neatly placed at the entrance of 7-Eleven were posted online (Oct 7) and went viral. According to a Facebook post, the children were actually on a field trip to the city with their teacher.

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As the students lived in the mountains, they were not familiar with the concept of 24-hour convenience stores like 7-Eleven. 

Upon arriving at a 7-Eleven outlet, the teacher went off to the loo while he allowed the excited students to explore a place they had never been to before. When he exited the toilet, he was greeted by the sight of shoes placed in an orderly fashion at the doorstep of the convenience store.

This sight would not be strange in front of someone's house in Thailand, given that Asian custom dictates the removal of shoes before entering residences. 

On the other hand, taking off your shoes before entering convenience stores is definitely not the norm in Asian culture. Or any other culture, for that matter.

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Curiosity did not kill the cat in this case, for the teacher asked his students the reason behind their actions and received the most precious answer. The students took off their shoes to show respect towards the place — a lesson that the teacher had taught them previously.

Their impeccable behaviour and adorable answer won the hearts of Thai netizens. Some gushed over how cute they were while others praised their discipline and manners. A few Facebook users commented that the teacher must be proud for teaching his students well.

Indeed, their innocence is a bright light at the end of the tunnel of violent, badly-behaved tikes.

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wongxuemin@asiaone.com