Duck, duck, goose

I was reading recently of an American Christian who was on a mission trip in Africa. He particularly loved interacting with the children in the country he was in, and expressed his joy over being able to teach them some games. For instance, he and his cohorts taught the children how to play “Duck, duck, goose.” He recalled how the children were initially bewildered, though, because they did not know what a duck or a goose was. They had never seen such animals! So, the teachers had to change the names of the animals to ones familiar to the children. Then it made sense to them and they all proceeded to have fun. The American telling the story cited this as an example of the need to place things in their proper cultural context. In other words, when a missionary goes to another land to preach the gospel, not every “Americanism” will be understood, just as these children did not understand “Duck, duck, goose.”

It was at this point that I put my book down and began to think. Something dawned on me. I thought, “Wait a minute.” I’m an American, and I don’t even understand “Duck, duck, goose.” I’ve never actually seen a duck waddling around a circle of other ducks (and geese?), tapping each one on the head until he arrived at his “victim.” I’ve never seen one chasing another one around said circle. Heck, I’ve never even seen a duck chasing a goose, or a goose chasing a duck for that matter. Do they play together or even hang out together? I don’t know. In fact, I’m embarrassed to say that I’m not 100% sure of the difference between ducks and geese in the first place. Are they related somehow, in a hen/rooster kind of way? I don’t think so. I think I can tell them apart, but sometimes it’s kind of hard to differentiate them. There are a bunch of ducks that roam around my neighborhood all the time, but it wouldn’t shock me if someone told me that they were actually geese.

Well, I’m flummoxed. And what’s more, I’m humbled. I am quick to point out how kids today (i.e. my students over at the community college) don’t know a lot of “common knowledge” type questions, yet here I am struggling over ducks, geese, and a children’s game. I guess I’ll have to do a little research in my copious free time.