Because I declared that I had food and went to a farm, the customs officer sent me to line A. Signs all around stated that Customs officials will treat everyone with respect. No accusation, no belittling, nothing that Jack Bauer would stand for.

So when the officer saw that I came from Thailand and Cambodia, he asked me if I was Thai or Cambodian. I stuttered a few words. I was worried that I had done something wrong. That maybe he suspected that my Asian-ness meant that I was a sneaky foreigner bringing illegal goods-racial profiling.

Then suddenly he said “sodee-ka” and bowed slightly with his palms together. The Thai greeting.

I was startled and said that I was American. Then realizing that the customs officer was trying to make friendly conversation instead of portraying hostility, I apologized and stuttered a few more words in my perfect American English.

Then he smiled and said, “Welcome home.”