Ma'am

Growing up in the South, I was trained to use "Ma'am" and "Sir" as terms of respect, especially when answering questions directed to me by anyone more than 5 years older than myself. That said, I never expected to be called "Ma'am" here in South India by my Bible College students! It's a common title for anyone who holds a teaching position or administrative position within schools, thus, it has a different connotation than when used in the American South. Still, strange for me to hear it out of "context," and stranger still to refer, for formality's sake, to my Sonu as "Sonu Sir" to students :) Just a snippet of life here.