Kiva Stories from the Field

You Know You’re in Cambodia When…

17 April 2008 at 02:29 Jessica Young 1 comment

Inspired by the TZ fellows, I’ve come up with a top 10 for a taste of Cambodia:

1) The first questions people ask you are not “where are you from” or “what do you do” but “how old are you” and “are you married.”
2) Your clients bring you pictures of their sons and try to arrange marriages during your meetings.
3) A “taxi” transports 50+ people… and you don’t get a discount for sitting on the roof.
4) The Lexus SUV on the street has one person inside and the motorcycle beside it is transporting a family of 7… plus some groceries.
5) Drivers make their own lanes, honking is polite, and the best way to turn around isn’t a side street—it’s a u-turn into oncoming traffic.
6) Pepsi bottles aren’t filled with cola- they’re liters of gasoline-to-go.
7) Hammocks are the only furniture you need: they’re multi-purpose cradles, beds and chairs.
8.) Spiders, fermented fish paste and duck embryos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut) are delicacies.
9) A 50-note bill is, to you, worthless.
10) You could rival the Pope with the number of hand-clasped bows you do in a day.

Entry filed under: Cambodia. Tags: Elena Micossi, Eric Brandt, Isadora Tang, Mark Janko.