The 3 Exercises of Cambodia

Once upon a time, when I first arrived in Cambodia, a man from my office who seriously looks just like a fish stopped me on my way out. He told me that while here I would learn the "3 exercises of Cambodia". Throughout the course of our conversation I realized he had meant the 3 senses of Cambodia.

First he told me I would learn the sense of taste. This is definitely true. I have tasted so many new flavors here. I have tasted the bitterest and saltiest and spiciest foods ever. I have eaten several leaves and plants. I've tasted some delicious things, and many awful things. I've also eaten many unidentifiable things that I prefer to keep that way.

Next he told me I would learn the sense smell. I learned this one right away. My house is literally right on a canal that smells horribly of sewage. I know I'm close to home when I start to smell the sewage. When walking home from work, I have to hold my breath every time i turn the corner to walk down my street. People have described food to me on multiple occasions like this, "it smells like hell, but tastes like heaven." Mmmm, doesn't that just wet your appetite?? ha. Every time I've heard this it's been in reference to the fruit durian or Cambodian cheese.

Finally he told me I'd learn the sense sight. The people here are so alert of their surroundings (except for knowing where anything is located), and I quickly had to learn this also. When crossing a street here it isn't enough to look both ways like i learned as a child. I have to look all 360 degrees around me. I can't even tell you how many times cars and motos have come within inches of hitting me while walking to work or church. They come flying out of nowhere and definitely do not yield to pedestrians, or to red lights it turns out.

In case you were just dying to know the 3 actual exercises of Cambodia, here they are according to Brittany: 1) Cycling. Okay so maybe this is their form of transportation, but whether they intend to or not, as they ride several kilometers every day down pot holed dirt roads and balancing 2 toddlers and an infant on their bikes, they're getting exercise. 2) Zumba. Every day at sunrise and sunset, huge groups of people can be found gathering around the city with a boom box doing zumba-like "dance exercise" they call it. It's quite entertaining to watch. 3) Volleyball. Yes, they love volleyball here! And they're actually really good at it. I love seeing the courts everywhere, even out in the villages. If they don't have a net, they just tie up a string between 2 palm trees. It's nearly killed me, but my wrist is still bothering me (I tore some cartilige awhile ago) and I'm trying to be good so it will heal for me to teach in the fall, so I haven't joined in to play.

A couple weeks ago while I was in the hallway getting a drink, another man from my office told me that when he goes to the beach here in Cambodia, the white foreigners all sit out in the sun without umbrellas. He asked me why on earth they would do such a thing. haha. Well I tried to explain to him that the "white foreigners" all wish they had brown skin, so they like to sit out in the sun to get a tan. He looked completely confused and told me he wanted to have white skin. Yes, it seems the grass is always greener on the other side.

It perplexed me when I first got here that all the locals are covered head to toe. They wear long sleeve turtle necks, long pants, socks with their sandals, a hat, a scarf wrapped around their head and face, and gloves. Why on earth they wore so many layers was beyond me when I tried to wear as little clothing as possible in this horrible heat, while still being modest and professional. Then it occurred to me: they're trying to hide their skin from the sun! One day, while working out in the villages, some people in the village as well as Daleak who I was working with, asked me why I was wearing short sleeves. I told them I put on sun screen and tried to explain that to them. When we got back to the office, the Provincial Coordinator (the big wig there) told me I needed to wear long sleeves the next day because we'd be taking a moto far out into the villages. I told her I didn't have any long sleeves and that I'd be fine. Well, the next morning Daleak picked me up and handed me a long sleeved sweater she'd brought for me. How thoughtful...Tonight I saw a bottle of facial cream sitting in the bathroom sink. The lable read, "whitening formula".

A few weeks ago while in Banteay Meanchey working with my coworker Buleak, I was showing her pictures of me while we were at the hotel. She looked at them and exclaimed, "you're a cowboy!" lol, well, kind of. Then she went on, "What are you doing studying health???" I looked at her perplexed and unsure where she was headed with this. She continued, "You're never going to find a husband studying health! You need to go work on a farm so you can meet a cowboy!" Oh, so THAT's my problem!! haha. I guess I can't even escape the constant harassment about getting married, even while across the world in Cambodia and away from Utah. Every time I go to a new village, the crowd that has gathered wants to know first and foremost if I'm single. When I say yes, they all kind of look at me strangely. Then they want to know how old I am. They all seem shocked when I tell them I'm 25. One time I asked how old they thought I was. They told me they thought I was 16. Is this odd to anyone else that they were concerned about my being single while they thought I was only 16??? Oh, how I love the things I've heard here in Cambodia!