OH WELL, IT'S CAMBODIA!!

I have heard the missionaries several times use the phrase, "OH WELL, IT'S CAMBODIA!", as if that explained everything and legitimized it all.  That's a great way to shrug it off and not get too uptight over things that can't easily be changed!

DIFFERENCES IN EVERYDAY LIFE  (to add onto "Way of Life Surprises"......more detailed descriptions of several of these areas)

(just carry your portable store on your moto!)

-driving (definitely a blog entry by itself!)

-vehicles - motos, tuk tuks, loaded vans, big trucks, a few bikes - portable "stores" and goods attached in all kinds of precarious ways!

-honking is not mean - it simply means they are giving a heads up that they are passing

-no hot water

-no dryers or dishwashers or ovens or garbage disposals

-many also do not have washers; just use a bucket with suds

-toilets - many are lower for squatting, water-pouring pots at the side, sprayers, maybe/maybe not toilet paper

-garbage wherever you look

-very thin, quarter-sized napkins

-water not safe to drink out of a tap

-large water jugs attached to dispensers for everyday drinking

-silverware served in hot water

-little garbage cans by restaurant tables to put your napkins and bones in as you eat

-showers in the bathroom without a separate room enclosure - just spray down the toilet and sink and floor at the same time

-step-over ledges into every bathroom (to keep shower water from flowing out)

-no closets; instead, portable wardrobes in bedrooms

-keys for every desk drawer, wardrobes, and bedrooms; drop-down latches on cupboards

-wedding and funeral tents set up in the middle of the street

-weddings biggest attendance time - 7:00 a.m.!  And they are dressed to the top!

-outdoor markets with fresh produce readily available

-meat hanging by hooks to cut off desired amount

-hundreds of exposed wires all coming together on outside posts

-guards at the front of borreys (neighborhoods)

-workers to help you back out from any area (even if you really don't need help!)

-not a tipping culture, except for the back-out help where a little bit is a nice gesture

-very flooded streets after big rainstorms

-some funky intersections!  (some in busier areas of the city may have 5 or 6 streets all coming together - figure that one out!)

-car seats - what is that?  Not even seats on motos

-electronics are taken out of boxes and checked if they are working before you buy them (even very small items like lightbulbs, extension cords, etc.)

-grocery bags purchased as you are checking out (if you want them)

-American money bills accepted only if they are pristine, not folded or ripped in any way

-an early-rising culture - 7:00 a.m. is not too early to call and have appointments

-mid-afternoon Asian "siesta" - many seem to slow down for resting between about 11-2

-many things just seem a bit more liquidy and runny - toothpaste, shampoo, ranch dressing, sweetened condensed milk, syrup, etc.

-standard copy paper is longer (A-4 size)

-ceilings are higher - standard to have coffered details in trim 

-no central air

-no carpeting

-large propane tanks in most kitchens (would be illegal is U.S.!)

-rows of "Raid" in the grocery stores

-soft brooms and round mops

-men often wear shirts that are pulled up high over their bellies

-men frequently urinate at side of road

-garbage everywhere.  Littering?  An unknown phrase!  When done, just throw it on the ground!

-very hard mattresses (if a mattress at all!  Many sleep on just boards with a blanket on top)

-taking shoes off as entering a home

-when greeting, most often put raised hands together with a respectful nod

-ice cream, sour cream, orange juice - they are.....well....just different!

-many homes have rolling gates out in front with a little porch area or yard behind (in Cambodia it is illegal to knock on doors, and this is an added level of security feel)

-front doors are often heavy metal and may open with an accordian fold

-windows have security bars on them

-I have not seen anyone watching tv yet.  They watch things on their phones, but tv's are just not that common.  

-no PDA (public displays of affection)!  Interesting! 

-very modest society - shoulders and knees are generally covered

-women love to dress beautifully - very feminine

-at church, they often don't sit together as families (the wife might be sitting with some of the children, the husband might be on the other side of the chapel, some children might be up front)

-holding their phones out at a perpendicular angle to both talk and listen

-voice messaging is used much more than texting for communicating

-concrete buildings, not wood, and many are only partially completely and left unfinished

-bamboo scaffolding, precariously placed

-public bathrooms are mostly outdoors, not connected with the stores

-produce and meat are weighed separately before getting to the check-out register.  They mostly do not come prepackaged

-women in general have  the more dominant personality

-women do not usuallly sit down and eat with the guests they are serving dinner to

-uneven stairs - some are high, some are low

-buildings stopped in mid-construction and left vacant

-Prius is the most common car

-food in packages is all individually wrapped - have to with the humidity factor

-drinks are handed to you in a baggy (have to be able to hook it on moto handle)

-hammocks everywhere (if you see someone in a hammock, suspended in a small trailer being pulled by a moto, it might be Cambodia!)

-young men have a very common hairstyle - far side part with swooped over hair

-they value "lighter" skin and are self-conscious if their skin has darker tones

-Elderly are highly respected

-BIGGEST PEOPLE DIFFERENCE (generally speaking): THEY ARE SO POLITE, RESPECTFUL, KIND, AND GENTLE IN THEIR TONE - A GENUINELY HUMBLE AND LOVING PEOPLE