Thursday, December 10, 2009

Lessons Learned

So, I went on a little trip outside of the city on Monday. I got to see some of the countryside as I headed out to some villages in one of the provinces. My company was entirely Khmer, so my conversations were limited for the day, but it was beautiful. I learned some good lessons along the way, so I thought I would share them with you.

Lesson 1. Never leave the city without a scarf. It gets dusty, and you won’t be able to breathe…and the Khmer people will just laugh at you through their masks and scarves.
Lesson 2. Tire irons can snap in half. Always make sure to break down close to a bike shop or something so you can borrow one if need be. (Flat tires are a given when there are potholes that would make even Muncie streets look good!)Lesson 3. It’s best not to think about what your food looked like before it was cooked. When you don’t think about the fish staring at you from the frying pan or the chicken feet floating in the soup, it all tastes really good!Lesson 4. Don’t finish the heaping pile of rice on your plate unless you really do want more. Saying “no” is not an option because they will put another heaping pile on anyway.
Lesson 5. Just smile and act like you know what's going on, even when you don't.
I apologize for the poor quality of these photos. They were all taken from the inside of a moving van, so all things considered, I don't think they turned out too bad!

1 comment:

  1. I love these lessons...especially the tire iron. Pretty sure I'll be laughing about that one for a good long while. :o)

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