This Post is for TWO Years

It's that time again for another "camba-versary." Moving from one to two years comes with respect. After 18 months, you've been here forever. It doesn't yet feel like forever, but that might come soon.

Year Two has been mixed. It started on a high, only to plummet over the spring and finally begin to level out into a balanced contentment over late summer and autumn. As an expat, the longer you live here, you feel you understand it less and less. You learn that the strangeness and complexity are all beyond what your Western mind can process; a beautiful place trapped inside itself, unable to move forward without taking one step back. Former US ambassador to Cambodia, Joseph Mussomeli, remarked once,"be careful, because Cambodia is the most dangerous place you will ever visit. You will fall in love with it, and eventually it will break your heart." 


Cambodia has broken many hearts, including mine; a beautiful place trapped in the ghosts of the past, the corruption of the present, and struggling to find a path into modernity that doesn't widen the gulf between the rich and poor. Sometimes I wonder if the best thing for Cambodia would be for us to leave and let Cambodia decide for itself what sort of country it wants to be. To deforest the country and sell it to China or to respect human rights. To face the ghosts of the Khmer Rouge or to sabotage the tribunal. Cambodia itself hasn't decided the answer to these questions.

Yet just like the 14 different locations before Cambodia, Cambodia wasn't an accident. There's some reason why any of us end up anywhere at any time. I've been told that if I live my life differently because I was here, that is sufficient. I have learned and grown here, in the most unexpected ways. It hasn't been entirely tragic. I'm proud that I've found my way in the mayhem and I honestly adore and appreciate my little life here.

There are wonderful things about Cambodia, and utterly irritating things. I was reflecting on this recently, in honor of TWO.

Five things which must change in Cambodia:

• Wedding/Funeral Tents. Pitching a tent on the road in front of your house is so two-thousand-and-late people. Please rent one of the many available facilities! Please stop creating monstrous traffic jams. Please stop blasting 11pm street-side karaoke. Please stop the 4am chanting. You no longer live in the province. Urbanize people!
• Sidewalks. Sidewalks are not parking lots, let me tell you. Sidewalks are not extensions of your store. Sidewalks are not locations to discard smelly rubbish  Sidewalks are for humans to walk on. There should also be more.
• Climate. It's so hot. I whinge endlessly about this climate and the longer I'm here the more I whinge. However, if the climate changed, then the agricultural livelihoods which people depend upon would be destroyed so personal preferences must be sidelined in this case. However, I'm no longer ashamed to admit, I hate this climate.
• Trees. Deforestation...(and land grabbing)...enough said. 
• Food. Initially, I was not impressed with Khmer food. Now I'm completely comfortable at partner events when an entire fish is placed in front of me. However, we could introduce something beyond fish sauce and salt for flavors. 

Five things to continue in Cambodia:

• Motos. Motos are a good thing for Phnom Penh. They are small, efficient and cheap. Cars are none of the above and Phnom Penh was not built to handle cars. Continuing bikes and motos is essential. 
• Markets. Markets are fun! You can buy fresh produce, ice coffee, tasty noodles, and haggle to your heart's content. There's something delightfully human about markets, even if they can be too warm in hot season. 
• Holidays. While so many public holidays do prevent work efficiency to some extent, I really love having 17 public holidays per year in addition to my 15 vacation days.
• Buses. It's pretty easy and painless to get around Cambodia. You can get to Vietnam and Thailand fairly painlessly by bus. While they aren't fast, they are air conditioned and you'll easily get to your destination problem-free, only a little worse for wear thanks to watching hours of Khmer music videos. In fact, getting anywhere is easy; motos, tuk tuks, bikes...
• Reliable water, electricity, and internet. Phnom Penh ranks very highly in this regard. In two years, I've only lacked water twice at my apartment. Power cuts are very infrequent and short. Internet is decently fast and largely reliable. Lets pray with all the recent building that these lovely amenities don't stop.