Random thoughts on living in a developing country...

This is a quick and far from thorough guide to a few things you can expect living in Cambodia (with some exceptions being made for Phnom Penh and Siem Reap town).

First, you are going to get sick....you are going to get sick a lot and it is going to be painful. Diarrhea will be your constant companion for the first couple months, once it finally goes away you can expect it to revisit you at least once on a monthly basis. Dengue fever, giardia (caused my ingesting fecal matter), internal parasites, sinus infections from living in a dust filled environment, and constant lethargy due to the unending and inescapable heat are normal. You will not live here for long without experiencing some or all of these.

Second, bathrooms are a necessity, but don't expect anything too comfortable. Unlike their Western counterparts, bathrooms in Cambodia usually consist of a hole in the ground with a porcelain bowl over which you squat. They usually empty into a river, stream, or lake via pvc pipes. Because of this they are not suitable for toilet paper, hence you won't have any. What you will have is a small bucket and a reservoir of water. Unless you came prepared, you most likely will not have any soap. Come prepared! Wiping is accomplished through a an experiential learning process that focuses on leaning and pouring water at the proper angles. It should be noted that we don't really use our left hand for much social interaction as this is customarily the hand used for anything that is considered unclean. The bathroom conditions should be considered in light of my first observation (you will get sick a lot).

Third, if you are living in a rural area or any area in which there are not many tourists (basically anywhere outside of a provincial town), you will become an instant celebrity. Sounds kinda cool right? Nope! It sucks. Think of it this way, you have had diarrhea for two days and you are convinced that the local market is trying to kill you by spiking all of the produce with laxatives. It dawns on you that you should go buy some more soap and some bland food (see "Rice"). You step out the door trying to keep in mind a certain time frame so that you can make it back home the next time your stomach declares war and rises up in revolt. You make it about half way to the roadside stand where you can buy soap and you have already had "Hello" yelled to you by 15 well intentioned but star struck Khmer children. Once you get to your destination and negotiate the purchase of soap, you are greeted like most stars to an endless barrage of questions such as "Have you eaten rice today? Where do you go? Do you have wife? Girlfriend? How old are you? Why do you come to Cambodia? How much money do you make? What state are you from? Can I learn English with you? Where is your home? Can I have your phone number? What do you do in your free time? Do you want to marry a Khmer woman/man?" The list of questions does not end.... really it doesn't. Meanwhile you are plotting your getaway to buy rice when your constant companion, intestinal discomfort and pain, reappears. You make your escape to the rice seller's stand (Note: there are no "merchants" only seller's) and are greeted by the murmur of everyone in sight. Comments on how beautiful (determined here by skin color) you are come pouring in and there is no shortage of compliments or critiques. As you determine which of the 5 types of rice you want to buy, you realize your stomach can't maintain discipline and order much longer so you pick some rice and get home as fast as you can. What should have been 10 minute errands have turned into a labor intensive sea of attention that can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. All the while you feel sick and continually hear the same questions and comments in a foreign language you barely understand. Being an instant superstar gets old quick...

Fourth, you are having rice for dinner. And lunch. And breakfast. Everyday. Really you are. Occasionally you will get a break from the norm and have noodles, but come on Cambodia is an agriculturally based society. Around 90% of the overall population makes their living as from farming and the number one crop is rice by far. For breakfast you have baubau which is basically soggy rice in water with or without additional seasoning. For lunch you may have beef (imagine jerky with a slightly burnt flavor or chewy fat depending on the dish prepared) with some vegetables and rice. Maybe pork or chicken, but rice is guaranteed. Dinner will be similar to lunch but there will be an expectation for you to eat a larger quantity of it because rice it is essential to Khmer people that you eat huge quantities of rice. It should be noted that the quality if the rice here is far superior to the rice I was familiar with in America. Uncle Ben's has nothing on rice from Cambodia. After a few weeks, you long to go a few days without rice. After a few months and maybe some time in a provincial city where there are non-rice options you may find yourself missing rice. Not everyone feels this way, but generally after a day or two without rice it becomes missed. If you don't like rice for whatever reasons, Cambodia is not the place for you.

Fifth, if you want a refined culinary experience go somewhere else. If you want a unique culinary experience we have you covered. Local markets carry lots of fish, beef, pork, and chicken. In addition to these we have plenty of dog, snake, frog, bird, insect,and various rodent meats to choose from. Keep in mind that refrigeration is nearly unheard of so most of these items that may make their way to your dinner table have been sitting in the insanely hot sun until you came by and purchased them. Making your selection is easy though, simply swat away the cloud of flies hovering over the meat sellers table and choose away. Feeling adventuresome? Try some snake on a stick, waterbug (imagine large cockroaches but more moist), large winged ants, crickets, fried spiders (larger than tarantulas), or similar delicacies; all of these are available in provincial towns and to a lesser extent in district towns. Some are quite good, some are not....there is only one way to find out. Personally, I eat frog as often as possible and find it to be delicious and nothing like chicken. At this point I am fairly certain that if I saw Kermit the Frog in one of the Jim Henson Muppet movies my salivary glands would kick into overdrive. Please remember my first observation. Fruits and vegetables are diverse and plentiful in Cambodia with an assortment of selections that I had previously never seen or heard of in the States. I won't go into much detail but sowmow, mein, dragonfruit, and several others must be tried. The one fruit that I will give some description of is durian. Durian is highly popular in Cambodia and other parts of Southeast Asia. It smells like a dead body left in muggy heat to rot indefinitely. It has the taste of a mixture between raw onions, cream cheese, and grape fruit. The texture of the edible section generally resembles custard or a thick pudding with a slight dough-like quality. For most Westerners the smell of durian does not make you want to eat it, the taste confirms the suspicions of the nose, and the texture adds an air or mystery. Try it, it builds character (or so I tell myself). It's awful but much like a car accident grabs your attention and won't let you look away, durian is horrendous but once you try it for some reason you find yourself thinking "maybe it isn't quite as bad as I remember...." It is.

This is only a short list, but there will be more to come in the future...