Cambodia is a place that frustrates you to the point of screaming, and a place that makes you smile out of pure joy. It is a place that just does not seem fair, and a place that is really true. It is beautiful and ugly, harsh and luscious. It is everything. And while I learn about the everything-ness of Cambodia, I meet people along the way who teach me life lessons.
It was a hot, humid day in Cambodia as I walked down Sotheros Blvd in Phnom Penh. It is the kind of heat and humidity that makes you not want to move. Despite the weather, I had to head to the market to get some things done. As I walked, a motortaxi stops, and asks, “Madam, do you need a motortaxi?” I say, “Jaaa (Yes)”. I tell him, “Khnom dau Psar Toul Tom Pong (I’m going to Russian Market.). I hop on, and I am on my way to Psar Toul Tom Pong (the Russian Market). He starts talking to me in English, and I am surprised how well he speaks. I wonder why he is a motortaxi with such strong English skills. He tells me that he studied English Literature in College, but had to drop-out his last year using the money he borrowed for his education to help pay for his father-in-law’s medical bills. He has not been able to afford to go back, and motortaxies can earn decent money (about $5 per day) for Cambodian standards.
As we approach the Russian Market, I start pulling out my money. He asks if he can give me a ride to and from work. “I would like to practice my English,” he tells me. Many motortaxis strive for a steady clientele so this is common and preferred by many people who use motortaxis daily. I agree and we exchange numbers. I pay him the local price without haggling. He takes what I give him which is shocking since most motortaxies will try to charge foreigners up to four times the local price, and they haggle hard. He simply takes the money, smiles, and wishes me a good day. As he drive away he says, “Good-bye Teresa, I will see you tomorrow at 7:45am.” I say, “Jaaa, leeahi boong prah, Rong.” (Yes, good-bye brother, Rong.)
