On the streets where we live

 Anecdotes of life in Phnom Penh  

Recently we headed off to the Electricity Office to pay a bill we had discovered quite by accident in a plastic bottle zip tied to a screen door downstairs- a place bills have never been before. It had our address on it so away we went, even though we were quite sure we did not owe anything. Once we arrived, we went from window to window and upstairs and back down but accomplished our mission. This is the price you pay for not speaking the local language and we didn’t mind at all. By the time we were told that it was someone else’s bill we were about to pay, Ian had already established that, but we thought we knew whose, so instantly decided that when the grand total of both bills was only a few dollars and that day was the expiry date, we’d just pay it anyway. Why our address and someone else’s name is on the bill is a mystery we are yet to solve but no harm done and good karma has a way of coming back to you too. 

Whilst heading to our next errand I decided to help myself to the flowers among the cuttings of the tropical plants in a plaza area nearby, mad old woman that I am. The worker, who had been piling them up, was delighted and came over with her knife to help me cut them to a shorter length. I thanked her and she smiled back. Even after clearing garden beds in the heat she was happy to assist and glad I wanted them. No words were spoken but it made my day. There’s that karma bouncing back I thought. 

One evening a couple of weeks ago in what I refer to as the pub, I watched as the always bubbly and accomodating waitress silently slid from beaming confidence to surprise and denial and finally into deflated. A customer had confronted her because he apparently had misinterpreted what she had said in response to a question from him. It really threw her. I have admired this gal often. She is sassy and engaging and attentive too. She shares friendly banter with older men, who drink alone, laughs loudly with local women who engage with her as a break from conversing in English with the expat partners they accompany and generally tries to make people feel at ease as well. Eventually, I had an opportunity to chat with her and see her smile return. No one likes a confrontation Khmer less than anyone. 

Speak out sisters - we are all in this together.