Cultural Commentary

Someone must have donated a large number of shirts with the "playboy" logo to this country. You see them on everyone, adults and children, and I think they must think it is a cute rabbit. They are interviewing new nurses to day to select staff for the most prestigious pediatric hospital in Cambodia and one of the applicants, a pretty young girl, is wearing a shirt with this logo. Sometimes context does not translate.
There is a much air pollution and water pollution which is a big problem for develping coutries. Most people drive motos or bicycles but there are a few Hummers and Mecedes. I have been told that the rich people are Cambodians who own hotels or else they are from somewhere else. Many people travel by pck up truck- they pack 16 people in the back of the truck to take them to town or wherever they are headed. They wear the traditional headscarves to protect themselves from the sun.
The Cambodians remove their shoes before enterng anyplace with a roof. We see endless sweeping and mopping in an effort to keep down the dust. We see people weaaring surgical masks everywhere but not for infection prevention but to avoid inhaling dust and dirt from the road. Some of the masks are cloth and home made and others are from the store or stalls.
I love going to the markets area and yesterday our guide told me the names of some of the fruits and vegetables that are unfamiliar to us. Since they have no power and therefore no refrigeration at home, they shop daily. Cambodians eat a rice porridge for breakfast and usually eat at the market. Early morning is there social time and since we now have hot weather now, I understand why they go out in the morning.
We are both a bit sad to miss inauguration day at home. We cannot feel the exciement from here, but have been watching CNN when we can and see how cold it is at home. We can only get snippets of the speeches and yearn for more. We plan to stay up tonight to see as much as we can live but the actual ceremony will start at 11pm here and we have to be at the hospital at 7:30 am. This is the one factor in our timehere we would want to change but it cannot be helped.