11 ways I know I’m integrating into Cambodian society successfully:
1. I prefer using the booty blaster* over toilet paper and contemplate installing one in my bathroom when I return to the states.
2. I have started asking people how much they paid for things on a daily basis.
3. I started wearing surgical mask. They have become an accessory to my wardrobe like most of the Khmer men and women in Chhouk.
4. Seeing naked breasts on a daily basis (grandma’s or breast feeding women, or mentally ill person in town) no longer strikes me as odd.
5. I mean mug other foreigners I see and wonder to myself, “what in the hell are they doing here?”
6. I automatically jump to conclusions (she’s a prostitute-FOR SURE) when I see a woman showing her knees and shoulders.
7. I’m invited to eat rice, teach a one-on-one English class, go to a farm or complete a letter of recommendation for/with someone everyday.
8. I’ve have lost 10 lbs…probably due to an unknown parasite which will be discovered a year from now at the annual physical.
9. I keep small-medium spiders around the house because they kill the other bugs (this would never happen in the states).
10. Sweating through three sets of clothing a day seems normal.
11. I'm starting to feel guilty for not doing Jake's laundry (this would never happen in the states).
*A booty blaster is a kitchen sink sprayer which is attached to some toilets in Cambodia (found mostly in hotel bathrooms, nicer restaurants and nice houses). It is used in replacement of toilet paper. A good booty blaster ensures you do not need to use your hand.
