As I’ve mentioned, during the first few weeks of the project, most of my days were in the field. Our project sites are about 1.5-2 hours from RDI so that is a lot of van time. Sometimes it is nice to have this time to take in Cambodia, but with the quality of the roads and the duration of the trips, it can get pretty uncomfortable. So, not unlike what many of us would do, I put my foot up on the dashboard as a change of riding position. In the van I promise doing this is not as obvious as it would be in a car. Despite the fact that I had been riding like this for days, one particular day my staff started to laugh about it. I asked them why they thought it was so funny, and they responded that, it was okay for me to sit like that because I am not from Cambodia, but that Cambodian women do not sit like that unless they are gangsters! I bet you didn’t know I lead a secret life as a gangsta.

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So I had been told and would claim to know that American and Cambodian cultures are so completely different, so I shouldn’t assume that I know much of anything. But as much as I know/knew that, it’s hard to remember it all the time, especially when it comes to really basic things. So my classic example of this is gesturing for someone to come towards you. We would do this with our palm facing upward, opening and closing our hand, or maybe doing a sort of side wave. Well, here…that’s what you do to call a dog over to you. And that’s what I would so nicely do to my staff. Sweet. Instead, your palm should be facing down…now I know.

I remember sitting in a sociology class last semester as my friend, Kate, did a guest lecture on culture. She did an amazing job…mixing facts and stories with ease. She also gave examples of how gestures mean different things in different places! Of course now I remember that!