A few years ago I was at the market in Phnom Penh with my two friends. They were our tall fair-complexioned male volunteers, one Dutch and the other French. Strangely some people accosted us and got interested talking to my two friends (whose first language was not English). And the Cambodian fellow said to them: "Oh you are Europeans, you MUST be very good in English. Would you like to teach in our English school?" My friends politely refused and told him that English is not usually spoken in their respective countries. No wonder many foreigners teach English here even without proper credentials.
Sometimes there are some Cambodians who see white-colored foreigners as rich (regardless of the reality). So if there's a gimmick or friendly gathering, the foreigners usually pay for the "poor" Cambodians.
This week I got my paradigm shift. Three days back, one Cambodian classmate of mine from our MBA class called me up by phone and we had a nice chat (in English). He didn't mind the cost.
The following day, another Cambodian classmate of mine visited me here in Sihanoukville (he had some business along the way). Then he treated me out for lunch and dinner in a good seafood restaurant. All for frienship's sake.
And oh, I remember, a month ago, I invited one of my classmates from UNICEF to give a one-day seminar to our teachers, and he didn't ask for even an honorarium. There are many Khmers that I know who are really great friends. They must be color blind!
I know YOU often sing that song: "Jesus loves the little children, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight." It's consoling to know that many of these children are color blind too (won't distinguish between race). And oh, yes, and so is love!
