Comme dans las films

I'm back in Phnom Penh after a week leading a youth program for a small group of international high school aged students down at the beach.

One of the great things about spending a week with a truly international group is that the people they bring along as their guests are likely to be interesting characters too. One such guest at the camp last week was the cousin of two of the teenagers. The father of these teens is a Canadian who grew up in Cambodia and Thailand, while their mother is a Cambodian who grew up in France. Their cousin is French but his parents are both Cambodians. So...we have a Cambodian looking, French speaking cousin who speaks just a little English and no Khmer.

Despite the limited communication, it was fun having our French-Cambodian guest! His catchphrase to sum up everything that happened during the week was, "Comme dans las films." I'm told this means, "Just like in the movies."

Let me give you a few examples-

Youth leader plans a soccer match for the first morning. Monsoon rains flood the playing area. The group plays anyway- slipping, sliding and falling over as the skies open over them. Nevermind. Comme dans las films.

Youth leader plans a boat trip to an island off the south coast of Cambodia. A storm kicks up the biggest waves she has ever seen in this country. Students begin hurling the contents of their breakfast left, right and front. Comme dans las films.

Fourteen-year-old French-Cambodian goes swimming in the biggest surf he has ever seen in his life. He gets stuck in a rip and is floundering in whitewash while the sets just keep pounding him. He manages to stay afloat but swallows several mouthfuls of seawater before the English speaking Australian chick catches a wave in and helps him out- pulling one arm and giving instructions in a language he can only kinda understand. Comme dans las films.

Youth leader tries to make up for previous unplanned circumstances/ minor disasters by planning an awesome final night dinner. She finds a place with pizza, pasta and salad that also features two pool tables, a table tennis table and a large flat-screen TV playing cable sports. Perfect. Half an hour before their arrival, the power goes off. The group tries a few shots at the pool table by the light of a couple of candles stuffed into empty beer cans but it really is impossible to play. They sit down to eat but now the rain has begun again in earnest. The roof leaks. Tables are moved to avoid the indoor shower but some still get splashed. They eat quickly (using the light of a single torch) and pile into the 4WD before 7:30pm to head back to the conference centre. Comme dans las films.