Things about the cold...

There are some things about the cold that I had forgotten.

I remembered how good hot coffee tastes but had forgotten the pleasure of hot chocolate (or better still, hot chili chocolate).
I remembered the way that steam from the shower fills the bathroom. I had forgotten the trick of grabbing the towel afterwards, flicking the door closed again and drying off inside the warm shower cubicle.
I remembered the feeling of cold air hitting the back of my throat when I go for a run. I forgot the cold that slaps the thighs through jogging pants.
I remembered scarves, gloves, hats and goggles. I forgot about wind-burn and ice on nose, chin and cheeks.
I remembered closed shoes work better than flip-flops in winter. I had no idea that if snowboarding boots are left in the car overnight they can freeze. (And dang it is painful trying to put them on the next morning!)
I forgot that there was a need for things like snow chains.

Minus eight up a mountain is a rare experience for me. This past week I enjoyed the icy details. But the real reason for putting my body through it was as follows:

Something Polite

Today morning I walked into a small, warm shop-space in Queenstown, New Zealand. I wanted to use the internet because the sign in the window advertised a decent rate. But something happened when I approached the well-groomed shop assistant in her late 40's. I couldn't remember why I had walked into the store. By brain was searching for something to say and it prompted me with the thought, "just say something polite." So before I had a chance to even think about it the words, "thank you" came out of my mouth.

I tried to correct myself by saying out aloud, "Oh no, that's not right....umm...how about 'hello?'...yeah...ummm...hello I would like to use the internet." I felt slightly foolish at not being able to remember the polite thing to say when all I had to say was hello. Anyway... I hoped she would think I was just a little odd rather than off-the-wall crazy.

But then tonight as I was drinking a hot chocolate I thought maybe we just need to expand our polite English language vocab to include more variety when it comes to greetings? Let me ask you- for people like me who can't remember "hello" are there any other alternatives that might work when approaching strangers in the street?

Quick Quiz

One question: What would you rather be doing this week?

a) working
b) snowboarding in New Zealand.

Yeah- thought so. Talk to you in a few days..............

Growing Participation

In my pre-departure training before coming to Cambodia I read an article that helped me to think about learning a language less as "study" and more as becoming a GP or "Growing Participant" in the host culture.

Yesteray I was on a bus heading out of Phnom Penh. I enjoyed participating in the journey through:

- Laughing at some of the jokes when the Khmer comedy DVD was playing.
- Ordering food I know and like at a local roadside stall.
- Talking with the guy seated next to me.
- Accepting his offer to share a bag of fried bugs he bought when we stopped.

There were a few tourists who took photos at every opportunity. I thought- "These guys are snapping pikkies but I get to live this." Cool!

Falling Again

I came off my moto again last night. It was just before dark with the usual rainy-season cloud and 6:45pm traffic. The hundred or so voices in the crowd that quickly gathered seemed to be saying that as I was making a left turn the dark grey car was turning right from the opposite direction. We didn't see each other and ended up fighting over the same bit of road. The car won. The car always wins.

In previous stacks I've had a tiny bit of time to prepare but this time we just smacked. I didn't see it coming. I didn't fall well. In fact I face-planted. If there is any lesson to be learned from face-planting it is to wear a full-face helmet.

Today my nose is swollen, my face is swollen and I'm taking pills for a slight headache. My teeth split both my bottom and top lips. But this should quickly heal.

Before I left home to run some errands late this morning I wondered if people would notice my injuries. If I saw me on the street I'd suspect that my hubbie may have thrown some punches at me last night...but it seems that Cambodians think that foreigners have massive noses anyway so it wasn't too much of a drama.

I received a couple of sympathetic text messages from my Cambodian colleagues when I told them why I couldn't come into work this morning:

God be with you forever. God bless u.
God please heal you.

A close friend offered this advice: Paint em [lips?] red and it'll look like botox.

Another Khmer mate dropped in to see how I was doing at lunchtime and said with a smile: It is a good thing you have a long nose...otherwise you would have broken your teeth.

Maybe it is time for a holiday?