Warning

Over the weekend I went into a department store in Thailand on a mission to buy some mud coloured pants. (Not chocolate brown, not beige, not tan...) I decided it is essential to have at least one pair of pants that blends with the mid-brown around town. Even when I was shopping for my mud-coloured clothing, I wondered, 'Is this a sign that I've been in Cambodia too long?"

Other warning signs that you have been in Cambodia too long might include:

You wear flip-flops every day, everywhere.
In the wet season you wear your pants rolled up to your knees.
In the hot season you wear a long-sleeved shirt over your t-shirt for extra sun protection.

It's okay to eat rice every day for breakfast. Then lunch. And dinner.
Your top three ice cream flavours are taro, corn and green tea.
You're fine eating with a spoon and fork or chopsticks.... but trying to use a knife and fork you feel something between awkward and inept.

You pay for everything in cash (in one of three currencies if you live in Poipet).
You spend ten minutes bargaining over the price of something silly, partly because you're enjoying the convo.
You feel generous when you give a trip that equates to fifty cents.

You sometimes forget words in English.
You think you speak Khmer fluently.
You are actually pretty fluent in NGO-speak.