Barangs not being friendly?
- Busta_Rhodesian
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Barangs not being friendly?
Hey, I had a quick observation and wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this.
What is it with Barangs not being friendly? Living in Cambodia the past 4 months has conditioned me to constantly smile and say hello to random passersby, and whenever I do this to other felllow white people, I get a look of "What are you doing here?". It has gotten to the point where I just give other white people I see a "What are you doing here?" look back.
I have a theory that many of us think that we're special snowflakes for packing up and moving to good ol' Srok Khmer, and let's be honest here, we get more attention from the local population here because we're foreigners. Most people in our countries wouldn't bat an eye at us, so when we see another white person roll past us on a bike, we get jealous that they're moving in our own "unique" dream. "They're our Khmer people! Hey, that's my lady that I buy ice cream from out of her storefront! Hey, that's my food stall! Hey, that's my motodup driver!".
There just seems to be a huge amount of "hipster" cred that people seem to lavish upon themselves.
The other thing that caught me off guard is the complete lack of helpfulness from white people. I'm now accustomed to pulling over to the side of the street and asking for help from random people if I can't find a place or want to know where I can get something. I've done this with some white people in the deeper areas of the riverfront and I either get ignored, or when people do help they look extremely annoyed.
I would think that running into another American or Anglophone thousands upon thousands of miles away in a relatively obscure country would invoke instant camaraderie, but this hasn't seemed to be the case. I get a cold stare, and to be quite honest with you, I feel that I relate more to some of my neighbors that I can barely communicate with then some of these people. It makes me want to pack up and move to some province.
Get off your high horse, people.
What is it with Barangs not being friendly? Living in Cambodia the past 4 months has conditioned me to constantly smile and say hello to random passersby, and whenever I do this to other felllow white people, I get a look of "What are you doing here?". It has gotten to the point where I just give other white people I see a "What are you doing here?" look back.
I have a theory that many of us think that we're special snowflakes for packing up and moving to good ol' Srok Khmer, and let's be honest here, we get more attention from the local population here because we're foreigners. Most people in our countries wouldn't bat an eye at us, so when we see another white person roll past us on a bike, we get jealous that they're moving in our own "unique" dream. "They're our Khmer people! Hey, that's my lady that I buy ice cream from out of her storefront! Hey, that's my food stall! Hey, that's my motodup driver!".
There just seems to be a huge amount of "hipster" cred that people seem to lavish upon themselves.
The other thing that caught me off guard is the complete lack of helpfulness from white people. I'm now accustomed to pulling over to the side of the street and asking for help from random people if I can't find a place or want to know where I can get something. I've done this with some white people in the deeper areas of the riverfront and I either get ignored, or when people do help they look extremely annoyed.
I would think that running into another American or Anglophone thousands upon thousands of miles away in a relatively obscure country would invoke instant camaraderie, but this hasn't seemed to be the case. I get a cold stare, and to be quite honest with you, I feel that I relate more to some of my neighbors that I can barely communicate with then some of these people. It makes me want to pack up and move to some province.
Get off your high horse, people.
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If I see you I will smile back, though I'm not driving you to the airport till after the third date.
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Maybe we came here to escape bloody whiteys. Maybe we have 'David Livingstone' complexes : 'Hey, I discovered this country first - get your own!'.
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I think it's possible that some of the white people you say hello to might think you are saying hello to them only because you are both white, and that's politically incorrect, so they respond poorly.
Also, don't forget that white people move to Cambodia because they are criminal fugitives and/or have no social skills and want to avoid being part of a functioning society and want to get high on drugs all day long, so they're not great at routine interactions like saying hello back.
Also, don't forget that white people move to Cambodia because they are criminal fugitives and/or have no social skills and want to avoid being part of a functioning society and want to get high on drugs all day long, so they're not great at routine interactions like saying hello back.
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- FishHead Phil
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It's just South East Asia attracts sullen, died in the ass grumpy fuckers that have already laid waste to the joyful spirit of their own countries and communities. They've made every other cunt unhappy at home and long to cast their morbid, cynical, pessimistic, sad misery web further afield. There's a website for it where you get points for every smile you reward with a grimace, and every hello you ignore. grumpycuntsareus.com. If you visit the wbsite you'll see a lot of (sullen) familiar faces from K40.
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- RainMan
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FishHead Phil wrote:It's just South East Asia attracts sullen, died in the ass grumpy fuckers that have already laid waste to the joyful spirit of their own countries and communities. They've made every other cunt unhappy at home and long to cast their morbid, cynical, pessimistic, sad misery web further afield. There's a website for it where you get points for every smile you reward with a grimace, and every hello you ignore. grumpycuntsareus.com. If you visit the wbsite you'll see a lot of (sullen) familiar faces from K40.
Never mind.
- Lucky Lucan
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Where's the deeper end of the riverfront? All the way down past the palace? I find most foreign residents here are very friendly, tourists can be too but are often a bit defensive and over-wary.Busta_Rhodesian wrote:I've done this with some white people in the deeper areas of the riverfront and I either get ignored, or when people do help they look extremely annoyed.
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
- Busta_Rhodesian
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Probably. I'll admit that I've said many times that I prefer talking to Khmer's than I do my own countrymen. They just seem to care about things that actually matter-family, daily life, etcetera. In America, it's rare that I meet people who like to talk about things other than themselves. Khmer people are always interested in you and your family, and will remember everything about you down to the last minute detail. Maybe other Barang's have felt this way as well and don't want me moving in on their turf. It's even like this with people I work with that are Americans. Whenever I make friends with other Khmer people that my coworkers "knew first", I feel like they become competitive and will brag about how many Khmer weddings they got invited to, how many people they know on their street, how many bizarre yet charming experiences they've had, will start trying to correct my Khmer when I'm talking to Khmer people, and will intentionally not include me in large group events that happen between Khmer people and Americans, and I'm later asked by Khmer people "Why didn't you come?" etc. I find this ridiculous and don't understand the jealousy, and I don't even think most people are aware they do it. I think that most NGO/missionary/teachers/anybody that helps Cambodians get wrapped up in this bizarre Messiah complex and feel like they're not worth anything if someone is moving in on their people.andyinasia wrote:Maybe we came here to escape bloody whiteys. Maybe we have 'David Livingstone' complexes : 'Hey, I discovered this country first - get your own!'.
Then again, I always remind myself that I have the privilege in the first place of having the freedom to move to Cambodia to live a "simpler life". It's a total First World thing that is quite strange.
- Busta_Rhodesian
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Sorry, I meant in the neighborhoods behind the riverfront.Lucky Lucan wrote:Where's the deeper end of the riverfront? All the way down past the palace? I find most foreign residents here are very friendly, tourists can be too but are often a bit defensive and over-wary.Busta_Rhodesian wrote:I've done this with some white people in the deeper areas of the riverfront and I either get ignored, or when people do help they look extremely annoyed.
There's a bit of truth to what you are saying, I noticed it when I first got here. GM is probably right, it's not politically correct to single out a whitey, but the real reason they ignore you is because they don't know if you are a sexpat, a pedophile, an NGO volunteer, an NGO undercover agent, and NGO gentry, a Mormon, a missionary, a druggie fraudster, a tourist or a spiritual seeker delving into the deep mysteries of Khmer Buddhism. Whatever you might be, they are probably from the opposite side of the spectrum and they are scared that what ever you are (or have) might be contagious.
EDIT. Oops. Forgot property investors, bankers, insurance salesmen, drug dealers, arms dealers, regular fraudsters and English teachers.
EDIT. Oops. Forgot property investors, bankers, insurance salesmen, drug dealers, arms dealers, regular fraudsters and English teachers.
Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it... well, he gets it. I don't like it any more than you men.
- Lucky Lucan
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Are you under some illusion that the riverfront is the most important place in the city and that the rest of the city just stretches a few blocks from there? That's tourist central, like the Times Square or Piccadilly Circus of Phnom Penh.Sorry, I meant in the neighborhoods behind the riverfront.
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Maybe other Barangs who have been here a while have things to get on with and are actually busy? I'm always welcoming to any new face, but don't expect everyone to really care, they might just have other things on their minds? Maybe if you were a hot-looking chick and not a whingeing lad you'd get more attention .
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
My experiences were more based around mundane situations like supermarket lines. I'll always nod and smile at people in line before me, or when I need to give way to some one with a shopping cart etc. Khmers were always pretty polite and would smile back, but those crazy Romans would always look away awkwardly.
Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it... well, he gets it. I don't like it any more than you men.
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Honestly, we Barangs are a bit more difficult to deal with, we often have hang ups, individual likes and dislikes, and might not be as nice and welcoming as the local Khmer.
It's a phase, as I understand, and it's Cambodia. It's hard to trust a great deal of people out here, they leave, do drugs, are alcoholics or on the other spectrum are quite odd over-educated, have no female social skills, or are just plain lazy.
I like quirky weird people, though, but there are a few bad apples out here...but not as many as Thailand.
It's a phase, as I understand, and it's Cambodia. It's hard to trust a great deal of people out here, they leave, do drugs, are alcoholics or on the other spectrum are quite odd over-educated, have no female social skills, or are just plain lazy.
I like quirky weird people, though, but there are a few bad apples out here...but not as many as Thailand.
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