how many days does one need to stay in a country before they can say they know it?
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how many days does one need to stay in a country before they can say they know it?
just realized what a silly question it is....but if you could put a time limit on it how long would you say , does it depend on country size, what exactly do you have to do to know a country?
You should have done a Jep and deleted your own post, like he does for half his posts before anybody notices them, thankfully.Fred Edwards wrote:just realized what a silly question it is.
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32 years in Thailand, cant claim to know it and still many places have not yet been to
stupid not silly question.
stupid not silly question.
"We are turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to Fear—fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, or suddenly getting locked up in a military detention camp on vague charges of being a Terrorist sympathizer." HST
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logos wrote:You should have done a Jep and deleted your own post, like he does for half his posts before anybody notices them, thankfully.Fred Edwards wrote:just realized what a silly question it is.
quite right the third man , anyway the other day I saw something very unusual in the market can you guess what it was( and don't think dungeon accessories ) ?
That's an easy one Freddie, the treasure map that set you off on a european tour in a hipster vanFred Edwards wrote:logos wrote:You should have done a Jep and deleted your own post, like he does for half his posts before anybody notices them, thankfully.Fred Edwards wrote:just realized what a silly question it is.
quite right the third man , anyway the other day I saw something very unusual in the market can you guess what it was( and don't think dungeon accessories ) ?
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Some people figure out stuff quickly. This country is difficult though, I've been here quite a few years and I'm not sure I know anything really.
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
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I think one of the most hazardous times a Westerner can be in a country like Cambodia is when they get to that point where they think they actually understand the place.Lucky Lucan wrote:Some people figure out stuff quickly. This country is difficult though, I've been here quite a few years and I'm not sure I know anything really.
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Every country is different.
For Cambodia you only truly get to know Khmer's when you employ them.
You learn a whole new facet of the country when you do business and deal with the government and officials.
Been here years, understand it really well but still learning.
For England for example a ride on the tube in London will tell you lots, especially in summer. The nation has an aversion to bathing, loves to queue, moans constantly (mostly about the weather) and is overall very polite. So about a week to understand that morbid country.
For Cambodia you only truly get to know Khmer's when you employ them.
You learn a whole new facet of the country when you do business and deal with the government and officials.
Been here years, understand it really well but still learning.
For England for example a ride on the tube in London will tell you lots, especially in summer. The nation has an aversion to bathing, loves to queue, moans constantly (mostly about the weather) and is overall very polite. So about a week to understand that morbid country.
Note to self: Must be nice to morons.
A person can know if they like a place in minutes/hours/days. "Know" is a big concept. Years
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Culture is so different to back home that every time you do something new you get another layer of partial understanding.LaudJohn wrote:Every country is different.
For Cambodia you only truly get to know Khmer's when you employ them.
You learn a whole new facet of the country when you do business and deal with the government and officials.
Been here years, understand it really well but still learning.
1. Speak the language
2. Employ a local
3. Live with a local
4. Date or get married to (I expect..)
Plus more...
With each one of those the curtain will be pulled back a bit. But culture is so complex no guest is likely to grasp it fully. For me, the more I know, the more I realise I don’t know.
If one doesn't speak the language fluently then one know nothing.
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[quote="Hann
I started learning the language as soon as I got here and I do think it helped jump-start my general understanding. Within four months or so I could have basic conversations and by now am for the most part fluent. Having a local partner of course is a big step in understanding the country and culture. Travelling around the country also helps a lot. Many expats are confined to the bubbles of either PP, Sihanoukville or smaller towns such as Kampot/Battambang. Going beyond those places without the language being a barrier gives you way more insight into the culture, thought process and people. That being said, I'm not ethnographer or historian, so a lot of things that happen I don't often analyze too deeply. Sometimes I'll ask people why they do X or Y, but more often than not I don't and just internalize it. I speak fluent Khmer, have been all over the country 10X over and in and out of relationships with Khmer girls of varying backgrounds, yet the place still puzzles me in many ways. Technically-spekaing, you can never leave your own cultural perspective/experiences behind, and as such, will always view a new place through a specific lens. Do I understand Cambodia? I kind of think I do, but five years ago I thought I knew Cambodia and now I realize I didn’t know much... The same can be said of 7 years ago etc. Basically for a culture and country as different as our own as Cambodia is, one never stops learning. Some just learn the basics way faster than others and then continually hone and adjust their understanding, while others are content to skim the surface for a variety of reasons.
Like maaaan, I've been here for 6 weeks, so I understand this place so well man. I know like, all the secret spots. I've "done" Cambodia.Hanno wrote:Overhearing the soap-dodgers: about 4 hours.
This. I'm always amazed at how dense some expats can be, often people who have been here ages. There's no set time frame to “know” a place. Besides, what does “know” mean? The history, culture, language, geography, social mores... All of the above?Lucky Lucan wrote:Some people figure out stuff quickly. This country is difficult though, I've been here quite a few years and I'm not sure I know anything really.
I started learning the language as soon as I got here and I do think it helped jump-start my general understanding. Within four months or so I could have basic conversations and by now am for the most part fluent. Having a local partner of course is a big step in understanding the country and culture. Travelling around the country also helps a lot. Many expats are confined to the bubbles of either PP, Sihanoukville or smaller towns such as Kampot/Battambang. Going beyond those places without the language being a barrier gives you way more insight into the culture, thought process and people. That being said, I'm not ethnographer or historian, so a lot of things that happen I don't often analyze too deeply. Sometimes I'll ask people why they do X or Y, but more often than not I don't and just internalize it. I speak fluent Khmer, have been all over the country 10X over and in and out of relationships with Khmer girls of varying backgrounds, yet the place still puzzles me in many ways. Technically-spekaing, you can never leave your own cultural perspective/experiences behind, and as such, will always view a new place through a specific lens. Do I understand Cambodia? I kind of think I do, but five years ago I thought I knew Cambodia and now I realize I didn’t know much... The same can be said of 7 years ago etc. Basically for a culture and country as different as our own as Cambodia is, one never stops learning. Some just learn the basics way faster than others and then continually hone and adjust their understanding, while others are content to skim the surface for a variety of reasons.
as long as the new owner of 440?
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