by seidier » Thu Jan 12, 2017 8:25 pm
I've often noticed that whenever a Cambodian invites me to join something - even in the near-future - they tend to tell me the date of the event rather than the day of the week. Whereas I'd say, "It's on Thursday" they'd typically say, "It's on the 23rd" even if the 23rd is the day-after-tomorrow.
This usually results in conversations that sound like,
"Can you join on the 29. March?"
"29th, um..that's really soon, right? What day is that?"
"Monday."
"Oh, well, no, sorry, I have to work."
Whereas if I were inviting someone to something the next Monday, I'd be like, "Can you come to x on Monday?" or in the more distant future: "Can you come to x? It's on a Monday" or more formally, "It's on Monday, 12. July."
I was wondering if it had something to do with being raised in a culture where routines were the norm; most people usually work Monday-Friday and have weekends off so there's this shared expectation that things need to be planned around certain days and working hours but Cambodia doesn't really have - or hadn't, until recently - established days of rest, at least for the majority working population. Perhaps when every day is exactly like the next it's easier to plan by the date than the day?
Or am I alone in this observation?
I've often noticed that whenever a Cambodian invites me to join something - even in the near-future - they tend to tell me the date of the event rather than the day of the week. Whereas I'd say, "It's on Thursday" they'd typically say, "It's on the 23rd" even if the 23rd is the day-after-tomorrow.
This usually results in conversations that sound like,
"Can you join on the 29. March?"
"29th, um..that's really soon, right? What day is that?"
"Monday."
"Oh, well, no, sorry, I have to work."
Whereas if I were inviting someone to something the next Monday, I'd be like, "Can you come to x on Monday?" or in the more distant future: "Can you come to x? It's on a Monday" or more formally, "It's on Monday, 12. July."
I was wondering if it had something to do with being raised in a culture where routines were the norm; most people usually work Monday-Friday and have weekends off so there's this shared expectation that things need to be planned around certain days and working hours but Cambodia doesn't really have - or hadn't, until recently - established days of rest, at least for the majority working population. Perhaps when every day is exactly like the next it's easier to plan by the date than the day?
Or am I alone in this observation?