Category: Daily Life in Cambodia

Signs of Christmas

Being a Buddhist country and culture, there is very little Cambodian appreciation of Christmas in the religious sense, but as happens with so many Western holidays and celebrations, the commercial aspect comes into play. Few people could identify Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Jesus but those same people would buy red “Santa suits” to dress up their children. They become especially popular for “international” schools which have Christmas programs to prove they are international which is the label that attracts parents. Here are some photos of shops selling the Santa clothes.

Wearing the latest…

It’s interesting to see new styles and fashions and practices pop up in Cambodia and wonder if they are fads in other countries that are taking hold here, or if they are just homegrown trends becoming established.
It’s not unusual these days to see young children like the two above sporting these quirky caps with long ear pieces that are supposed to resemble animal paws

Cultural Differences

This is a trailer, pulled by a motorcycle, coming from one of the provinces with a load of furniture–a heavy wooden bed in the rear, a heavy, solid chair in the middle, and a heavy wooden sofa in the front.

In the US it would be unusual first of all because of the style of furniture which would not be to the taste of most Americans. Secondly, in the US no one would be selling furniture–whether it was a popular style or not–on the street like this.

Everybody works

For generations Cambodians have been small farmers, eking out enough to eat and a little to sell in order to buy what they can’t grow. And whenever there was an opportunity to sell something on the side to make a little extra income, they jumped at the chance. Nearly 60% of Cambodians now live in cities but the old ways came with them, and the family is always thinking of ways to supplement their income. This woman makes some sort of snack in her kitchen and sells it to passersby outside her front door.

Cold Weather

The “cold snap” here in Phnom Penh is continuing and the low temperature today was 64ºF, really frigid by Cambodian standards–and nippy even for the foreigners when taking a morning shower with no hot water.

There must be all sorts of clothing stored up in Phnom Penh, waiting for the opportune time to be sold. This morning as the cooler weather continued, this man stopped at a display of seldom-seen leather jackets
This phone vendor settled for a heavy jacket and a khrama wrapped around her head to ward off the cool breezes.