Week 3-Discovering logic

I was told at the start of my research that I would learn the most just from observing. I was skeptical at first but not I am a believer. My observation notes far surpass any notes from my interviews. I find Cambodian "logic" very...interesting. The old me would say "illogical" but I am developing my inner anthropologist and that is not the correct thing to say. I am merely a stranger in a strange land observing how people think and construct their own reality.

1. No one walks anywhere. I am constantly hounded by moto-dops to take me 50m down the road. I have learned that walking is a sign of poverty and I walk everywhere. This confuses most locals b/c they see Americans as rich and therefore willing to pay to have someone take you across the road.

2.Porn is King! All the men watch it like they are watching the news. Case in point: I am at the Internet cafe last night and the web was slower than usual (i.e. 8 min to load up hotmail vs the regular 5 min). I ask the guy what is going on. He says "it is video time" I am like, "do you realize that streaming video slows down the web" he looks at me like I have 2 heads and replies "I will tell them to watch their videos on the small screen" Sure enough 15 guys minimize their streaming porn from full screen to half screen, like this is going to speed things up. It seems that between the hours of 8-9pm it is prime Internet porn watching.

3. Women are the cooks in a Khmer family yet I have not met one woman chef at a hotel or restaurant.

4. Children are free to leave the classroom whenever they want. When I ask about this people say "they must be bored and want to watch t.v." This does not seem to bother anyone. The school yard is often full of kids doing nothing while the teacher is inside teaching.

5. The Pill makes you gain weight? Many women in Cambodia fear taking the pill b/c it makes them lose weight. My question is "what birth control pill are you taking, b/c I want some of that" Being skinny is also a sign of poverty and nobody wants to do anything that might make them lose weight. This is totally unfounded but a much believed urban legend. Better to be fat and pregnant, than to be skinny and childless.