Day Off

Last time we tried to take a day off Isaac got violently ill before we even made a real start of it, so we've tried again. We took the Mekong Express Limosine Bus to Sihanouk Ville on the southwest coast. It was a fairly comfortable four-hour ride in "aircon" (air-conditioning). We were served a cool bottle of water & a flat bun, & were able to watch "K-TV" (karioke TV) on a small television which hung over the driver's head.

Two long-legged foreigners on holiday were dissastisfied with their assigned seats in front of us because of lack of room, so moved to the back seat (a bench seat right behind us). The stewardess tried to coax them back into their seats because the rear is her assigned seat, where she stores her bag & her only work space. Unfortunately for her, the Asian culture would not permit her to do as you or I would simply saying, "Sit in your seat or sit in the street." No, no, she was much kinder in her efforts to persuade, but did go so far as to say, "I must sit here for my job." I'm not sure if the foreigners were actually trying to be compromising or just sassy when they offered her a seat between them because half of my attention was toward keeping Isaac from tossing them out the window (He understands the culture & cannot stand a bully in any country). The culture here also prohibits the stewardess from sharing a seat with men as it would be a sign of permiscuousness. She resigned herself to stand for the duration. To help the woman out Isaac moved forward a seat & I told the stewardess she could sit next to me. She was visibly relieved & very appreciative.

The stewardess, Leang, was quite talkative, so once she served the bread & water we enjoyed pleasant conversation. She told me that she is from China, her family moved to Cambodia to work in the province-that is, to work in rice paddies outside of town. Her parents arranged for her to stay with an aunt in Phnom Penh so she could secure a job beyond rice work. She was not allowed to go to school because she is Chinese, but learned khmer & english from her relatives. She makes $18 a month working 15 hours a day with one day off every fourteen to twenty-one days. She gives some to her aunt & some to her parents. You can understand better what Leang's earning by considering that a studio apartment rents for $30 per month (electricity is included but there are no appliances). You can also understand why she was distraught at having last month's pay cut by $3. She received the cut because a costumer complained.

Part of Leang's duty is to make an offering & pray at a buddhist shrine about halfway through the trip. She offered a large bunch of bananas & incense sticks at the roadside shrine praying we would have safe travel & that all passengers would have prosperity. She was very tired, but regularly got up & made light conversation with other passengers, which is also part of her job. In addition, at regular intervals she went to the front of the bus to make announcements in khmer, english & chinese. Announcements such as, "Mekong Express Limosine Bus Service is very sorry & much regret to say water is full, so passengers may wait until Sihanouk Ville to use water closet. So very sorry for inconvenience." (translation: The bucket is full, you'll have to hold it.) Once passengers disembark, it is up to Leang to clean the interior of the bus & prepare it for the next trip.

Leang's greatest concern is that she is not yet married & truly has no time for prospects because of her long work hours. Marrying age here is between 16 & 20 years-old. Those who are not married by their mid-twenties rarely find a mate because they are past child bearing age. Remember, the average life expectantcy is mid-50's, so this thinking isn't really out of line. Because she is Chinese she has no chance of being promoted in her job (eg. working at the ticket desk) & her current position is for "young" women only.

Despite her concerns, Leang considers herself very fortunate. She has a home, a job & food (rice & bits of meat wrapped in leaves...I think it's meat anyway. She offered me a bite, but I wasn't brave enough to accept. Besides, it's customary here to refuse food offered understanding that it's an extravagant gift).

As a gesture of friendship Leang offered me all she could: a bite of her rice roll & two extra moist wipes. I accepted the wipes with much bowing & thanks, a short embrace & a little blessing as we stepped off the bus into a mass of ambitious tuk-tuk & moto drivers pulling at our arms for business. I hope my report to Mekong Express about the wonderful stewardess we enjoyed will bring her salary back up to $18 this month.