Pronouns. USE THEM!

            I hate going to the market. It’s cramped and muddy and stinky, but really the main reason why is because of the unwanted attention. EVERYONE stares at you and talks about you like you can’t hear them. And it’s not even because they don’t know me. They do! I’ve been in this village for over 8 months now. I know that I am often in the forefront of the market gossips. But when I show my face in the market, it’s like no one ever saw that coming.

            I’m digressing before I even really start my story.

            I had to go to the market to buy a broom for the new library. So I parked my bike, and started walking down the side of the market looking for a likely stall to have a broom, and trying to ignore all the people saying “look! Look over there! Look who it is! Where is she going? Does she speak Khmer? Watch what happens when I say this… HELLO I LOVE YOU.. hahaha, etc”

            I finally arrived at a likely stall and walked in

            “I want to buy a broom.” I said with a smile. She pointed to a stack of brooms in the corner. “How much?”

            “Different brooms different prices,” she replied. So I walked over and grabbed the cheapest looking broom, brought it back, and asked “this how much?”

            “2,500”

            At this point, a woman who was likely the sellers mother came outside to watch the foreigner make a purchase.

            The seller looked at her mother and said “works at school. don’t take money.”

            “Don’t take money?” she questioned.

            “Don’t take money” the seller repeated.

            I looked back and forth between them, and checked my understanding by asking “don’t take money?”

            The seller repeated for the third time “don’t take money.”

            I smiled enormously for their generosity and started putting my wallet down, thanking them for their generosity.

            “Work at school?” the older woman asked.

            “Work at school.” I affirmed.
            “Don’t take money.”

            “Thank you aunt so much! I will use this broom for the new library at the school!” I started walking out and the shopkeeper looked at me like I had 3 heads. She firmly stated “2,500!” and she put out her hand.

            And that’s when I realized that they were talking about how I don’t take money from the students. The statement had nothing to do with the purchase at hand.

            So yeah, I looked like a fool back there, but this (and countless other similar confusing conversations) could have all been avoided if we just added some pronouns. You know, an I  here and a she there never hurt anyone.

Now, for a complete mood shift. These are pictures from the Killing Fields in Battambang. They have done a beautiful memorial here. Inside the temple are the bones and the skulls all stacked up. All around the temple are stone reliefs depicting the types of things that happened during the Khmer Rouge Regime. The reliefs are really well done and are extremely descriptive, using little to no words.