Cambodia is for Criminals...and sexual deviants

Cambodia hosts an alarmingly high percentage of the world’s creepy white male population over the age of 45. I have no statistical data to substantiate this claim but, I firmly believe it to be true! Whether it’s the allure of rampant Prostitution, the accessibility of illicit drugs or the white sand beaches is anyone’s guess. But, I’d probably go with the first two rather than the latter. Creepy old men aside Cambodia is a fantastic, culturally rich country.
If you keep a low profile in Cambodia you can do pretty much whatever you please, if you keep a relatively low profile and have bucket loads of money you quite literally can do anything and everything you want. Lawlessness has its ups and its downs and you really have to be a certain kind of person to appreciate the ups more than the downs.
Lawlessness can be problematic as far as corruption and ethics are concerned but, from a libertarian perspective it really has its perks. There exists nothing in this country that money can not buy, freedom, sex, drugs and sadly for a staggeringly low 960 US dollars you can have a human life. The going rate for murder pay offs varies on whether you kill a Khemer or foreigner but generally it sits around the single “K” range.
I am of the belief that Churchill was really on to something when he said the government that governs best, governs least but after a couple weeks in the far south of Cambodia I am fostering a new appreciation for law enforcement and regulation. Human rights violations are frequent, flagrant and given little regard.
I don’t believe all of Cambodia exists in the same way. The rural countryside which remains largely untouched by the aforementioned white male population will likely restore a little faith in humanity. Mostly an agricultural area where scantly clad children can be seen running behind mud caked cattle.
With an economy fueled by foreign aid and tourism Cambodia seems to be on a similar trajectory as neighboring countries Vietnam and Thailand. It is my hope that Cambodia can learn from the mistakes of its predecessors. But, with Cambodia complete lack of infrastructure I won’t hold my breath.

Sticking it Out

When I first came to South Korea I had no idea what I was getting myself into, which is usually how I like to go about things. This time the job I thought I would be working turned into the job I would be living. I work for a corporation for an average of 11 hours a day. The most accurate description I can offer is corporate slave, I won’t say corporate whore because I have yet to seriously compromise myself for The Man. I thought I would be working for a school; a fair assumption considering the company I work for is called Korea Poly School. But no, no the sparkly ties and shinny suits that run this institution are not truly interested in the education of children. They are a well-oiled money making machine, educating children just so happens to be their fuel. Making as much profit as possible is their only real business. The private English education system here is pretty much all the same. They capitalize on over privileged Korean children trying to learn English or better yet their mother’s desire for them to learn English. The name of this Korean phenomenon is a Hogwon. I am beginning to learn as I get older (note: this is the wisdom of a 23 year old) the unapologetic pursuit of capital is not unique to my company or any company really. It’s the same in any corporation anywhere in the world. It’s no different in Seoul than in London or even Sao Palo. Like the smoke filled cigar rooms of the past cigarette breaks in the stairwells of South Korea are where the “magic” happens. Climbing the corporate stairwell. The good old boys networks never disappear they just change faces as societies evolve and crumble. East Asia is making economic power moves. South Korea is getting a piece of that pie if it kills them and with the suicide rate what it is, it just might. I wanted a cultural experience and I got one. It’s just no the one I expected. This is not the Thailand of summers past. This is raw but at least it’s real. 

Tis the Season for Tinsel

Christmas time in Korea is a lot like Christmas time in the United States minus the small sense of sincerity Americans manage to muster. If you are troubled by the idea Americans have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas then you would be even further concerned by Koreans, who by and large never cared to know it in the first place. The Santa Clause we know is jolly and generous and Christmas may conjure visions of family dinners spent by the fireplace and cookies baked with love by mom. But let’s be honest with ourselves Santa Clause and his notions of generocity may as well just take a back seat to Adam Smith and his notions of capitalism and competitive consumer tendencies.  Christmas in Korea is a chance to buy, sell and market to the masses, anything and everything is for sale.

I am really grasping for cultural sensitivity but the tinsel is tacki, the lights are way over the top and the authenticity of Christmas is non existant. I understand there exist cultural and sociological explanation for the buchery of this once beloved family holiday. I don’t doubt the Irish feel the same way about St. Patrick’s day but, I can’t help but be mildly offended by the whole situation. Either way I enjoyed the holiday season, bought in and sold out. Sent all the gifts to friends and family around the world and hoped a plane to Cambodia on Christmas day. So expect some masterfully marketed Korean merchandise to be arriving at your respective homes in the coming weeks. Much love to you all and I wish you a delightful holiday season.

My adventures in Cambodia will be written upon my return.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's better this way...

There are no street names in South Korea. Which strikes me as problematic but, I figure this many million people can’t be wrong. Instead of meeting someone on the corner of SW 7th and Pine you meet them by the Jeonga metro station, outside the GS2, next to the barbeque restaurant (not the pork one but, the beef one). It works out fine enough in confined neighborhoods but, find yourself in the greater region of Seoul and consider yourself cordially invited to the jungle, the concrete variety. When trying to express to a cab driver you desired destination you have a decidedly more difficult situation. I’ll think I have the pronunciation down. Having practiced with someone at least 3 dozen times over, getting each sound and syllable just right and repeating it inappropriately large number of times. When it finally comes time to perform I choke, I either forget a letter or I think I’ve got it and the cab driver just stares at me. This happens a lot, getting starred at that is so, it never really phases me. I stopped trying to talk to cab drivers about a month ago. Now I just take the subway and buses, it’s better this way.