The Secret

Every once in a while people living in a foreign country get wind of expat secrets, legends first whispered in the back of sticky-floored bars. Usually they are nothing worth getting overjoyed, or even curious, about. Perhaps someone found a hip new bar or a lead on a new teaching job. Most of the time, the rumor's source is trying to act important, perhaps to earn a free beer or a little respect from peers.

I became privy to one such "secret" that seemed to be guarded more than most. This secret has to do with a certain place. (The name of this place is written in its native script at the top of this post. As you'll soon see, it was not a very secret "secret".

The telling began thus: One rather enigmatic teacher let slip that he was looking into a new school “somewhere else”.
“Where?”
“I can’t tell you. I’ll let you know if it works out.”
Further pressing simply led him to continue his silence and increase the magnitude of his self-important grin.

One night, lubricated by several tiger beers, he let me in on it, using a low voice ever though the music was too loud.
“Cambodia.”
“Cambodia?”
“Yeah.”
I thought of Cambodia as a backwater. Even though the border was nearby or current location in Ho Chi Minh City (Sai Gon to anyone who's there, save a hand full of overly P.C. white folks), I never thought of a visit. I had always split to Bangkok for visa runs, preferring a brief experience in a modern city (I'll admit to trysts with Starbucks, Burger King, and Pizza Hut, but that's another story) before heading back to Vietnam, which was, relative to BKK, itself a backwater.

The holder of the Cambodia secret went on to produce a flowering monologue about the reasonable salary for English teachers combined with the unspoiled, un-globalized vibe and the wild west feel of Phnom Penh. He went on to say that expats who had lucked into Cambodia didn’t want to spoil said vibe. Therefore, they were sworn to secrecy, compelled not to sing the praises of Kampuchea lest it cause an influx of tourists and job seekers who might ruin Southeast Asia's final frontier.

However, the visions of Cambodia’s violent recent history, and rumors of frequent gun play and anarchy was enough to make most expats wary of relocating. It is only recently that tourism has begun to pick up. It turns out that, though Cambodia is comparatively more dangerous than Thailand and Vietnam, it is not unreasonably so. As with most things, the media has grossly overplayed the violence.

Having since visited the country, I can say that there is a certain sense of idyll that is gained from walking through this land. However, I’ll say no more. I’ve sworn an oath not to. You can find out more about Cambodia from a quality blog run by Phnom Penh expats or from a foodie's perspective.
More of an academic. That's Ok too.