Sizing up Phnom Penh - a year in the Khmerde part 4

So here's the thing. I'm holed up in a hotel in Phnom Penh and kind of torn about relocating here semi-permanently (for a year or two, before the next bout of itchy feet sets in). I've got a promising job application for an editing/copywriting job and in the meantime am trying to decide if I really want to pack up my worldly belongings small accumulation of clothes and books and start looking for an apartment in Siem Reap's bigger and smokier brother.

So far, there seem to be the following factors to take into account...

Pros:

+ More shops. I like Siem Reap, but all my clothes are from the Old Market or Lucky Mall. The Old Market is fine if you like your clothes with elephant-print in tissue-thin cotton that develops holes and stretches and has to be thrown away within a month or two. Lucky Mall is OK, but I need just a little more variety now, please. The existence of a flashy shopping mall (Aeon) and a few chain stores including Zara frankly excites me.

+ More job opportunities. Yep, more people means more students. Options for a writer/teacher/freelancer seem to be plentiful, salaries may vary.

+ More restaurants. Again, I like Siem Reap and it's got a lot of restaurants to suit any budget. Unfortunately a large swathe of them are tourist-oriented and offer overpriced food, lousy service and a soulless atmosphere. Which brings me to my next point:

+ Fewer tourists. Don't get me wrong, I like tourists. Bring them on, sweaty busloads of them. I like the type that converge in throngs of neon singlets with paint on their faces into bars that sell drinks by the bucket. I like the crusty tourists travellers dangled with wooden bracelets and bone pendants who vaguely brag about who hasn't washed their hair or worn shoes for longer. I even like the hipster ones in their retro sunglasses, showing off their tattoos of penny farthings and pocket watches and sweating under the heat of a full beard in the tropical sun. I like overhearing their loud conversations about who's done Laos and who's going to do Burma. I like every last precious one of them. I just need a break so I can continue to like them forever and ever without getting to the point where I want to tip them all into the sea.

Cons:

- Less dust, more smoke. Phnom Penh seems to have solved the dust problem of Cambodia by pouring a thick layer of concrete over everything. Result: an urban heatsink with a flooding problem and growing pollution levels. It's hotter, and there's a light haze of fumes over the city. (Although it's nowhere near the scale of Jakarta, Bangkok or Shanghai, I would imagine.)

- More traffic. I love driving my scratched-up Yamaha Fino around the sleepy streets of Siem Reap. Actually, the traffic in Siem Reap can get bad enough around rush hour, and I've only just worked up the nerve to drive on National Road 6. Phnom Penh is worse, with terrifying junctions where seven roads seem to converge with no traffic lights or road markings. Unless I've failed to grasp the subtleties of Cambodian road rules (which is highly probable), the only rule seems to be that the driver who doesn't give way is the one who has the right of way. Cycling would be out of the question (if I liked cycling, which I don't). Eh, well, so be it.

Reflection

That probably just about sums it up. Apparently I can see more pros than cons, so the decision may be made, depending on the job situation. On further reflection, I think Siem Reap in a way was my attempt to hide from the world, and it's a great place to do that. With its slightly provincial, insular feeling and slow pace of change, it's easy to forget that the outside world still exists. Phnom Penh certainly has more of a buzz and up-to-dateness, whilst also not being overwhelmingly large. I think I could just about get used to it.

Interlude - A year in the Khmerde part 3

For almost 2 years now I've been living and teaching in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and have recently come to the decision to take 3 months out and see what happens. Caution: a self-indulgent navel-gazing post will follow. So, what am I going to do?

Give the job a rest.

My teaching job, which I have loved, is getting repetitive. It also involves teaching every evening, which a priori I don't mind, but means I don't get to enjoy the early evening in Siem Reap, which is a lovely time.

Freelance it for a while.

I've got a blogging job that pays the rent. Other projects to investigate: translation, tuition, copywriting, publishing (another) Kindle book...

Try volunteering.

So many people come to Cambodia to volunteer that it feels a little selfish to work for money. On the lookout for volunteering opportunities! Much is said about the destructive effects of voluntourism, so I would like to find something constructive and valuable to do.

Write more.

Ideas are going through my head all the time, but it seems that teaching pre-intermediate English for extended periods of time tends to shrink my vocabulary. Mission: rediscover words. Put fingers to keyboard and let something into the world.

Relax.

Is a meditation retreat a ridiculous thing to do? Maybe it is, but the option is there. Also on the menu: massages, swimming, soaking up some UV rays. But you know what? I'm actually bored of yoga.

Exercise.

I've been running about twice since I've been here, filling the void with workout videos that achieve a lot of sweat but (probably) not much else. With the cool, dry season approaching and my Vibrams gathering dust, now's the time to fix that.

Go somewhere.

No, I don't know where, but I would like to visit pretty much every country in Asia. Problem: too much choice.

Study.

My Khmer needs to be improved more. I think that once more, teaching English has interfered with my ability to speak Khmer since my aim has been to stop my students speaking Khmer in the classroom and make them speak English. Now the tides can turn, and it'll be me making myself speak the foreign language. Other than that, I have vague notions of studying journalism and teaching myself more about Wordpress.

Relocate.

It should be said that a big reason for my position at the crossroads is that my partner and colleague is moving to Phnom Penh for work and study. I'm not completely convinced about living there, so I'm going to test the water first and see what happens. Relocating in a hurry sucks, so I'm going to take my time and do all of the above first!