The Secret

Every once in a while people living in foreign country get wind of expat secrets, little rumors that are first whispered in the back of sticky-floored bars. Usually they are nothing worth getting excited about. Perhaps someone is whispering that they've found a cool new bar or a lead on a new teaching job. Most of the time, it’s people trying to act important by shelling out the Bull Shite, “pissing in one another’s pockets,” as an Australian friend of mine liked to say.

I became privy to one such secret that seemed to be guarded more than most. Said secret was whispered about in the back several Sai Gon bars (Ok, Ho Chi Minh City for you who have never been there for more than two weeks but insist on correctness without giving any regard to the locals, most of whom call it Sai Gon).
A rather enigmatic teacher, I'll call him Joe (for that was his name) would 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. I'm not supposed to tell. That's the agreement.” And that was that.

Well, it didn’t work out for him because he stayed on at the school for another year. One night, for the price of several large Tiger Beers, he let me in on it, using a hushed voice ever though the music was too loud.
“Cambodia.”
“Cambodia?”
“Yeah.”
I thought of Cambodia as a backwater. Even though the border was nearby, I'd never thought of a visit. I always split to Bangkok for visa runs.
This guy went on to produce a flowering monologue about the reasonable salary expected by English teachers combined with the unspoiled, un-globalized vibe and the wild west feel on the streets. He went on to say that expats who had lucked into Cambodia didn’t want to spoil said vibe and feel. Therefore, they were sworn to secrecy, compelled not to sing the praises of Kampuchea.

However, with visions of Cambodia’s violent recent history, and rumors of frequent gun play and anarchy was enough o make most expats wary of relocating even if they had been privy to my Joe's epic account of all that was good about Cambodia.

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 swore an oath not to.