what i’ve learned in peace corps cambodia [pt. 4]

“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”

- Lao Tzu

how to wait, how to be patient, and how to patiently wait.

Compared to American society, Cambodia can, at times, seem to creep along at a snail’s pace. Several hours after lunch are devoted to taking naps and staying out of the hot sun. Construction projects can take years. (The Mekong Bridge projected to take 5 years is now rumored to be delayed by a year or two because the Japanese contractors are dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake and tusnami. Along with this, there is a 15 km stretch of highway near my home that has been under construction since I’ve been in Cambodia, over a year and a half.) Most farming is still done by hand, without using tractors or threshing machines. Restaurants here can also be lessons in patience. Dishes are usually brought out one by one, not all at once, so the last person of a group may sometimes still be waiting for their food when others have already finished. And sometimes, the server will come back 20 or 30 minutes later to say “we didn’t make your order because we don’t have chicken today.” It’s very rare to hear Cambodians complain about any of these things. It’s just the way life is. And when looked at in relation to some of these things, a two year service in Cambodia doesn’t seem that long at all, although it can be a bit daunting at the beginning.

Whether or not I was an incredibly patient person in the first 20 something years of my life, I feel that Cambodia has given me the ability to be noticeably more patient than I used to be. Whether it’s in the form of waiting in a hot taxi for two hours while the driver tries to recruit more passengers for the still-upcoming 4 or 5 hour ride ahead, hungrily waiting for a mixed-up dinner order, or sitting at school at seven o’clock (when school is supposed to begin) alone and watching the rest of the students and teachers arrive in the next 45 minutes.

So i’ve learned to wait. And to be patient. And overall, I have learned that there’s usually no need to be in a hurry. Things will happen when they happen.