Day 15: Some People Are A-holes and I Have the Proof

I was sitting at school today, waiting for class to begin. It was my evening class, and I was beginning to feel the hypothryoid fatigue and spaciness coming on.

From somewhere behind me, and older British gentleman suddenly materialized.

"Hello. How are you?" he said to no one in particular. Given that he just came out of what I assume was a classroom or teachers' lounge and was looking at a young female student when he said it, I was rather confused as to who he was talking to, exactly.

Before I could work it out, he said, "That's alright. Don't bother to respond," eyes still fixed on the student...and I still wasn't sure if he was talking to me. And I didn't particularly care. If someone doesn't have the social skills to look at a Western female when addressing her...well...no skin off mine.

After returning from his cubby hole, my friend returned to me, smiling. "So how're you doing today?" he asked very sweetly.

Certain that he was addressing me this time around, I said, "Oh I'm good. How're you?"

With that, the douche turned and stormed out of the room, rather viciously knocking several students out of the way and slamming the door as he went.

(If you're Cambodian and reading this blog--no, that's not normal "Western" behavior. It's snarky, unhealthy British behavior, which is why, as an American, I sometimes resent being told about "Western culture" as if it were a uniform entity.)

I guess he thought he was putting me in my place--but rather than feeling shocked, or stung, or offended, I mostly didn't give a rat's ass. If anything, I was kind of amused by his British-style self-righteousness. I am also amused that I have the power to ruin someone's evening without even opening my mouth.

You run into a lot of folks like that around these parts. While the vast majority of my experiences with my co-teachers are positive and simply excellent (I mean this from the bottom of my heart), there's always that element of the pompous, embittered white male living in Cambodia for all the wrong reasons. My friend this evening may have been one of those.