Monday, January 7, 2013

Front seat politics

Situation: 
One shiny, white, 4x4 NGO vehicle with Cambodian driver to take 3 people from the guest house they are staying in to a rural hospital where they are conducting training
Travellers:
J -  a 56 year old English female nurse & line manager to R, works for NGO with lots of USAID $$$ & shiny vehicles, owns a moto
R - a 29-35 year old (age dependent on who he is talking to!) Cambodian male nurse works for above NGO in a technical officer position & owns a moto.
Me - a 39 year old English female doctor, volunteer with another NGO that has no shiny vehicles & borrows a bicycle, basically a stow away
Question: 
Who does local culture & protocol dictate should sit in the front seat?
Variables to consider:
Gender, age, nationality, job title, social status, bank balance....

Answer:
R walked but his bag travelled in style in the front seat!
And that pretty much sums it all up.

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