There is a bicycle repair man next to the hospital who due the general state of dis-repair of my VSO bicycle is often visited by me. He has mended punctures, replaced leaking valves, tightened brakes, loosened brakes, put chains back on, tightened chains and of course pumped up my tyres (in a constant state of deflation) - he even has an adapter for the front tyre valve something a lot of the other roadside bicycle & moto repair stops don't offer.
I think of him as my granddad but in reality he is probably younger than my own father. He speaks no english & barely understands my 'unclear' khmer.
He started off charging me barang prices for repairs but recently he has been giving me freebie tyre inflations which has made me feel uncomfortable. In reality I'm talking about R200 which is 5 cents or 2p but he is doing a job & I feel I should pay.
This week I noticed my bike had started making a new interesting noise & on closer inspection I discovered I had lost a pretty essential nut and my bike stand, then back mud guard and then finally back wheel was migrating west from the bike frame. This also explained why my chain had been slipping.
I went to my bicycle repair man who was asleep & was woken from his siesta especially on my account. He proceeded to secured my wheel back into its proper position, then the mud guard & finally the stand, replaced the nut and secured it tightly for me. When I asked him how much he shooed me away.
Then I did something culturally inappropriate - I made him take some money.
I knew it was wrong but my discomfort of not paying yet again for his services was higher than the discomfort I felt for doing the wrong thing culturally. I gave him a dollar. He was deeply offended but I felt better.
When I told this story to Dr H he chastised me & told me I had been wrong (but this is a position I am very familiar with) - he told me that the people with the least are often the most generous - ain't that the truth.
I'm left struggling with accepting the kindness of Cambodians & seem to repeatedly fail to adequately reciprocate others generosity.
I think of him as my granddad but in reality he is probably younger than my own father. He speaks no english & barely understands my 'unclear' khmer.
He started off charging me barang prices for repairs but recently he has been giving me freebie tyre inflations which has made me feel uncomfortable. In reality I'm talking about R200 which is 5 cents or 2p but he is doing a job & I feel I should pay.
This week I noticed my bike had started making a new interesting noise & on closer inspection I discovered I had lost a pretty essential nut and my bike stand, then back mud guard and then finally back wheel was migrating west from the bike frame. This also explained why my chain had been slipping.
I went to my bicycle repair man who was asleep & was woken from his siesta especially on my account. He proceeded to secured my wheel back into its proper position, then the mud guard & finally the stand, replaced the nut and secured it tightly for me. When I asked him how much he shooed me away.
Then I did something culturally inappropriate - I made him take some money.
I knew it was wrong but my discomfort of not paying yet again for his services was higher than the discomfort I felt for doing the wrong thing culturally. I gave him a dollar. He was deeply offended but I felt better.
When I told this story to Dr H he chastised me & told me I had been wrong (but this is a position I am very familiar with) - he told me that the people with the least are often the most generous - ain't that the truth.
I'm left struggling with accepting the kindness of Cambodians & seem to repeatedly fail to adequately reciprocate others generosity.
hello
ReplyDeletehow can I contact you?
ozaninal@gmail.com