Seeing the Difference

I’d like to pose a series of questions. First, what do you think of when you hear the word “Cambodia”? Next, what comes to mind when you hear someone say “Thailand”? Finally, how similar are your two answers?
Had I been asked these questions prior to embarking on this trip, my answers would have been barely indistinguishable. I put both Cambodia and Thailand in the box of “Southeast Asia”. Now that I’ve been in Thailand for over a week, I can say that my perspective has drastically shifted. I have had the pleasure of experiencing not only Southeast Asia, but Cambodia and Thailand individually, and I would love to open your eyes to some of the biggest differences I’ve seen while here!

Location:

In Cambodia, we were living in a little village, surrounded by dirt, creeks, and trees. We saw the same villagers every day and consistently woke up to roosters and Cambodian party music blaring over loudspeakers. The weather stayed in the 90’s throughout most of the day, an occasional breeze blowing through.

In Thailand, we have mountains in our front yard, back yard, and beneath our feet at all times! Living in such a secluded area, we rarely see people outside of the girls and staff where we live. I have to wear long pants, a jacket, and socks for the first several hours of the morning to ward off what feels like a blizzard compared to Cambodia!

Language/people:

Believe it or not, Khmer and Thai sound different! However, since they’re both foreign, Asian languages, I still catch myself trying to communicate with the Thai girls using Khmer. It can definitely get confusing!
Additionally, the people look different. Not only do they have different facial features, but they dress differently as well! It’s fun to see those little things that make each person unique and special!

Culture:
One of the biggest differences I’ve seen since coming to Thailand is the different societal expectations and cultural standards that exist here. In Cambodia, we obviously sought to respect elders and authority, but in Thailand, that’s taken to a whole new level. Bowing is very important, and is used when greeting someone, saying thank you, or apologizing for something. I can see myself bringing that home with me on accident!
On a bit of a side note, Thailand is also a much wealthier country than Cambodia, meaning we see many more cars than motos and bikes, and people seem to be more financially secure in general.
Additionally, Cambodians tended to speak more English and we could also pay for things with USD, which is not the case here. I can only attribute this to the fact that Cambodia was a more dependent country than Thailand is.

Overall, both Cambodia and Thailand are beautiful countries and I am thoroughly enjoying seeing their unique traits and characteristics more each day. I look forward to sharing more in the upcoming weeks!