Before reading this posting you will need to know the definition of a word that has become a part of my vocabulary:
Barang: Is a khmer word meaning French. The term barang has also come to mean a foreigner, particularly one of European ancestry. It is not a demeaning word, but some Khmer speakers might use it in a bad context. The term is becoming more popular now among travelers. It is even used by some expatriates living in Cambodia themselves.
I had one of the funniest and strangest experiences today. So after being here for a month and two weeks I decided it was time to hit the gym especially after eating out every night, not to mention drinking at least three times a week. My body needed to be pushed to its limits. I was thrilled when I realized there was a local gym just down the road- literally it's a 2 minute walk from the house. So I geared up in my worn down running shoes and hit gym. I was a little apprehensive as I approached a large warehouse type room knowing I was the only barang to be working out there tonight or perhaps ever. As I expected, I was stared at for a while but once I had been running on the treadmill more than 10 minutes the locals realized I was probably sticking around for a while longer so they'd have more chances to stare at the barang who had stepped into their territory.
So after about 5 minutes of running on the treadmill I looked up and could not believe the thermometer read a whopping 30.5 degrees Celsius at 7pm! I don't think I've worked out in that kind of heat before. I only lasted 15 minutes. I didn't want to push myself since fainting in a Siem Reap gym without any English speakers around would be a huge pain in the ass.
So off to the weights I moved. Trying to find the right weight for arm lifts was a mission. They were all scattered around the entire gym floor so I had to go scrambling around trying to find the right brand of each weight because the different brands, even though stated the same weight, all weighed different: I don't get that. But then again there are lots of things I don't get in Siem Reap. I've learnt to just go with the flow. You have too. The place didn't have any fans so I was dripping with sweat at this point but that was fine by me, I needed that.
I found it funny that while I was doing crunches, I saw a little gecko climbing the wall in front of me. Cute little bugger. Oh I also got bitten by two mosquitoes while lifting weights, that was expected: I forgot to spray myself with mosquito repellent. Something I was not prepared to see was a young girl, about 7 years of age, who had decided to copy me and hit the weights. I assumed she was the owners daughter but it was frustrating seeing that no one was stopping this girl from potentially injuring herself. I knew she wouldn't stop if I had told her too or even if I had told the owners. Lots of things here get dismissed with a laugh and a smile and a 'it's okay'. I just tried not too look at her because I could sense she wanted to impress me by trying to do what I was doing.
Another interesting thing was the music. Khmer dance music was blaring so loud, I could hear it through my earphones. Also, I was the only person wearing running shoes. Everyone else was either barefoot or had flip-flops on. 'No need to get all fancy silly barang' they must have been thinking. The cost of using the gym tonight was $1USD but that's because I used the treadmill as well as the weights. I was told that if I only use the weights I would be charged 1000 riel which equals $0.25!
All in all it was a strange but cool experience and the pros outweigh the cons so I'll be going back:)
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