A foreign love affair [-His name: Cambodia]

17/06/2009
By GREER MCDONALD
The Dominion Post (New Zealand)

I've fallen in love.

His name is Cambodia and you might have met him already. If you haven't, you should. He's a beautiful country near Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.

A bit rough around the edges, but he's full of smiles and warmth.

He's good looking - bright blue skies, burnt orange dirt roads, ornately-decorated monasteries and hauntingly beautiful temples.

He has kids, but I'm okay with that. He doesn't just have one or two... he has millions but they are beautiful, enigmatic, curious and intelligent little guys and girls.

I refrained from "doing an Angelina" by adopting on a whim, but I can't rule that out in the future. I think he'd be okay with this.

Cambodia has baggage - my God, does he have baggage. His history is horrifying and you'd forgive him for clinging on to the events of his past.

But he doesn't. He charges on in the face of corruption, a recession that is taking a massive bite on his fledgling industry and the various barriers put in his way.

I like that in a man.

My guides, Phalla and Kimthai, introduced me to him.

They've known him for much longer than me so were able to give me fantastic advice as to how best deal with him.

While the food he cooks is fantastic, Western bellies often can't deal with it, they said.

It was good advice. Everyone in my group fell sick at some stage but it all added to the adventure. We left our mark, so to speak.

I didn't think Cambodia would like me, I didn't think I'd be his type.

But he was quite fond of me. He had met others similar to me so he knew a bit about New Zealand.

And he blessed me with a fantastic sun-kissed tan as his show of appreciation.

I asked my guide: "What do Cambodian people think when one of their own falls for a Westerner... say, a New Zealander?"

He looked to the sky and then towards me, and responded: "We think they are very lucky, very lucky".

I think those who fall for people from a different country, a different background or a different religion are very lucky too - but when I thought about it, it had never happened to me.

I suddenly realised that most of the blokes I date fit within a very similar brief - they pretty much all look the same and are middle-class European Kiwis. How positively boring!

All hope is not lost however - Wellington surely has to be possibly the best place to meet people from all different backgrounds.

Out of eight guys speed dating the other night, there was a German, a UK-raised Pakistani and an Australian - all of whom had great stories about how they found themselves in the beautiful capital.

I think what we need is a great big melting pot. Big enough, to take the world and all it's got... and turn out coffee-coloured people by the score.

What do you think are the positives and negatives of bi-cultural relationships? Have you been or are you in one?

I imagine the biggest problem faced by those in mixed-race relationships is actually the close-mindedness of those on the outside of the relationship who can't see past an out-dated thought process.

White, brown, ginga or blue, love is love - and for now, I'm happily remembering my Cambodian love affair to distract from this winter chill (and catching up on all the reader comments posted while I was away. You guys went nuts! Good work!).