Trip Phrases

I decided to end my conspicuous absence from the blog today by writing about some phrases we've come to use during our travels. Below is a brief summary of such slang.

"Rolling the Dice": To "roll the dice" is to take a chance by participating in some activity with which one is unfamiliar. This may involve ordering food or beverage at a restaurant with which you have no prior experience, often done by simply pointing at the picture of something that looks tasty. It also may involve crossing the street in the strange urban jungles of Vietnam or Cambodia, where traffic patterns follow no apparent pattern or law. Further, it may involve using some mode of public transport with operators who speak limited to no English, trusting that they, in their knowledge of the local surroundings, will guide you to your intended destination. There are numerous other examples of rolling the dice, some of which are omitted purposefully here.

"Free Smells": In Charlottesville, there is a sign posted outside of the sandwich shop Jimmy John's advertising free smells for those who enter, implying that one can enter their fine establishment and enjoy the scent of freshly baked breads. In the streets and markets of Vietnam and Cambodia, there are many free smells to be had, though a high majority of these are not nearly so pleasant as freshly baked bread. They may include dried foods and meats ( some of which can be identified and some of which cannot), fresh and not-so-fresh produce, fresh and not-so-fresh animal parts, and a host of other goods. What's most intriguing about "free smells" is that, while many prompt a gagging reflex from me and my fellow travelers, the locals seem to be impervious.

Cambodian Parallels: Cambodia is a very strange and foreign place, and many things here appear to be outside our realm of experience. However, when one compares Cambodia to life back at home by adding the word "Cambodian" to an object familiar in our own daily lives, things become a bit more familiar. For example, there are no taxis of the traditional sort here, but there are many "Cambodian taxis," which of course is a motorbike with a four person carriage attached to the back. Similarly, a "Cambodian minivan" is a four person motorbike with a flatbed trailing it, on which many individuals and goods can be hauled. A "Cambodian barbeque" apparently consists of crickets cooked and covered in barbecue sauce (of which we have yet to indulge). We discover more Cambodian parallels every hour in this strange land.

"Coles-focused": To be "Coles-focused" refers to intense concentration of the achievement of a certain task or goal. This often involves ignoring all other tasks at hand, and may result in the making of rash and harmful decisions to accomplish said task or goal. Case in point, in Hong Kong I became "Coles-focused" on calling home to let my parents and girlfriend know that I had survived the flight and was safe in the hotel. Becoming frustrated at the limited availability of calling cards, I made the rash and harmful decision of putting my credit card directly into a phone booth to make the calls necessary, whereupon I was charged ten dollars per call. One also commonly becomes "Coles-focused" on relieving oneself, often resulting in the rash and harmful decision of using the highly unsanitary restroom facilities that litter the Vietnamese and Cambodian countryside.

"Irrational Response": Whilst traveling, one can relieve stress or lighten the mood by joking with or playfully insulting their fellow travelers. Often times, though, the recipient of such banter is not in the mood to be joked with or insulted, provoking an "irrational response." This typically involves a rash comment or physical action from the recipient of inappropriate proportion to the mild abuse received. This is especially entertaining during card games that involve drinking, as an "irrational response" can lead to high consumption of alcohol.

Stay tuned for more trip slang as it develops.