Last week I stumbled on one of the last things I expected to find in Cambodia: aerobics. It isn't exactly like familiar American aerobics: it has all of the ingredients, just with a Cambodian flair. A group of Khmer women gather around dusk in a backyard where a concrete platform overlooking a deep pond has been erected. Some women sport tennis shoes, others flip-flops. The instructor brings a stereo, which is powered by a car battery (a ubiquitous source of power in rural Cambodia because it's cheaper than a generator and easy to transport and recharge). And then for an hour everyone dances behind the instructor, whose moves are accompanied by shouts of "One, two, three, four" in Khmer.
In the eyes of someone who comes from a culture where exercise is taken very seriously, this Cambodian aerobics class is refreshingly light-hearted. People are friendly and helpful during the class, and if you look around you can see that the women are smiling.
I suspect that part of the reason the classes are possible is that my high school gym teacher is awesome. She is one of the instructors and was kind enough to invite me to join the class this week because I "looked lonely." (I'm not sure if it is true that I looked lonely. For the most part I don't feel lonely.) I think she may have had something to do with the construction of the platform.
I hope my town has more surprises like this in store...
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