the sun

May has been brutally hot, and it happens to me often here that people ask me the following question: "Teacher, it's very hot today. Why are you wearing a short-sleeved shirt?"

Uhhh....because it's hot and I'm cooler in short sleeves. That's what I think. But I understand where they're coming from. Khmer people cover up completely to protect themselves from the sun. It'll be 100 degrees out, and the women are riding bicycles in jeans, a shirt, a jacket, a scarf, and a hat.

It kind of makes sense. My forearms and neck are really dark - farmer's tan! And Khmer people think dark skin is not as pretty as white skin. Some people who do a lot of physical labor don't cover up as much, especially men, but I would guess that in general the skin cancer rates here are a lot lower than in Western countries where tanning and sunbathing are common.