hangin at the servo

Apparently “servo” is what Australians call a service station...
also known as a gas station.
Anyway, this is really beside the point.

If I were currently living in the states, one would be able to find me at a Starbucks hanging out at least a few times a week. It’s a great place to chat with friends, read, journal, meet someone for coffee and a chance to catch up; not to mention great coffee, great people watching, and a great ambiance. I can still picture the pink and orange mountains out the window of the Starbucks on Swan Road in Tucson at sunset, or the rain hitting the windows and gray sky over Portland in the spring. It makes me want to be there sipping an iced chai right now!

Well, instead I find myself in Cambodia. Here we don’t go to Starbucks to hang out, but I think I have found the equivalent. Or at least close. This week I have been to (and dare I say hung out at?!) the servo at least three times that I can think of, and it’s only Thursday! There is the Total on the corner of the Russian road...and two different locations of Coffee Plus located in the Caltex stations, where friendly Khmer women make great coffee and always have a smile.

When I got here the idea to even buy coffee or think of sitting down in one of these servos was bizarre to me. Never mind that they were air conditioned, clean, organized, and had multicolored glass lamps, friendly people, and great people watching outside the huge glass windows. I just didn’t understand why one would choose to sit at one of these tables next to the shelves of magazines and foreign sweets and choose to relax for awhile. Or go to one intentionally with a friend, just to talk?

So when a friend from the states arrived here a few days ago and wondered aloud, “ so what do you do here for fun?!” I had to laugh the next day when I found myself hanging out at the servo. Where else can you relax in the cool air, chat about your highs and lows of the day, and eat that Magnum ice cream bar you just bought before it melts?