Afajita

Several years ago at CCFC Pastor Soong-Chan became fed up with cell phones going off in the middle of service. One Sunday, when I was doing announcements, I received a call on my cell phone. To the congregation’s astonishment, I picked up my phone and instead of turning it off, I answered it. I remember the awkward hush that swept through the crowd when I put the phone to my ear. I could almost hear them thinking, “What in the world are you doing?” Within three seconds the uncomfortable silence was broken by hysterics when those dumbfounded realized that we had set them up. Soong-Chan called me. We were just trying to make a point, “Turn your cell phones off!”

Even though cell phone etiquette could still use some improvements in the States, it is still completely foreign in Cambodia. People are obsessed with their phones. Once one is acquired, it seems the possessor becomes possessed. They cannot put the thing down; their fingers anxiously fiddle with the buttons as if they have a nervous tick. What they are doing with the thing, I haven’t got a clue. I never knew a phone could be such an object of infatuation.

Danny and I have a family rule that we do not answer the phone during meals. In fact, we answer the phone only when we feel like it. It drives our Cambodian friends crazy. But it also drives me crazy when they feel compelled to pick up my phone when they notice that I’m not.

You would think that EACH call is an emergency, the way Cambodians lunge as soon as they hear their tone go off. If it rings in the middle of a meeting, they do not sheepishly turn it off nor do they discreetly leave the room to answer it. They will answer it right there and yap away. Once at church, the pastor’s phone rang in the middle of his sermon. He paused to answer his phone while the congregation patiently waited until his conversation was done and he resumed his message. The weirdest part was no one thought it was weird!

I thought about this fanaticism in answering phones and realized there are two possible explanations. First, people who do not own phones or do not have money on their phones make calls from “phone booths” (a person with a phone sitting on the side of a street will let you use it and charge you by the minute). If the receiver does not answer the phone, the caller ends up at the booth for a long time calling over and over again. In that particular part of town or village, it might be impractical to try to make the call at another time. Moreover, in Cambodia, you only pay when you are making a call. Receiving them is free. The caller will make a call, wait for the first ring, and then hang up right away. They know that their number will appear on the receiver’s screen and hopes that the receiver will call them back on their charge. In order to preempt the caller, the receiver then HAS to answer the call as soon as they hear it ring. Thus, the panic stricken lunge takes place.

A few days ago Danny dropped the phone into the toilet (ask him if you want the story) so we are phoneless for right now. Phew, what a relief! Now we have a legitimate excuse not to answer the phone.