Huge Mistake • Siem Reap, Cambodia
She thought she'd cracked the code on dating abroad, until one match in Cambodia turned eight hours of messages into a very good reason to stay home.
After months of successful dates across Southeast Asia, one Australian traveller was feeling pretty confident about meeting men overseas. But when a seemingly attractive dating app match started revealing a little too much about himself, things went from promising to completely bizarre. Between spiritual revelations, shocking confessions and some seriously questionable behaviour, this Cambodia dating story is proof that sometimes the best travel romance is the one that never happens.
Ginger Afterthoughts…
Firstly… Wow. This man was clearly aware that he had a problem with his temper. He could talk about his ego, explain the difference between reacting and responding, and recognise that his behaviour wasn't great. But recognising something and actually doing something about it are two very different things. And what gets me is that he was so comfortable sharing all these stories, almost as though being honest about his behaviour somehow made it acceptable. It doesn't! I think we sometimes give people far too much credit for being self-aware, when really, they're just telling us exactly who they are. And it makes me wonder, have you ever mistaken someone's honesty about their red flags for evidence that they've actually worked on them?
What do you think?
If someone you'd matched with admitted to repeated violence before your first date, would you tell them exactly why you're out, or quietly unmatch? And is ghosting actually the more sensible choice when your safety might be involved?
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