Posted on January 29, 2011 - by Jennifer

South Dakota, the city that never sleeps

A few weeks ago I traveled to Bendigo for an ultimate frisbee tournament.¬† Bendigo is in Victoria, about a 2-hour drive from Melbourne and is described as “a major regional city”. ¬† I would probably describe it as a large town but why quibble?¬† Bendigo is lovely with beautiful Victorian architecture, thoughtfully-planned streets, parks, and even water features.¬† There is an “arc de triomphe” and fountains that could grace piazzas in Italy.¬† That’s because massive amounts of easily extractable gold brought people from around the world to Bendigo, making it a 19th century boomtown.¬† And today it is the largest financial center in Victoria outside of Melbourne. It even has its own stock exchange, the BSX.¬† So Bendigo’s streets are paved with gold (well, really cobblestones) and its citizens are worldly and sophisticated, right.? Well, perhaps not all of them.

Before I share a conversation I had in Bendigo, I want to say that I’m not disparaging Bendigo or its citizens.¬† But, if you are an American who travels, you get pretty tired of hearing how we are cultural imperialists who know nothing about the rest of the world while everyone else on the planet is open-minded and shockingly well-informed.¬† And then you have a chance encounter in Bendigo that gives you something to say back the next time some (insert name of country) native tells you how dumb and insensitive Americans are. So, here I am at this ultimate frisbee tournament.¬† We played four games under a cloudless sky in relentless heat and then went out to party afterwards.¬† Great times ensued at a Bendigo pub (cannot remember name) where I had my first Jagerbomb.¬† But, since we had to get up to play the next morning, a group of us decided to head home.¬† And while I hate to admit it, it takes a while to round up girls.¬† We are difficult to herd. Everyone has to say goodbye to multiple people, multiple times.¬† There are trips to the bathroom.¬† On the way to the bathroom, someone makes a new friend, etc.¬† So, I’m outside with my friend Solange waiting for everyone else to catch up when a group of local guys approach us.¬† They ask where we’re from and I say, “Melbourne” but they say, “No, but where are you really from?” And I say, “How do you know I’m not from Melbourne?” And of course the thing that gives me away is the “r”, dammit! ¬†The “r” just gets no respect here in Oz so¬† Melbourne is pronounced “Melbin.” If you pronounce the “r”, they know you’re a foreigner.¬† So, I say, “Okay, I’m originally from the U.S.”¬† And I get, “Oh, I love America!¬† What part?” And I say, “The east coast, a city on the east coast.” ¬†And a guy says, “Where?” ¬†And I say, “Guess.”¬† And he says “South Dakota?”¬† But, it gets better.¬† Then they ask why I am here.¬† And I say I came with my husband for his job.¬† Now, of course, they know this isn’t going to go in the direction they were hoping.¬† But, they are nice guys so they cannot just leave immediately.¬† So, they ask where my husband is from and I say he’s originally from India.¬† And (sort of weirdly) they start trying to guess his name.¬† One guy says, “Is his name guru?” And I try not to double over.¬† And then another guys says, “Is his name Sachin Tendulkar (the name of India’s most legendary cricketer)?”¬† And I am just about in tears (of joy) because after a fantastic geographical blunder they are now engaged in the most lovely racial/ethnic stereotyping ever ( “Oh, your husband is Indian. Is he a respected religious leader or a famous cricketer? “) ¬†Plus, to date, Akhil has avoided the inevitable – a nickname. ¬†Everyone in Oz has nicknames because Australians just don’t like to waste time with your entire, given name. ¬†But Akhil doesn’t play a sport and that’s kind of the fastest way to get a nickname (hence Jen-O). ¬†And he’s too senior at work so his co-workers haven’t given him one (at least not one they’ll say to his face) ¬†So, Akhil was nickname-less until that fateful night in Bendigo when (at least in my mind) he became “guru.” ¬†Feel free to try it on for size next time you email or IM him