I'm finishing up work by visiting prisons and probation/parole offices in regional areas around Victoria. Tonight I'm in Bendigo, once one of the two big gold rush towns in Australia. From my luxurious hotel, which warns me a of a $300 fee if I wet the bed, I walked down the highway to find some food.
As I walked into "Welcome to India", there was a middle-aged Indian man and a 20-ish Caucasian girl chatting. The man immediately retreated to the kitchen, while the girl served me and told me how nice my accent was (an unusual compliment for sure). I never saw the man again, and I was left wondering if he felt compelled to have a white face in the front of the store, particularly out here so far from the city.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid and engaging in some kind of reverse racism by even thinking about it for more than two seconds, but I think my thoughts are still tainted by something I witnessed yesterday. A big cruise ship had just docked in Port Melbourne, and a Kiwi couple I would guess were in their 60s sat down facing me on the tram. They were sympathising with the tram attendant about his having to wear long sleeves and pants in the heat, and he replied proudly that it was important for him to present a professional appearance that would give passengers confidence. As soon as he walked away, the lady remarked to her husband that she felt he had some kind of mental disability. Having witnessed the conversation, I'm not sure how she drew that conclusion.
But that's not what really upset me. As we crossed the river into the city, another lady in her 60s sat next to me and started chatting with the couple. An Indian man boarded the tram and stood behind the couple, at which point they remarked that it was already beginning to smell. They rolled their eyes toward the man, to which the other lady replied that there would be a lot more of that in the city. The poor guy probably heard the entire conversation! It was almost my stop anyway, so I went and stood next to him. He didn't smell of anything to me.
I guess we just have to hope that those attitudes are dying out with those people.
Anyway, happy ending to the story: Since I was the only customer, and an exotic one at that, the young girl and I had a nice chat. Her family moved here a few years ago from Queensland, and she desperately misses the surf. The big dream that's been keeping her going has been to visit Bell's Beach, home of the Rip Curl Classic and a huge 200 km away. I wish we could pack her up in Turquey and take her along! (But I think abduction is illegal here.)
I should also add that the adorable owner of my little motel (19 rooms) suggested the Chinese place up the road for dinner. He made a point of telling me how lovely the family were who run it.
did you end up wetting the bed and paying the $300?
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