We (I along with my wife) arrived into chilling Bendigo on 19th May at night, it was very foggy and cold. Something which we haven't seen in years neither in Mumbai nor in Singapore.
The next morning welcomed with drizzles and cold winds; Walking down the hill towards office i could see my own breath..
Frankly this was the coldest i have encountered in the entire life time.
A new location, new environment for both of us.
Like a lost child we were struggling to get acquainted with the environment, the culture and most importantly the food.
The first Sunday we went around the streets of Bendigo along with my friend and his wife, to explore local beauty of Bendigo.
The smoke Alarm!
That evening was unusually cold; we decided to do an experiment - use the fireplace in our living room.
Managed to grab some wood from the backyard and burned in the room.
By the time we were to enjoy the heat.. came the surprise, the smoke alarm went on...
Didn't knew what the hell was that, have only seen those in our Bollywood movies, never in real life.
But the worse part of Bollywood movies, they don't show how to turn off the smoke alarm.
In a very quite environment the sound was unbearable, enough to wake everyone up in the vicinity. While i was struggling to find ways to stop that non-sense beep, i heard a siren of fire truck.
Two things Holy Shit! and Wow! -
Wow! - What a fantastic system, on one hand the smoke alarm goes up and on the other hand the fire truck is on the way..
Holy Shit! - What have i done..
While i was standing on the road, clueless, waiting for the fire truck to come, contemplating my
answers in back of my mind.
The fire truck went straight on the other road.
Haash! - A temporary relief.
It was just mere coincidence, the fire truck went on the parallel road and smoke alarm went up in my room.
Now my next task was to turn that off..
I was about to dial 000, as good as calling 999, 911 & 100 in Singapore, US and India respectively.
I parked my disastrous thought in my mind's parking bay and gave a second thought - Called one of my friend, he advised me to push the reset button and that was it..
Small things matter!
Being in a new country, the first things we do is comparison; Direct comparison between things happening back home and here.. Be it from $ comparision, culture comparision and so on.
Of which below are few unique differences :-
Tissue Rolls Please!
Coming from Indian background, i didn't know the importance of tissue papers especially after attending nature's call, and here people dealt with those only.
Thumb rule - Attend nature's calls come only when you are ready to take shower :) but this rule can be dangerous for people suffering from bad stomach..
Hence we had to resort to our old Indian jugaad.. The Lotaa!
You eat, You pay!
Drinks and Dinner with client is inevitable, almost on every alternate day - be prepared for meeting over lunch.
What's so special about it ? This happens everywhere.
The surprise is - you gotta pay for your own drinks, so be prepared to shell out;
Mirchook people stay away ;)
Recycle everything!
To our surprise we found that people here try to re-use and recycle everything. They are more than happy to buy or reuse used furniture; which back home, some consider it a taboo.
Phone Numbers!
Landline numbers are even smaller than India's postal code..
You need a taxi, call 131008, at first i thought saala kya phenk raha hai; apne India me dial kiya ye toh invalid number bol ke gaali de dega.
Veges and Indian Spices!
Looking for Lauki (Bottle-guard), Methi and Bhendi (LadyFinder) in Bendigo; you have come to the wrong place boy.. Bhendi-Go away.
With this experience, i can say its just the first week that is usually terrible, understanding the culture, the living, taste of food and getting our schedules right.
That first week is really important to set things straight for you.. the nervousness and the fear about the new place always bites you ..
Irrespective of the situation; you need to be brave enough to overcome these ..
And once these are done, you are all set to enjoy the beauty of the change.
And once these are done, you are all set to enjoy the beauty of the change.
The perception about Australia has changed just within a week. People are very friendly, joyful and caring.
For those who are willing to visit Bendigo - Be prepared to "Experience something New".
Welcome to Bendigo Maaayte!
More to come.
Cheers.
