Recently, I have had some odd conversations. Perhaps I hang out with odd people, or perhaps I just find everything funny. I think the amount of traveling, cultures, countries and languages in our everyday life just make for hilarity and confusion.
Varun: Well, I never adjust my eyebrows (Pronounced “bros”, rhymes with “hose”).
Me: Yeah, well. Also, it’s eye”BROWS” (rhymes with “cows”).
Varun: That’s how we pronounce it in India. Bros. And this is an Indian household.
Me: HA! Well, this “Indian household” is in a Canadian country.
Varun: Yup. And nothing is “right” or “wrong” in Canada. It’s just “different”. Bros.
Me: (Exasperated laughter)
(While waiting for a wedding to start we were chatting with the guests in the pew behind us. The wife was born and raised in a small town near to mine, which was a surprise to me as I don’t often meet Pennsylvanians in Canada. Despite our geographically proximal upbringings, she had QUITE the SouthEastern PA accent. And worldview.)
New American Friend: Yeah, so this is my first time in Canada.
Me: Aww cool! Well, I hope you like it!
NAF: (smiles) But seriously. HOW do people live here?
Varun: Um? Pardon?
NAF: How do people LIVE here?
(Wedding processional begins)
Me: HUH? (Avoiding eye contact with Varun so as not to laugh loudly)
(As I turned in my seat I caught Varun’s eye and we both gulped down our laughter. Throughout the ceremony every time I glanced at Varun we had to struggle to maintain our composure. Unfortunately, we never got a chance to find out what exactly it is about Canada that had our new friends so baffled)
(At a pool party)
Friend: So what’s your last name?
Me: Rana. Crazy. I married an Indian and got a shorter last name!
Friend: What was your maiden name?
Me: (I stated my maiden name. It’s longer, and decidedly Irish)
Friend: Oh, so were you Indian growing up?
Me: HAHAHAH!! (Saw friend’s face: serious). HUH? What?
ESL Marriage 
Jul 25, 2011 @ 16:13:49
So funny…I actually had to take a full minute to remember what your maiden name was! My friend, Dana, married an Indian and ended up with Venugopalan. She makes a killer bagara baingan, though. :)
Jul 26, 2011 @ 06:41:55
I like the strange pronunciation of eyebrows. Rhyming it with hose, as in eye-bros, makes me imagine the eyebrows getting along with each other, addressing each other “Hey, eyebro”, etc.
Jul 26, 2011 @ 13:57:58
Hehehe. I would love to know what that American woman thought was so bad about Canada!
Hilarious!
Jul 27, 2011 @ 08:11:19
I’m with Lindsay. Very strange. Like the Irish name being considered Indian though. Anyone ever mentioned you don’t look terribly Indian? Then again, I don’t look much like the mother of my children, either! :lol: