Talking Shop

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Office conversations in New Zealand naturally divide along gender lines. The women talk about weight gain and various body image issues. The men talk about sport (singular). It's universal! Guess which topic (or which group of people) interests me more?

I can only fake it for so long in a conversation about cricket. The men notice me floundering and begin asking questions about American sports (plural). Guy #1 tells me his brother-in-law used to play "gridiron" for the Tennessee Vols. Guy #2 engages me in a conversation about the "BoSox" and Fenway Park - not because I've lived in Boston, but because it is the only team he knows. I don't have the heart to tell him that no one in Red Sox Nation actually uses the term "BoSox." He makes a snide remark about the Sox having won "YOUR world series." Kiwis love to rib America for calling its baseball championship the world series. I see their point.

Guy #1 asks us to explain Fenway's green monster. During the course of my tutorial, it becomes evident that he's unfamiliar with the concept of a home run. Like any man, he pretends he knows what he's talking about, but I see right through him. Silly young Kiwi male, do I have to teach you everything?? You exhaust me.