Trivial Pursuits

Nestled in what seems like the seemingly sleepy, residential neighborhood of Newton Park is an eclectic enclave that comes alive every Tuesday evening.  The Music Kitchen, a bar/restaurant/small concert venue, hosts a weekly Trivia Night regularly attended by a core group of raucous gray or balding men who seem to know all the answers.  The rest of the crowd is by far the most diverse I’ve seen in the city, and South Africa’s nickname of the Rainbow Nation seems to ring true as it looks like there are people of all races sitting together in the outdoor picnic bench booths.  Off to the side, one team can be found, looking slightly out of place, and that’s where we fall in: The Ex-Pat Hooligans.

Invited by two Fulbrighters who were friends with the previous interns, Tuesday night trivia at the Music Kitchen is apparently a weekly ritual, and as a mediocre trivia buff and natural competitor, I enjoy it a lot.  Our team as of recent is comprised of the Fulbrighters, Kelly and Ashley, the GRS interns (which, if you haven’t figured out are Claire and myself), and Kyle and Sarah, two South Africans who we refer to when there are culturally relevant questions.

As it turns out, I know nothing about current events and politics.  I perhaps should have stuck with journalism a little longer.  I do, however, have a decent knowledge of geography thanks to my awkward obsession with maps and a lot of free time on Sporcle, so that’s where my strengths lie.  There are often questions about classical music that make me regret not getting more into music history back when I called myself an “opera singer.”  One day, though, they’re gonna ask about Indian folk dances or West African membranophones, and I will go absolutely insane.  Name the drums in a doundoun set?  Doundounba, sangban, and kenkeni.  Duh.

It makes me nervous every time the scruffy MC Brendan asks a question that, as an American, you’re expected to know.  “What does NASCAR stand for?,” for instance.  Suddenly, everyone looks at you.  “That’s not my part of America, guys,” as I shrug off the question thinking that none of the old South African men could possibly get it right.  Of course they do.

It stands for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, by the way.

There are also things very relevant to South Africans of which I have absolutely no interest or knowledge.  I knew that Oscar Pistorius was on trial, but I had zero idea why.  People gasped when I asked.  “He shot his freakin’ girlfriend on Valentine’s Day!,” Kelly yelled.   Shit.  That’s serious.

I’d like to think of trivia as a metaphor for this year.  There’s gonna be some stuff I know.  And that gets me happy and makes me feel comfortable.  One of the questions this past week was to name the 5 boroughs of New York.  I giddily wrote down the answers as I briefly reminisced about home.  Once the answers were announced, there was a collective grumble as most people couldn’t name all five, most replacing Staten Island with Long Island.

There are also going to be things that seem so obvious to everybody… except for me.

“Who did Bafana Bafana play in last week’s game?”

“I have zero clue what Bafana Bafana is,” I admitted, taking a sip of my Savanna Dry.  South African Kyle gives me an alarmed look and says, “It’s South Africa’s football team.  Never ask that ever again, or you’ll get killed.”

Lesson learned.

Really, the motto of this year is going to be balance.  You have to be able to acknowledge your strengths and use those to the fullest while also being able to secede and humbly ask for help when you have no idea what’s happening.  Hopefully, you won’t look too dumb.  Or get killed after asking what the national soccer team is called.