The majority of fellow Sydneysiders are proudly in agreement when it comes to the cultural diversity of our fine city.
Since starting this job, little ethnic pockets of suburbia might as well be taking me to far off exotic countries.
There’s Little India in Harris Park where you can buy all your latest Bollywood DVD’s and authentic spices you need for your Chicken Vindaloo.
Feeling right at home in Maroubra, the fragrance of Indonesian fried chicken coming from the hole in the wall restaurants are reminiscent of my own Mama’s cooking. (God forbid I would ever think though that their cuisine is better than hers!)
Then of course, there are the streets of café’s, trattorias and gelato shops that decorate our own Little Italy in the inner west.
It was out this way where I had to make a sales call first thing Monday morning.
It also happened to be the first morning I took our brand new car (Yes siree, no more broken door handles). So new, we hadn’t even owned it for 24 hours.
I noticed two older men sitting happily on the balcony of a nearby café, enjoying their daily dose(s) of strong Italian coffee and just watching the world go by.
With me being the prime target.
Quickly crossing the road, I ignored them, knowing that they were harmless, anyway.
Coffee is everyone’s happy stimulant, right?
Returning to the car 15 minutes later, my attempt at multi-tasking seemed to fail.
While taking a call, my unlock button didn’t seem to work.
Despite pressing it repeatedly, my door wouldn’t open.
There was no “beep beep” or flashing lights.
The car wasn’t responding at all because, well, IT WASN’T MINE.
I had spent a solid couple of minutes trying to break into someone else’s car (which mind you looked NOTHING like mine and wasn’t even the same colour).
Constituting it as Monday morning entertainment for my two expresso drinking fellas, they were laughing so hard, they were about to fall off their chairs.
Refusing to be seen as a complete idiot, I stood defiantly in the middle of the road, yelling out:
“You don’t understand! It’s a NEW car! We just got it YESTERDAY!”
Which only made them laugh harder.
Yup. Stellar start to the week.
Caffeine fiends – ONE
Mama Grace – ZERO
Ever mistaken another car as your own? Most importantly, did anybody see you? What’s your happy stimulant?
Wanna hear more crazy stories from the road? Follow me over on my other Facebook Page (because raising twins, working part-time and blogging isn’t stupid busy enough) at: Tales of a Travelling Saleswoman
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Amy says
Oh Grace! I’ve done this too- twice in fact. Once it wasn’t even the same type of car- just looked vaguely similar! 😀
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Pinky Poinker says
Bahaha! I have done it but only when it was an identical car. Thanks for the laugh first up this morning. Those suburbs you mentioned didn’t have the same identities when I lived there in the early eighties. Nice to hear they’ve become more multi-cultural.
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Raych aka Mystery Case says
I’ve done that as well. I’ve also been tricked, many years ago now by my sister who had a spare set of my car keys. If she was out and found my car parked, she would put repark it in the opposite direction or on the other side of the street. It took me a little while to work out what was going on. I honestly thought I was going mad.
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Renee at Mummy, Wife, Me says
Oh no! You poor thing. So embarrassing. I haven’t done that before, but I have lost my car in a carpark many times. Looking forward to reading your other blog. So exciting!
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Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit says
OH MY GOD!!!! Hahahahahahahahaha.
I did it recently.
I couldn’t work out why Derek had put golf clubs in the back of my car. I was cursing him. No space for my groceries. Groceries on ground as I fumbled. And pushed, And prodded. And turned the key. Turns out it wasn’t my car.
Luckily no one was watching though.
Stimulant … green tea …. that’s as good as it gets for me I’m afraid. Except for the once every six months Red Bull when all else fails.
Happy Friday
L
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Lisa@RandomActsOfZen says
I’m with you on this one, Grace. I’ve been doing it for the last six months, since we bought our new car! One day, John and Bella just stood and laughed as I tried to break into someone else’s car. Coffee is good for everything, hun xx
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Jody at Six Little Hearts says
Oh me too – I do this constantly with another local lady who owns the same car as mine! On occasion I have found her trying to open mine!
I have a more embarrassing story involving the revolving restaurant up Sydney way…still dying inside to this day…
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Eva @ The Multitasking Mummy says
Oh gosh, that’s really quite funny! I haven’t done it but I remember a mother and her kids did it at a cafe. I was getting into my car when I noticed she was having a bit of trouble getting into hers. I don’t blame her though, an identical car parked right beside her and I couldn’t tell them apart!
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Bec @ The Plumbette says
Yes I’ve done it before but not in front of someone else. At least you can laugh about it now! 🙂
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Kaz @ Melting Moments says
I have indeed done this. Back in the day when I had a Mirage (and so did every other 20 something in Sydney), I actually put my key into the door of another car thinking it was mine… mine was a few spaces up… Oops. Glad you made some one’s morning 🙂
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Lucy @ Bake Play Smile says
Hehehe I don’t know which gives me more of a giggle… you trying to break into someone elses car or that sign at the coffee shop!! I’ve done that before too – but I actually got in and sat down – only to find someone sitting next to me lol!! I was mortified!
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Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me says
Oh that’s a classic Grace, and I missed that post. I have tried to do that before, MANY a time. Love that you get to experience so many little cafes, it must be nice to fill your soul with different sights and sounds! Happy Friday my friend xx
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Erika @ Ever-changing Life of a Mum says
Oh why do Mondays hate us so much?! I hope your coffee was a double 🙂 I have never done that, but I have lost my car in parking lots many a time. It’s worse when I take my husband’s car out instead of my own because then I start to look for the wrong car and worry that it has been stolen.
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natalie @ Our Parallel Connection says
Lol.. your funny even trying to explain to your coffee loving friends.. I drive a Kluger (very common car), we lease it for 3 years and then change. Well I love my Kluger so much that after the first car (a white one) we leased another Kluger ( a grey one). Heading g to my car – multitasking as usual – I beeped to open standing out the front of a white Kluger. It didn’t open. I tried and tired , jumped up and down as I was in a hurry, swore I would never buy another Kluger again until the owner of this WHITE kluge tapped me on the shoulder and asked what I was doing… Ummm my car was next to his..oops
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Dani @ sand has no home says
That’s hilarious Grace! Could happen to anyone. Even funnier that you had an audience.
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Malinda @mybrownpaperpackages says
Is it wrong that I have laughed at other people doing this but haven’t yet done it myself. I’m sure my turn is coming. I do however forget where I parked in shopping centres sometimes, that sort of counts.
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Toni @ Finding Myself Young says
I always freak out that I’ll lose my car, but its more a case of there are too many that look the same having a silver Tiida. They’re everywhere!
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Desire Empire says
Your brain sounds like it’s full up with the new job. It would have made you laugh though. I hope you made a sale as well
Carolyn
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Tash @ Gift Grapevine says
Oh Grace! I’m not a morning person so completely understand this. Coffee is my happy stimulant of choice and the sign we have perched above our wizz-bang coffee machine says it all – “Coffee. Do stupid things faster with more energy.” 🙂
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Sanch @ Living my Imperfect Life says
I’ve done it to a similar looking car though. One time, I forgot I’d gone somewhere with a friend and was looking everywhere for my car until my friend walked up to theirs.
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Deborah says
Oh… I hope someone has it on video! 😉
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Robyna | The Mummy and the MInX says
Hahha – thanks for the Friday laugh. My automatic key stopped working (tends to happen when you lazily give it to your toddler for distraction purposes) and it took me about 5 minutes to figure out that I could USE THE KEY to open the car.
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Tonia Zemek says
I’m sooooo with you Grace. It has been one of those weeks here too! Hope you get the chance for a relaxing road trip in the new car some day soon. Have a good weekend.
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Ingrid @ Fabulous and Fun Life says
I used to park my work car opposite my house outside the local tennis courts and one weekend watched from the kitchen window as someone mistook my car for theirs and was trying to unlock it for absolutely ages until I finally put her out of her misery went outside and suggested she try the car two cars ahead instead of mine!
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Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says
If I had a car, this is totes the kind of thing I would do. On the flip side, I bet your sidewalk sideshow totally made their day! I hope you are keeping note of your anecdotes, I can see a bestseller in your future, with a facebook page of the same name! xx
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Bec @ Seeing the Lighter Side says
Oh no! And yes I’ve definitely done that plenty of times, except with a key instead of RCL! I nearly broke the lock of someone else’s car:)
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stephanie@stephsjoy says
Oh that is too funny! Makes for a memorable day though!
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liz says
I hate that moment when you realise what is going on! It sounds like you gave quite a good show to your coffee friends at least..
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Mary Denman says
So funny Grace! Thanks for the laugh!
Once, another mom got into my Suburban thinking it was hers…I had left one son in it while I ran into church. She came out, got in my car but couldn’t start it. When my son meekly said, “Hi,”, she SCREAMED! We had such a good laugh over it!
Thanks for hosting! Enjoy the new car!!!
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Denyse says
Congrats on the new car…and for taking the fun of what happened to you (as seen by others!) well. Must be nice to have reasons to find places for new coffee and food fixes. We have new cars (3 months old now) and both have keyless ignition. So, I was distracted a few weeks back and left my car parked in local shopping centre, wandered around the one street that IS the shopping centre, explored a book shop, had lunch and came back to the car….. began reaching inside bag for keys..uh oh. Not there…but were sitting in unlocked car ready for ANYONE who wanted to, but no-one had. I really was distracted that day. Very lucky to have been able to come back to the car methinks!! OOPS. Denyse
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Jemima | Fiddle & Spoon says
Oh my gosh, this had me in stitches. I did this just the other day, new car and everything! You’ve just got to laugh at yourself sometimes! x
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sarah@tomfo says
Happy weekend Grace, thanks for the crack up, you made me laugh… yep I’ve done it too, but no one saw me… I think!
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Beck @ craftypjmum says
I did the same thing when I got my new car, you certainly are not alone
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Lisa Wood says
Oh I so would love to Visit Little Italy in Sydney.
That was so very funny….I can’t believe it was a different car, different colour – classic. I have done something kinda like it – came out of the shopping centre and couldn’t find our car.
Thought for sure it had been stolen but soon realised that I was on the Wrong floor! Actually was two floors away, and was on a completely different “letter’ to the one I was searching near.
Your job sounds really interesting, I love to travel on the road – seeing different cultures would be so cool 🙂
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Dannielle @ Zamamabakes says
Grace thanks for the giggle.
Love the way you have with words.
I would have been exactly like you and trying to explain myself too.
Enjoy that new car.
Have a great weekend xx
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