People, in our
home culture, often talk about how meaningful it is when someone remembers your
name and uses it. Other times words can be very meaningful when we refer to another by positive characteristics they possess, such as
talented, loving, or faithful. Living in
Barat we have learned many different forms names take and words used to refer to others. Much of what we have learned has come from being called
one or the other.
When out and
about, people who we do not yet know, will often call us "White Person" in the
national language, or "Mister" in English.
Men, women, teenagers, and children, from across the street, from a
motorcycle, or when walking up to greet us may use either of these terms. Yes, I, Erin frequently get called Mister (in
English). Occasionally, we may come
across a middle or high school student that has learned the terms sir and mam, but mam
often comes out as mom, and both are used with names.
When meeting a
person for the first time you might learn their name, but more likely you will
learn their eldest child’s name and refer to them as so-and-so’s mom or dad. I am most often referred to as Caedmon’s Mom. If you are married but do not yet
have kids, you may be called by your husband’s name, so I would be John’s Wife. If you are fortunate enough to learn
a person’s actual name, which occurs most often when exchanging phone numbers,
you probably will only get their ‘nickname.’
Their nickname often is a shortened portion of their full name, but with
less connection than Chris has to Christopher.
We have multiple neighbors who go by Ani because their full name ends in
–ani, but each has a very different full name.
The saddest examples of name calling we’ve seen is when children are called stupid.
Frequently when children disobey or just do something a child might do,
such as knock over a glass of milk or throw their clothes on the floor, their
parents may call them stupid or naughty.
When our children have cried in the company of others because we have
told them no, the locals will often call them spoiled. This is a term often used for small children
that cry when told no. Whitman recently has avoided hair cuts as long as possible because when he arrives at school with shortened hair, a nice short crew cut, the other children often call him the equivalent of 'baldy.'
All of these words or methods of referring to people carry a great deal of culture. We have our own personal reactions to hearing them, but we still are learning how they are really interpreted or meant by the locals that use them.
