OK, I was having my coffee this morning up on the terrace when I began humming a song that I hadn't heard in awhile. I have no idea why I was thinking about TJMC, but just when I was about to burst into song, I started thinking about the confusion I've had with names since I've been in Spain.
Normally, I've always been pretty good at remembering names, though in the last couple of years several friends have had children, and 4 or 5 of those little girls are named Isabella. I happen to really like that name, but suddenly had a tendancy to call every little girl Isabella. I have no valid explanation for this.
Upon arriving in Spain, I was already struggling with the language, particularly in situations when I'd meet someone for the first time. I've more or less gotten over the language hurdle, but now have a new problem: everyone seems to have the same name.
This is not a new phenomenon to the world, but it is to me, because now, on top of having to understand the language, I've got to really focus on remembering the name of the person I'm talking to. Maria Jose is so common, that I've repeatedly botched it, even when they go by their nickname.
There are countless nicknames, as I was informed when I first joined a gym. There were three women standing there, and Maria Josefina introuced herself to me ("I go by Maria Jose"), then introduced me to girl that worked there (also Maria Josefina, but she goes by Pepa), and finally to the third girl, again named Maria Josefina, but she goes by Mariajo. Neat.
I haven't been able to keep them straight since that first day (with the exception of Pepa), so just smile and wave when I see them.
I thought it would be easier with the guys. I was wrong; it's just as tricky. Jose or Juan is super commmon, and it's perfectly understandable. However, trying to remember Juan Carlos, Jose Carlos, Juan Manuel, Jose Manuel after having a few glasses of wine is almost impossible, for me at least.
No disrepect for these names or the culture is intended here. I truly appreciate the significance and think it's wonderful. That said, my personal trick has always been to find some sort of association to help me remember people's names, much the way the Old Monk referred to me as ESBryan. How many guys could they possibly have coming into their bar that would have 6 or 7 pints of Fuller's each night I certainly don't know, but they were able to keep my name straight.
I've had a habit of using a person's workplace in conjunction with their name, especially since I rarely know someone's last name. Thus, Dubliner Julie will always be Dubliner Julie, even when she leaves that bar and works in some other place. The same goes for Fireside Beth.
If not the workplace association, I'll find other means. I have a good friend Paula from the states, and over here, I would refer to her as Paula intercambio. This helped me differentiate her from someone else with the same last name. I was perfectly content with this, until I started another intercambio with a girl here. Her name is Paola. Paula - Paola. Hmmm, I've had a few slip ups, simply because sometimes my Spanish "au" sounds like my Spanish "ao".
In the states, I've got a good friend named Chris. In Spain, I know at least 6 Cristinas, several of which go by Cris. This made for some confusion when I was explaining to Intercambio Cris how Stateside Chris and I had been in London the weekend before. I had just figured out a way to minimize further confusion, when Cris (mother of a schoolfriend of Daniel) walked up, said hello, and introduced us to the woman with her, also named Cris. Yikes.
Scrambling to find a way to associate all the names, I looked at the baby girl in the stroller being pushed by the second Cris and said, "Wow, how pretty your child is. What's her name?"
"Isabella."
I give up. I'm going for another coffee.
cheers
bryan
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