Naming

One of the most fun things I get to do here is bestow English names. Most Chinese by the time they reach 10 or 11 have either been given or have adopted an English name, but some have not or others had one but didn't like it.

For my students it is a necessity. There are 520 of them. I will be lucky if I learn even half of their names in English and would NEVER learn them in Chinese. Then there are teachers, teachers' children, street vendors --- I am getting a reputation.

I try to do something with their Chinese names or sometimes they just "look like" an Amy. Some who have adopted names for themselves need to be convinced that Spiderman is not a viable name, or that there are already enough "Kobe"s in Taiwan. I am also amazed at the cruelty that some of the earlier teachers must have felt to name a little kid "Moon", or "Venus"or "Lotus". Their English textbook characters have caused several to be named "Sky", both male and female. There are also a bunch of common misspellings that cause a little hilarity -- Windy, or Beety, for example. Some you can only wonder about -- my favorite is "Courlt". This is a math teacher (male) who insists that is the correct spelling.

About every one of you now has a namesake in Taiwan!