In a Name

It's really hard for Chinese people to say my name. After two months of visiting Nini, after we went on vacation together, just last week she finally asked to me to write my name down so she could remember it.

Leslie is an uncommon name without near equivalent Chinese sounds (counter example: "Obama" is very easy for Chinese people because the same sounds are used in their language).

While there are few people I meet in Taipei who've ever heard "Leslie," there's no shortage of people who've heard of America's favorite collie.

Job interview, after job interview, I walked in and said, "Hi, I'm Leslie."

And the response I got was, "OH LIKE THE DOG!"

"Umm, no not quite, that's Lassie, I'm 'Lessssss' Lieeeeeeeeeee.'"

"Oh. I would think that sound like the dog, you know? the one? the dog I talk about?"

"Yes. I know, but my name is a little different."

I started pronouncing it Leh-suh-Lee to stanch this line of confusion. And I contemplated just using my middle name, Anne, to make things easier on everyone. But that's a decision I should have made before I came. Now I don't want to be Leslie to some, and Anne to others- that would over-complicate my life.

I feel bad for people when I introduce myself because I can see they're struggling to wrap their mind around those two syllables. It reads like English knitted into their furrowed brows, "What kind of name is that? She can't possibly think I'll remember that."

I recognize this look easily because it was only a few months ago when the positions were reversed.

USC has a huge international student community. I was part of USC's salsa club which attracted quite a few Trojans from overseas.

A lot, if not most, the Chinese students had English names they used on campus -- Eddie, Elaine, Richard, etc. Not so with the Indians. I made quite a few Indian friends through dance outings and my typical introduction was something like:

"Oh nice to meet you...(indistinguishable muttering)...My name is Leslie."

Then in the back of my mind I was thinking, "C'mon there's got to be a way you could shorten, abbreviate, demystify that name. My lips, teeth and tongue will never be able to properly form those syllables."

I don't think I correctly pronounced my friend Sumanth's name until he came and visited me and my family in Oregon for a weekend. Sumanth isn't even that hard, as far as Indian names go.

Ah,what's that saying about someone else's shoes?