Names

On Friday my boss and I discussed an upcoming demo for a pre-school art class I might teach. I love my boss, she's really funny and spastic, but her English is such that we frequently end up at cross purposes such as:

Me: "So, we'll do introductions and then make monkey masks. Do you think that's enough for a twenty-minute demo? Or should I plan something else also?"

Boss: "Yes, the parents will be seated in the back."

Uhhh...

Then I asked her whether or not all the little kids would have English names already. Every student I've taught in Taiwan has an English name. I don't even know their Chinese names. But I'm not clear on at what point they receive these names. Sometimes their parents give them to them. Sometimes it's somebody else.

Boss: They are so little. Maybe they wont have English names. Maybe the parent will ask you to give them English name.

Me: Oh no! I wouldn't know what to call them.

Boss: Maybe you can say, 'Ok. You! Beyonce, Ok. You! McDonalds.'

Me: (laughing) How about Kentucky?

Boss: No, no. Chinese people will know this one.

(KFC is really popular here.)

The demo was today. Turns out the kids all had English names - Willy, Austin, Daniel, Melissa, Sabrina. Maybe some other time I'll be able to give the world another Beyonce.