what's my name again??

Names are an interesting concept here in Costa Rica...

For example, some friends whom I work with...

Chime's real name is David but he's called Chime because he looks like a soccer player with that name. Chino's name is Josue. A while back, his friend called him by that name because he thought that he looked Chinese (which is Chino in Spanish); the name stuck. Jose's name is Marcelo. I learned that yesterday and have no idea why people call him Jose. Or maybe someone will call you by your description if they don't know your name..like "Skinny girl" "Blondey" etc...

But what has taken the longest to get used to is what men call women...If a man sees a woman walking down the street he might say, "Hello, my queen"..in Spanish of course haha...Or maybe, "My LOVE!" Women sometimes do this as well. I work with a woman who always calls us, "my princess"...This could be because she doesn't remember our names but regardless, it's pleasant..

You see, these names are given and spoken with all the freedom in the world. It isn't necessarily a come-on or to be inferred literally, but is just part of the culture

Today, I had to laugh because I went to put gas in my car and the attendant addressed me as "my doll"...I'm thankful for my months in this country that have helped me remember that a name is just a name here!! Interesting stuff!