They say that I have a good name

No offense to my folks. Today, I will tell the story of how I got my name. My name came out of a book called "How to Give Your Child a Chinese Name". Yes, the book was in English. My parents found one that they liked the sound of, and found a suitable meaning to, and I was thus named.

I never figured out what my name meant till this year. There are 2 common "hui" used in a girl's name, and my name doesn't use either one of them. The character that my name uses is the name of a flower. Unfortunately I have no idea what the English name of this flower is. I had no idea what it signified either, until I was talking to a Chinese student at a dinner. He knew exactly what my name meant, and told me that the flower signified integrity. Everyone at the table assured me that it was a good name. They were also Chinese.

I had lunch with a Chinese person today. He asked me my name, and I told him. He told me that it was a good name. "Poetic" was the exact word he used. Thank you. My parents will be glad to hear that.

I've recently started telling the story behind my name to people. I wonder why. I think the fact that I look Chinese is beginning to become significant. I wonder what my former Chinese teacher would say if she knew that I was conversing in Chinese with a real Chinese person over lunch. I really tried to understand him, but I had to make him repeat himself, simplify the words. We ended up having to compromise with a hybrid of English and Chinese sentences. I know a white guy who understands classical Chinese. I can't even understand conversational Chinese. It's a little easier talking to someone from Taiwan.

Languages are fun though. I wish I could have seen how fun it was back when I had to learn Chinese. The emphasis on memorizing the 5000 or so characters really killed me. But the joy of being able to converse with someone in their language, a language that only the two of you share, be it English, French, Chinese or whatever else you speak, that creates a special feeling inside. The world is more interesting when you're actually living in it.