Name Game

"Brrrrreeeeeeeeeen!"  Frederico exaggerates how Italians pronounce my name in a sing-songy voice with a big smile on his face as I walk in the door to the hotel. "Like a very old telephone, uh?"

Ciaoooo, Frederico.

"No, no, no, it's FADE-UH-RRRRI-CO."  He writes it down for me: FEDERICO.

I guess if I'm going to correct how he says my name, he should probably correct me, too.

I told Gianni a couple days ago that I wrote about him in my blog.  Apparently, "blog" translates, so he wanted the address.  I asked Federico if he read it, as well.

"Yesterdayyy, Gianni ask me to read-eh your blog to heeeeem, buhhht, it is very hard for Italians to read, so I say to Gianni, 'I am too tired,'" [he pretends to yawn for emphasis], "and I go home, and I-" [he whistles as he pretends to flip through a book], "so I can see some of these words, and todayyy I read it to heeem!"  Federico is extra lively today, and I'm loving it.

Later on that evening, I walk downstairs to take Koda outside.

Ciaooo, Gianni!

"Ciao, Brrrrreeeeeeeen!" he laughs.  Gianni has a great laugh.  Just the way you would imagine an Italian would.

I guess you read my blog.

"My name, you say 'Jee-YAWN-ee'...but is just...'Jyanni.'"

Oh.

Welp, now I know. 

He laughs again.  "I liiiiike that you say we sounds like very old telephone with your name."

What I think they liiiiiiiiiiiike is that I wrote about the way they sounds like at all.

All cute and Italiany.