Everywhere I travel, my name sounds different. In Spain and Central America, me llamo Abigail ('Ah bee guy eel') - truly the most beautiful pronunciation of my name.
In Entebbe, a store vendor called me Mirembe meaning peace. I'm not entirely why he gave me this, as I was frazzeled-ly hunting through his shop for trinkets... Probably a ploy to get me to buy more, but I like it anyway.
In Gulu, my team gave me the Acholi name Nyapa Rwot. To have an Acholi name means you have been accepted and welcomed into the culture - my name means Chieftan's daughter, which makes my dad very pleased. They do treat me like a princess - why do you think I keep going back?
The most recent name I received was in Kenya, where our Masai friend Amos said he could not pronounce Abigail. But, he said, since it sounds like happiness (Abi/happy) - he would call me Nshapai. And he did - the whole weekend. "Nshapai, how are you this evening?"
I'm glad I don't have to choose among these names - I like each one.
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