“What’s your name?”
“Lauren.”
Blank stare. ”Sorry?”
“Loreen.”
“Ah Loreni.”
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Inspired by Andrea’s blog post, another EWB Junior Fellow working in Zambia, I have compiled a list of the names I am called here in Malawi.
- Loreni – Basically anywhere I go in Santhe when kids see me they yell “LORENI!!!!” at the top of their lungs. Chichewa names all end in vowels, so it’s not surprising that the extra “i” is added.
- Loreen – After many corrections most people I work/live with have dropped the ending “i”. Closer.
- Lolini – This was how my name was written on a wedding invitation I received. “R’s” and “l’s” are interchangeable in Chichewa, so again not surprising.
- Caroleen – I am not entirely sure why, but there are a handful of people, no matter how many times I correct them, who continually refer to me as Caroleen. Not Caroline, rather there is a heavy emphasis on the final syllable EEN (like in LorEEN).
- Azungu – Anywhere I travel outside of Santhe mostly the kids, but also the adults, yell “Azungu! Azungu bo! Bo!”, meaning “white people”, when they see me. I’m still confused about why I am considered people, instead of the singular white person “muzungu”.
- China – Annoying.
- America – More annoying.
- Tsitsi (hair) – Being the only person in Santhe with a non-shaved head definitely makes me stand out even more.
- Sister or mama or amayi (mother) – People here seem to have a lot of difficulty determining a white person’s age. I have gotten guesses about my age that range from 15 to 35.
And never, ever am I called Lauren.
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Word of the Day:
dzina = name
For more photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/97868050@N07/
Pieces of Change 
ahhh lorini, names are so hard! I was called alegisi for soooo long! I finally got the kids to say my full name (alesandrrrrra, emphasis on the rrr’s) then i moved and had to start all over again.