What’s In A Name
I love nicknames; I think they speak volumes about your relationships with people and, generally, offer up a good laugh. My parents were great at handing out nicknames, perhaps inspired by mi abuelo’s nickname – El Chino. When I came along, with a good resemblance to him, I appropriately became known as La Chinita. It’s the only nickname I got growing up and it stuck. It became my email address, my AIM screen name, even my profile name on MiGente.
When I got to college, many of my non-Latino friends asked what exactly “chinita” meant. I’m not sure it’s in any dictionary but the definition I knew all my friends and family attributed to it was “chinky girl”, pardon the term. Perhaps the proper way to think of it is “almond eyed girl” but let’s be frank, Cubans don’t mean almond eyed. Despite the fact some folks might find the meaning politically incorrect, the name has a special place in my heart.
I remember my parents always giving my friends nicknames and being mortified by them. I’d hope and pray they would never say them in front of them – La Narizona, La Gordita, La Metida. My parenst aren’t mean folks but they had a problem remembering my friends’ names so it was easier to describe them than try to remember their very American names. The best nickname by far, though, was for our regular handy man, Compotica, who loved to snack on little jars of baby food.
Nicknames bring back lots of memories and when I head back to Jersey and someone says, “Oye, Chinita!” It just feels comfy, familiar, something I can easily slip into. And those other nicknames for friends and the like, they make me smile and always take me back in time. I can’t wait to see what nicknames my girls get.
Did you have a nickname growing up? Does anyone still use it or is it reserved for family and old friends?
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