My Thai Name

People often ask me, over here that is, what is your Thai name? They mean, "nickname," everybody here has one. I met an appellate court judge, he told me, "you can call me Doo." (I told him I'd stick with "your honor.")

My adopted family in the little northern town has a patriarch of sorts, he's the oldest one left anyway, seventy-five or so. He asked me, and when I didn't have one he went right to work. He asked my friends, his nieces and nephews, questions about me, thought about it, and decided on "Santi." As in Noi Santipap, "Peace Corps." So up there now I'm Lung Santi, "Uncle Peace."

You couldn't make this shit up.