As I told you was my first mission (yes...we call them 'mission', I know it's smug, but that's our lexicon), and I was shitting my pants to be the BOSS and completely in charge of everything.
And I started by the staff.
Almost all of them were knew by the organisation and they were working before for them, and the project was written accordingly with the staff already available. So the selection was easy: everybody in.
I wanted to look prepared and secure. So I just took the contracts I was using in Tajikistan changing the duty station and...the name.
"Ok, just tell me your full name and we print and sign the contract"
"Nyma"
"Ok, typing... Nyma and then?"
"Nyma"
"Your name is Nyma Nyma?"
"No, only Nyma" and he handed to me the ID card. In Chinese. Two ideograms: Ny-ma. that's it.
"Ok, next". I was thinking "Whatever but do not show them you are surprised because inexperienced"
And another guy entered in the office.
"Just tell me your full name and we print and sign the contract"
"Nyma"
"You kidding!"
Tibetan names are no numerous. Nyma mean sun, Dawa means moon, there are many Tashi and Tsering, Sonam both for man and female, Dicky, Lhamo, Jigme...and then variation like 'Dawa Tsering' and 'Dicky Lhamo'.
I've met around twenty Dawa Tsering.
And then, in the country side, when a child unfortunately dies for whatever reason, some people think that the demons took him because they were attracted by the kid. And so, when a newborn arrive, the parents use to give him a very ugly name, so that the demons do not want to take him. A friend sworn he met a 'Dog Poo'.
"Ok, next"
"Good morning"
"Hi, good morning, just tell me your full name and we print and sign the contract"
"Pupu"
"Enough!"
And I started by the staff.
Almost all of them were knew by the organisation and they were working before for them, and the project was written accordingly with the staff already available. So the selection was easy: everybody in.
I wanted to look prepared and secure. So I just took the contracts I was using in Tajikistan changing the duty station and...the name.
"Ok, just tell me your full name and we print and sign the contract"
"Nyma"
"Ok, typing... Nyma and then?"
"Nyma"
"Your name is Nyma Nyma?"
"No, only Nyma" and he handed to me the ID card. In Chinese. Two ideograms: Ny-ma. that's it.
"Ok, next". I was thinking "Whatever but do not show them you are surprised because inexperienced"
And another guy entered in the office.
"Just tell me your full name and we print and sign the contract"
"Nyma"
"You kidding!"
Tibetan names are no numerous. Nyma mean sun, Dawa means moon, there are many Tashi and Tsering, Sonam both for man and female, Dicky, Lhamo, Jigme...and then variation like 'Dawa Tsering' and 'Dicky Lhamo'.
I've met around twenty Dawa Tsering.
And then, in the country side, when a child unfortunately dies for whatever reason, some people think that the demons took him because they were attracted by the kid. And so, when a newborn arrive, the parents use to give him a very ugly name, so that the demons do not want to take him. A friend sworn he met a 'Dog Poo'.
"Ok, next"
"Good morning"
"Hi, good morning, just tell me your full name and we print and sign the contract"
"Pupu"
"Enough!"
No comments:
Post a Comment