Where do you put your last name in your conversations?
Yesterday I’m with a Korean who has just freshly arrived in Canada. He is bright, knowledgeable and personable.
We begin telling each other our names. First names. He spells out his first name and puts the last name down as well. But we don’t discuss the last name – the family name. He has learned well the Western way of doing things. First names are the most important.
Something triggers in the back of my mind.
Years ago a Korean student came to our seminary in Canada. He had a distinctly Korean name – but he went by the English moniker, “Henry”. His last name was “Oh”, a family name which my new Korean friend recognized.
My new friend acknowledged that in Korea the family name is spoken first, and then the given name.
And I had to reach back again. Henry from Korea was a bit of jokester (actually a “joke star”!).f He was more aware of our Canadian culture and idioms than we knew. He chose his name – Henry – with a western culture in mind.
OH HENRY!
And the joke was on us!!