The scenario would have been totally unimaginable to me some time in my past: Iraq just played against Pakistan for the 2010 World Cup Soccer Qualifiers in Lahore. One judge hailed from Jordan and another from Kyrgyzstan and the head coach of Iraq hails from Norway. Coverage of fans’ reactions was filmed in Qatar, Syria, Pakistan and Norway.
It was, in fact, a slow game with very little drama. Iraq easily crushed Pakistan 7-0 with a mere 3 minutes of overtime. As soccer goes, this was really a boring match. Sponsorship was a bizarre mix of Pakistani and Norwegian companies. Al-Falah Bank ads were next to Bohus Furniture and the ubiquitous Coca-Cola. Despite the crazy and unlikely internationality of it all, would it be unpatriotic of me if I cheer for Iraq? But then again, would Norway see me as a passive supporter of arranged marriages if I cheer for Pakistan? Hmmmmm… now this is a dilemma. :D
What's in a Name?
Choosing an official name for a baby is no simple task. What do you take into consideration: Tradition? Trends? Culture? Pronounceable in how many languages? Or worse yet, does the name we've chosen mean “The Ass of a Donkey” in a language he or she may use in the future? Well, for what it’s worth, we made our choice. Theo will have to live with it and manage the best he can.
The poor guy, however, does not get the chance to manage all of the nicknames he’s acquired in just 2 ½ months. I routinely call him “Tiger” and depending on his mood, “crab cake”. If he’s super cute, some days he even gets called “babycakes”. Anders has used every single pet name he can think of in Norwegian. Theo often becomes “Lille vennen” (Little friend), “Gullungen” (Golden Child) or “Gullklompen” (Golden Lump). The latter often gets shortened to just “klomp” and then translated into English.
Long story short, we like Lump and Lump likes us.
The poor guy, however, does not get the chance to manage all of the nicknames he’s acquired in just 2 ½ months. I routinely call him “Tiger” and depending on his mood, “crab cake”. If he’s super cute, some days he even gets called “babycakes”. Anders has used every single pet name he can think of in Norwegian. Theo often becomes “Lille vennen” (Little friend), “Gullungen” (Golden Child) or “Gullklompen” (Golden Lump). The latter often gets shortened to just “klomp” and then translated into English.
Long story short, we like Lump and Lump likes us.
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