I guess my name is a four-letter word, though I can’t say it has ever crossed my mind before now. In fact, I’ve always felt lucky to be an Abby. It’s easy to say. It’s common, but not too common. And many people seem to have fond memories of dogs named Abby.
However, on my first day teaching high school in Macedonia, I discovered that the glowing qualities of the name Abby dim when you cross the Macedonian border. This was made clear to me when my first words to my students were met with muffled laughter from the boys, which was met with eye-rolling from the girls. Something told me this wasn’t because my students all knew dogs named Abby.
To be fair, I might have chuckled, too, if my teacher had started class with My name is Abigail, but you can call me F**k. Well, shucks...I’m just grateful I changed the Macedonian phrase I put on my business cards with the “help” of Google Translate. The stakes of handing out cards that say It’s my pleasure to fulfill you are even higher than I imagined.
*The views expressed on this site do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations. They are the observations and reflections of someone who likes good stories.
