Name on a train

Unicleus. That's a new one. 

Today I purposely boycotted the quiet car and lucky for me because otherwise I would have missed Unicleus and his mom getting on the train. "Come sit by the window, Unicleus." Wow!  I started to wonder how this name came into being. "I want my baby to be unique! Something different. But strong. Hercules? Zeus? Hmm...let'see. I got it!" 

The names people pick for their children has always fascinated me. I've often joked with fellow Hispanics about how creative people in different Latin American countries get when it comes to baby naming. I even have some interesting names in my family, thanks to my grandfather. See, he had a theme. His love for all things "American" played a big role in the naming of his children. Galo Jorge Washington, Tomás Edison, Benjamín Franklin and Abraham Lincoln. Yeah, for real. He had great admiration for the U.S. and boy did he show it. My uncle, Salvador Bolivar, while not named for an American personality, was in fact named for El Libertador, Simón Bolivar, who helped several Latin American countries gain their independence from Spain. 

We can still see evidence of U.S. admiration today as more and more "American" names make their way into the name registries in Latin America...albeit with alternative spellings. Jhonny, Yenifer, Michel. An English name may just give their kids a certain cachet...a je ne sais quoi.

Hoping their kids will stand out, parents sometimes get really, really creative and make names out of other English-language words that sound cool to them. Words that were never meant to be names. Here's what I'm talking about: Usnavi- US Navy / Usmaíl- US Mail / Milady- My lady / Yesaidú- Yes I do / Juan Jondre- 100 / Crismas- Christmas (I'm not kidding).

For more about the naming culture in Latin America, check out this oldie but goodie about Venezuelan names from the New York Times.

Shhh...this is the quiet car!

A few years ago when Metro North first announced that they would be making the last two cars on the train quiet cars, you could practically smell the happiness. It was almost enough to mask the scent of the all-too-familiar "eau de urine" in teh air. Smiles suddenly appeared on riders' faces as the conductor shared the news over the loudspeaker. Good times were ahead! Now they could catch a few Zs or read quietly without the cackling of the Croton Quartet or the overly-loud cell phone talker. "Did you get the chicken? Ugh! I told you to get the rotisserie chicken!" I was happy about the possibilities, too. But I'm beginning to change my mind.

Yesterday a couple who looked liked they were in their mid to late 60s boarded the train and sat in the seat in front of me. It was clear that they were not frequent train riders. Well, no sooner did they sit down and begin to wonder aloud about the number of stops until Grand Central, when the woman opposite them started her rant. "I guess people don't know what quiet means." The couple talked a little more, unaware that the comments were directed at them. A few eye rolls and loud sighs later, Ms. Nasty couldn't help herself and in a voice louder than what the couple had ever used, let them have it. "Shhh, this is the QUIET car! There is no talking here! If you want to talk you need to move to another car. People are trying to sleep!" I could see the embarrassment on the older lady's face and after a quick, "Oh," the couple remained quiet for the rest of the ride. I felt bad for them, and annoyed that someone could be so obnoxious, rude and disrespectful to people who hadn't meant any harm. This was Quiet Car Rage and I had seen it before.

Last month I got a call from my young son (who never calls) and picked it up thinking it might be an emergency. I'm generally a low-talker and in this case, I was extra-low. Not two seconds into my call, the woman next to me loudly reminded me that this was a quiet car. I put my son on hold and very uncharacteristically, got right in her face telling her I wasn't going to ignore a call from my son and that she probably didn't have any children. So Metro North, maybe in your next newsletter, expand a little more on this quiet car thing. Tell passengers they shouldn't jump down other passengers' throats for talking in the quiet car when they don't know the policy, or don't understand English, or they get an emergency call from home. There are exceptions to the rule— and when it comes to handling things, there are ways, and then there are better ways.