what´s in a name?

So anyone who has been around people that speak a language other than English know that sometimes it´s necessary to adjust the pronuniciation of your name. For me here, my name is Coh-leen. No problem, except that I have recently learned that one of the major manufacturors of machetes in the DR has the last name of Collin (pronounced just like my name is). Hence, if someone is having difficulty, I say ¨Coh-leen¨como la machete, and then the understand. From that, a lot of jokes have been made about how fuerte, or strong I am.
Well, a family member of my host family who sometimes visits told me upon our initial meeting that he was going to call me Coh-leen Power. Since he knows some English, I figured he was making a joke about strength. I saw him a few days ago and he said ¨Hola Coh-leen Power¨and then asked if I knew who that was. I played along and said yes, me of course. Nooooo, said he, Coh-leen Power, the guy in Washington D.C., the black man .... oh, said I, Colin Powell!

In other news, while you at home watched the Oscars last night, I had a movie-going experience myself. I saw Sanky Panky (www.sankypanky.net), a Dominican film about Sanky Pankys, or Dominican men that hang out at resorts to charm rich tourists in order to get married fo ra visa or just get money. I´ve been told that in recent years there has been a rise in Dominican cinematography. It tends to be very satirical. The film was a lot of fun, very silly. If you can get ahold of a copy at home, you should watch it. The scenes shot outside of the hotel really depict a lot of what I see daily in my barrio and at local colmados, or stores.