name-calling

Yesterday afternoon, as a colleague called me to his office to ask a question...
Kenyan colleague: "Be-the-ny... *pauses* Can I just call you 'Betty'?"
Me: "Absolutely not!"
Kenyan colleague: "Why not?"
Me: "Because practically nobody in my country under the age of 70 goes by 'Betty'. Plus, that's not even my name!"
Kenyan colleague: "Oh! Well we know you're young."
Indian colleague: "Yeah, and "Bethany" is long -- it's three syllables!"
Kenyan colleague: "And 'Betty' is only two."
Fortunately, they settled on using 'Beth' instead at my request, which I knew would turn to 'Bet' since the "th" is not a normal sound for Kenyans or Indians.

One thing's for sure around here, and it's that I never know what to expect next!