A Lesson in Chinese Heritage

Y is half-Chinese. His mother was born in China and his grandfather served as Ambassador to China in several different countries over the years. Those of you familiar with the Chinese culture know that they have specific name designations for each family member and the name changes depending upon birth order and whether the person is male or female.

When Sophie was born, we spent numerous conversations with Y's mother and the various family members to determine just exactly what everyone should be called.

Here's what we came up with:

First there's Sophie' grandparents (Y's parents) known as Yeye (yay-yuh) and Nana:

Next there is Sophie's Aunt (Y's sister). A quick aside - when Y and his sister were born they were given an English first name and Chinese middle name. Y's sister chose to go by her English name, Leslie, but is called by her middle name, Tchi, when she's around her Chinese family. Y, on the other hand, chose to go by his middle name. Confused yet? Anyway, back to Sophie's Aunt, known as Gou Ma (Goo-ma):
Then there's Sophie's Great Grandmother, whom she has yet to meet, known as Da Nana:

(I was pregnant in this picture with Da Nana. She looks great for 89, huh?)

Lastly, there are Y's aunt and uncle. To us they are known as Ayee (I-ee) and Jojo. To Sophie they will be Da Ayee and Da Jojo. Sophie has yet to meet them as they live in Massachusetts and Florida respectively.

Da Ayee and Great Uncle Ven (don't ask why he has an "American" designation when he's Chinese, too. Our family is weird!):

Da Jojo and Hong (Jojo married late in life and we're not sure how to refer to his wife who is Vietnamese):

We're still trying to determine how we will teach Sophie their real names since most families refer to their relatives as "Aunt Mary" and "Uncle Bob". The child has a chance to learn their real names. In the Chinese culture, the relatives are just known by their designation. I've been a part of this family for 11 years now and there are times I'M still confused!!