It's (kinda) all about me

M calls me "Me".

I attribute it two possibilities:
1. the end sound in "mommy" or 
2. he hears me refer to myself as "me" a lot (come see me, hold still for me, etc.).

B posed a third possibility based on the theory that infants and toddlers don't see their parents as separate entities, but rather an extension of themselves ... I think it's a form of narcissism, but I'm not sure of the actual clinical term.  Thus, by calling me "me", he's reiterating that I am simply another appendage of his, there to do his bidding.

While I recognize the reasoning behind this idea, I'm not on board with it.  After all, M calls B "Buhben".  If M viewed us as part of him, wouldn't B also be "me"?

And, I know M is pretty self involved and lacks empathy, but I think he's aware enough to know I'm a completely separate person.

I think.

Things that make me go "huh?"

A while ago, I posted about my general surprise over being frequently asked about guns and God in relation to my being an American.  Now that we've moved to a more urban area and I'm interacting with more people a couple fresh questions seem to be playing on a continuous loop.  Both of which, never crossed my mind before the last couple weeks.

1.  "What is he eating?"

This is asked as the asker points at M happily munching his O shaped cereal.  No, not Cheerios.  Although they technically have Cheerios in Australia (I previously wrote about my trouble finding Cheerios here), they are heavily coated in sugar and nothing like our Cheerios.  M's on-the-go snack is Oobie Doos, an O shaped rice cereal marketed by the Wiggles machine.  

Although Cheerios are a staple in virtually every US toddler's diet, they are so rare and so peculiar in Australia, that people stop me on the street to ask what they are.

Huh.  Who knew.

2.  "Is your husband Italian?"
This is asked after I tell someone Mateo's name.  Australia has a significant Italian population and the "o" ending name is immediately associated with that ethic group.

My introduction to Mateo was through Spanish (mostly Mexican) speakers.  Apparently, the "sunburnt country" didn't appeal so much to the Spanish.  And there are virtually no Mexican's here (as witnessed by the painfully lacking supply of Mexican-style foods).

At least once a day, I meet someone who tells me about an Italian they know named Mateo.  They ask if my husband is Italian, then tell me about their son/daughter/friend who studied a term in Italy and became friends with a Mateo.  

On the plus side, these people all pronounce his name correctly.  So, there's that.

*28/08/2012 addition*
I forgot about "US or Canada?"  Generally, this question comes after hearing my accent.  My initial surprise at this one has worn off (hence, I forgot about it until being asked this morning), and speaks more to my country-centric sensibilities than Australians' curiosity.  

To be blunt, I forgot about our quiet neighbors in the attic and how similar a Canadian accent (well, not French Canadian, but that's a whole other can o' worms) would sound to an Australian ear.

It's unAustralian

I can't claim I wasn't warned.

Prior to our move, Dorcas gave me "Australia: the essential guide to customs & culture".  The book features a text box labeled "It's unAustralian" and the last bullet point reads:
"not to add an 'o' to your mate's first name (unless he's called Antonio, in which case you call him 'Ant')."

I pointed this out to Benjamin and he kind of snickered and said, "it's pretty much true ... and they're going to call Mateo Matt."

I forgot about this until a couple weeks ago, when meeting a friend of Benjamin and the wife of the friend.

Upon introducing Mateo to her, the WotF said, "oh, I'll never remember that. I'll just call him Matt."

She didn't ask "do you mind if I call him Matt?"; she told us what she was going to call him.  I didn't know what to say.  I was dumbstruck.  She was/is super nice and I didn't/don't want to offend her.  So, the question is, how to bring it up with her in the nicest, most respectful way possible?

I'm not new to such situations.  I've gone by my full name since 1992 when I started working in an office with another "Pam".  She was only 5 feet tall, so our coworkers referred to us as "Little Pam" and "Big Pam".  No one wants to be called "Big Pam", so I became Pamela.  That's what I go by, it's how I introduce myself and it's how I expect people (who haven't asked if they can call me "Pam") to address me.  Occasionally, someone will immediately abbreviate my name upon first meeting me, but they quickly realize no one else does and revert to "Pamela".  In the very rare occasions when this doesn't happen, I make a point to be alone with this person and quietly tell them I prefer "Pamela". 

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

But this feels different.  She's made it clear this is what she's decided to do.  And, she has the culture to support her.  Do I just write it off as a cultural clash and get over myself?  Or do I ask her to stop?  And, if I do ask her to stop, how do I do it in a way that not only preserves the relationship (again, super nice + wife of B's close friend), but ensures a happy continuation of the relationship?

-UPDATE 27 August-
We visited with Friend and WotF yesterday.  Not only did she not abbreviate Mateo's name.  She practiced saying it over and over and apologized profusely for taking a few goes to get it right.  Hooray!

However, I'm still open to advice for future such situations.

K thx bai

Law of diminishing retweets

I stop patronizing brands I previously raved about when they don't acknowledge my questions/rave reviews/retweets.  And, I wonder if others do this, too.

I realize I am just one insignificant consumer to them, but I expect more from a brand when they hang out a social shingle.  Isn't engaging in two-way dialog kinda the point?

For example, I made a switch to almond milk a year ago.  I'd done lots of taste testing and narrowed "my brand" down to two  brands, Silk and Pacific Foods.  I tweeted this and asked the twitterverse for feedback on which almond milk brands they liked best.  I hoped I would hear from Silk and Pacific Foods with some additional nuggets of information about their product that would tip my decision.  Neither brand piped in.  Their lack of interest in me spawned my lack of interest in them.  I reopened my taste testing and ultimately chose another brand.

Why be on Twitter if you don't engage?  Why pretend to be social when you're just using a different medium to broadcast the same messages?

In a big country

Australians know a lot about the US.  Their news covers far more about our happenings, our economy and our politics than our news covers of all other countries combined.  However, it's our pop culture that seems to make the lasting impression and fleshes out their perceptions of us.

Recent events have resulted in me suddenly being the voice of my people.  And, being asked to justify or defend behavior I do not endorse.  It's a big country, with a plethora of opinions and lifestyles.  It's been odd to see Americans through another lens ... one that lumps them into a single persona.

For example, the recent Colorado shooting brought the US lack of gun control to the fore.  I heard the phrase "all Americans are armed to the teeth" many, many times a day.  I fielded questions like, "how many guns do you own" and "weren't you afraid".

My personal feelings about gun control aside, I found myself offended.

"How does your politicians spouting platitudes and generalizations about all Americans being armed to the teeth help further along the conversations towards a real solution?" I complained to B.

Another example is religion.  During a visit with some friends of B, the conversation went like this:
A: "Are you religious?"
Me: "I have a belief system that is important to me, but I don't align myself with a particular religion."
A: "Really?  I thought all Americans were super religious."
Me: "I don't don't think so.  I think something like 80 percent consider themselves a certain religion, but don't actively practice that religion."
A: "Huh.  What about all those religious TV people asking for money and those guys picketing at soldiers' funerals?  They're a big deal, right? Isn't that what most Americans believe?"
Me: "Wow.  That's what you think about faith in America?  I think those groups are very vocal, but very small."

We're being judged by the groups that make the most noise.  Right or wrong.

My takeaway?  Be sure my voice starts getting heard and find a way to cancel out the noise of the vocal minority when they don't represent what I believe to be true.  Otherwise, the world will continue to frame all Americans by what the loudest among us says.