It’s funny how nicknames come along. You can earn ‘em, or you have ‘em shoved down your throat. Or you get them by some weird conversation. Or you can have a sister who picks one for you every six months or so. (Only it wasn’t every six months—I’m exaggerating. But she’s responsible for a significant chunk of my nicknames. Heck, for a significantly long time, I used to answer to ‘Chubs’. Why ‘Chubs’? No idea. But that’s Lana for you.)
In the Who Am I page, I said that I put my domain name as Planet Jubne because ‘Jubne’ is one of my monikers. It came by when Kris was asking me how to say certain things in Arabic. She is the first person to ever NOT ask me how to swear. Usually that’s the first thing people want from a different language—for reasons I don’t quite understand. No, no, what SHE wanted to learn how to say first was “Where is the bathroom?”
Her cuteness knows no bounds.
Anyways, one rather unremarkable day we were walking around in the mall near our college when she asked me, “How do you say “‘Where is the cheese?’”
It was random, but I like randomness. This is a paraphrase of the ensuing conversation:
- Me: Where is the cheese?!
- Kris: Yes.
- Me: It’s ‘when el jubne’? It’s just like ‘where is the bathroom’ but replace ‘hamem’ with ‘jubne’, which is cheese in Arabic.
- Kris: So ‘jubne’ means cheese?
- Me: Yes.
- Kris: Jubne…jubne…I’m gonna call you that from now on.
- Me: *Laughs and thinks: ‘That’s cute’*
I SO didn’t think it’d catch on. But it did. I think I answer more to Jubne with her than I do to Hala. (I have a strict rule though–no one’s allowed to call me Jubne but her. Either make up your own nickname for me or just call me Hala…I really don’t mind my real name. Really.)
And there ya go.
