Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Morocco, 2008 - 2010), travel addict, professional couchsurfer, big time foodie, salsa fanatic, from nowhere in particular, and interested in promoting eco-friendly businesses and social outreach ventures.
Late in September of 2008, I arrived at my Community-Based-Training site where I would be residing with a host family for the next two months. As I sat down for my first dinner, my host mother, who I had met a little earlier, tried to introduce me to everyone at the table, but had difficulty pronouncing my name. I repeated my name. My host siblings tried to pronounce it, which then lead my host father to blurt out, "Yousef." Everyone smiled and mumbled Yousef then Jonathan until a consensus was reached when I was then pronounced Yousef or Joseph in English.