segunda-feira, 12 de maio de 2014

MY FAMILY NICKNAME


At home, and among the British colony, I have always been known as Teddy. Once an adult, many would call me Ted. When I was a server and then a choir member of the Anglican Church, now the Anglican Cathedral of São Paulo, I would receive letters and notes addressed to E. Harris, Esq.
Naturally, one could assume that my real name was Edward, or even Theodore, by the way, as Ted is used as an abbreviated form for those two names. But one would be absolutely wrong, as my name is Walter, after my Dad.
So how did I come by this nickname? That is why I am writing this short story, which is part of our family history.
In the early years of the 20th century a toy representing a bear was developed in the United States and in Germany, and was named after Theodore “T.R.” Roosevelt Jr. (1858-1919), President of the United States (1901-1909). Teddy bears sought to imitate the form of real bear cubs, and have been among the most popular gifts for children ever since.
As the story goes and as it was told to me by my parents, we were spending a weekend in Santos, and there I was, a small tot in a pram. I had blond and curly hair. Today my hair is still curly if I leave it long enough, but at seventy, it is quite white!
Well, there I was in my pram, when a young girl came along to appreciate my “good looks”, and turned to her mother and said: “Mother, he looks just like a teddy bear!”.
Needless to say, that from that moment onwards I was stuck with my nickname for good, that I have always cherished, and just love being called Teddy!

3 comentários:

  1. I enjoyed reading the origin of your nickname! Thanks for sharing!

    Sandra

    ResponderExcluir
    Respostas
    1. Sandra,
      My pleasure.
      I have seen your blog and quite enjoyed it.
      If you like, send me an E-mail to wwharris@gmail.com
      All the best,
      Walter

      Excluir
  2. Thank you Walter! I'm glad you liked my blog. I also enjoyed yours and read some of your posts. All of them are excellent and I have learned a lot from reading them! Thank you for sharing with us! I cannot wait to see the next post. I would like to follow it by e-mail if there were this option.
    I will send you an e-mail soon.
    All the best,

    Sandra

    ResponderExcluir