If you think about all the people whose names you’ve forgotten in your life, it can be quite embarrassing, now at post (?) pandemic.
Especially for the people you’ve forgotten, who were once important in your life. You run into them years later without recognizing them, and they have to remind you that they once saved your life by providing a kidney.
Here in Mexico, getting names right can become even more complicated because Mexicans often use several paternal and maternal surnames together out of respect to all their various lineages, with their paternal last name first like a middle name and their maternal name last. And then first names interchanged with what are called nombres hipocorísticos or pet names. Francisco becomes Paco and Jesus becomes Chuy (pronounced Choowi), Eduardo becomes Lalo. And Jorge Francisco Alejandre Rodriguez might even answer to ... George.
It’s a challenge for us elderly gringos when our memory banks have shrunk to the size value of a centavo.
Recently, someone, whom I probably embarrassed because I forgot his name, suggested I try sharpening my memory by using creative little tricks called mnemonics to help my brain remember things, even when it’s been out late drinking the night before, calling everybody Bub.
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