Kay Oo.

This week I started teaching basic English to a group of adults two days a week. The first day I had them write their names on a worksheet and turn it back in so I could see and try to remember their names. One man couldn't write his name because he didn't know what it was in the English language; he only knew how to say it or spell it in Karen. The entire group tried to help him, but they didn't know either. Finally, I had him go ahead and turn in his paper. I simply wrote his name phonetically at the top so I could remember. He saw what I had written and got so excited! He took the paper and wrote down his name on his hand; he kept pointing to it with a huge smile and then back at himself, saying, "Kayoo!" Shortly after that we talked about their name, address, and social security number. He proudly wrote on his worksheet, "first name: Kay; last name: Oo." I probably gave him the only English name he'll ever know!