“Kuya Kevin!”
It isn’t unusual for me to hear this while walking around the university belt. I’ve lived here for six years, and I’ve had the privilege of speaking in several different schools. Sometimes I remember the name of the one greeting me, but at times the face doesn’t even look familiar. Regardless, I’m always honored that someone remembers my name. More importantly, I hope my life has somehow blessed whoever called out to me.
I was more confounded by the greetings that happened about a month ago–they came from complete strangers, far away from the u-belt. I was heading home from a seminar in Quezon City. “Kuya Kevin,” a random pedestrian blurted as I walked to the LRT (monorail). “Did I just hear my name? Did I just ignore one of my students?” I asked myself. I continued walking to the LRT station, where I heard another completely random greeting. “Kuya Kevin,” said the guard as I walked up the station’s stairs.
That’s when I realized I was still wearing my nametag from the seminar.
Want to feel famous? Wear a nametag for a day.
For my non-Filipino readers, sikat means popular or famous.
Related Topics:
Confessions of a Suki
Unforgettable Moments (That I’m not Sure I Want to Remember)
