I'm on a two-week trip to Egypt, and before leaving, I recorded several episodes of my Stairwell Teatro.
Episode 11 is a story about someone reclaiming the pronunciation of the name their parents gave them. This is a recurrent theme of name stories that folks share with me. Posts about this topic appear regularly on LinkedIn and typically generate hundreds of comments.
No matter where I travel, I always find name stories. On arrival in Cairo last week, we were met at the airport by Mohamed, whom I greeted like an old friend as I’d been communicating with Mohamed (at the Egyptian travel agency) for several months. He explained that he was a different Mohamed than the one I'd been emailing at the Nour el Nil agency. He added that Mohamed was a common name, and we would meet many Mohameds during our time in Egypt. And so it is. Almost every day, we meet a new Mohamed, who is likely to tell us his middle name -- Abdul, Ahmed, Hussein (just three examples). Mohameds lightheartedly joke that if you call out the name, more than half the men will respond. So best to use their middle names.
One Month Away-- December 10
I'll perform the final 2023 show at ASU's Kerr Cultural Center on December 10th in Scottsdale, AZ. Spread the word to friends or family in the Phoenix area. I'm excited to see long-time Arizona friends and to meet new ones.

You can watch the previous ten episodes of my Stairwell Teatro in a half-hour since individual stories are typically around two minutes. Click here for the playlist.
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