Quack Quack

We went on a Boston Duck tour the other day in what can only be described as weather made for a duck. T had been looking forward to this event, fascinated by the idea that there's a car that can transform into a boat. (More on Boston Duck tours).

After a brief red-light running foray around the North End, we made our way around yet another Boston construction site and entered the Charles River for the amphibious portion of the tour. Once we got out of the canal and underway up the nearly boatless river -- why no sculls were out in the middle of a Nor'easter, I can't say -- the captain turned the boat over to any willing underage pilots. T eagerly ran up front and took his place at the wheel.

"Where are you from?" asked the Captain.

"Itiopia," responded the little guy, shyly and quietly.

"Where?" asked the Captaiin, not hearing.

"Itiopia," said T, a little louder.

"Where?" asked the Captain yet again.

"ITIOPIA," responded T, as loudly as he dared.

The Captain has probably heard "Minnesota," "San Diego," "Canada," "New York," "Kalamazoo," "London," and a plethora of other places, but never before had an Ethiopian co-pilot. He was clearly confounded, and ready to give up.

"ETHIOPIA!" I yelled in his direction. He got it. "Ethiopia," he responded. "You came all the way from Africa to drive a Duck boat. That's a long way."

I could have let him know that T now lives in upstate New York, but I let it go. T lives in upstate New York, but he is *from* Itiopia as surely as I live in upstate New York but am *from* the Berkshire mountains in Massachusetts. I'm glad T knows where he is from. I'm proud he answered "Itiopia." The mountains are still in my blood and I hope Itiopia is always in his blood. And I like that he says it the way they say it in Itiopia. If we can, out of political correctness, switch from "Peking" to "Beijing" and from "Bombay" to "Mumbai," then we can get the 'th' out of Itiopia. Or at least understand what country a little boy is referring to when he says he's from "Itiopia."

Quack on, my friends!


The Duck boat operator, leaning in as he tries to figure out what T is saying. (T is driving the boat)

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