What's in a name?

Bex & Andy, Guatelama 2004

People out here in India often comment, when they discover Maya's name, that we have chosen an Indian name. At this point I smile to myself and think, how much time have you got? Because yes, one of the reasons we chose this name was that both Andy and I fell in love with India independently, several years before it was our time to meet. And we knew this was a popular name in India. But there was much more to it than that. Lots of you know this story, but full moon has recently been and gone and I always wallow in a little nostalgia around this time...so here's the story of Maya's name. The other story....

Once upon a time a blond- haired girl met a curly-haired boy (at least, he thought she was blond until the roots grew out and his hope of catching a blond gal were forever dashed) on a Guatemalan hillside next to Lago Atitlan, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. They got on a bus together and travelled for two hours, chatting all the way without pausing for breath. When it was time for the girl to get off the bus, she knew that she'd be a fool not to keep in contact with him. And so she gave him her email address.....



A month later, they met again and did a full moon walk to the summit of a volcano. By the time they got to the top and dawn was breaking, not only could they see the full moon but also the shadow of the volcano they were standing on was cast across the valley. Words struggle to express this. It was awe-inspiring.



One and a half years later, this happened.....

....and in June 2006 this little beauty was born in our bedroom in Godmanchester.

We pondered over names, but it could only ever really be one: Maya.

Maya, which signifies magic and mystery in Indian culture.

And Maya, named after the wonderful indigenous Mayans of Guatemala.

Maya in India, November 2009