Photo: Origins

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

I've been hesitating about posting this, thinking it might be too navel-gazing, not interesting to anyone but myself, but here goes. So Minor (age 9) has a country project for school and picked Rwanda (his father's Rwandan) and I got him a book about Rwanda from the library and lo and behold.



This is where okapi comes from. The back of the minvan says OKAPI CAR. It was a transportation company that ran between Butare and Kigali when I lived there many, many years ago. It was known for reckless driving and speed. It has since gone out of business.

But when my father died a couple of years after I left Rwanda, he left me his minivan, so I called it okapi (after the Rwandan business) and when I was searching for a username for my AO3 account seven years later, I picked the nickname for the car (which I still drive!). I had no idea how much significance the name would come to have for me. It really is a huge part of my identity now. More often than not, I think of myself as okapi. And it was sort of incredible to open a book and see the very beginning of it, a seed which was planted seventeen years ago.

Comments

[smallhobbit]

That's fascinating. I'm glad you found the pic and shared it.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

It was such a surprise to see it in the book because, as I said, the company's been out of business for a decade at least, so it's not like it still possible to see if even if you went to Rwanda. And it isn't like okapi is a variation on my legal name, it really is its own identity.

[kingstoken]

What an interesting back story for your user name

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Oh, good. I am glad you think so!

[lunabee34]

I think that's very interesting! It is so neat to find ties to yourself in places you didn't expect. What a great story.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Oh, cool. Glad you liked the story.

[ancientreader]

Accepting for the sake of argument that this is navel-gazing, it's a terrifically interesting navel! Thank you for telling this story, it's wonderful.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

It does make smile to think of you doing things for argument's sake. :) Thank you. I am glad it's a good story.

[regshoe]

That's a very interesting story to have behind your username! What a good thing it must have been to see that picture.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! I am glad you found it so.

By the way, I enjoyed your Barbara Pym review. I am a bit afraid (?! for weird brain/personal history reasons) to read her works, so I liked knowing what one of the works was about without actually having to read it.

Also, I have a square on my book bingo called 'recommendations' and if for whatever reason I am having difficulty filling it I have promised myself I will give The Flight of the Herons a go because 'I am certain regshoe would recommend it.' I even looked up the definition of Jacobite to prepare myself. I know it's such a core part of you.

[regshoe]

I'm glad you enjoyed the review! I, er, didn't go into detail on one important (very good) thing that book is about, because of spoilers. But if you ever do want to read Pym's books, it's a good one. :)

if for whatever reason I am having difficulty filling it I have promised myself I will give The Flight of the Herons a go because 'I am certain regshoe would recommend it.'

:D Oh, I'm delighted to hear that. I certainly would! Haha, I knew very little about Jacobite history when I first read FotH—it has changed all that...

[cuddyclothes]

That is fascinating!

Okapis are part of my history. When I was a kid, I had a stuffed okapi. It was one of my absolute favorite stuffed animals because it looked like several animals in one.

Later I wrote an absolutely filthy monologue as a man, about being caught naked in the okapi cage. Okapi sounded funnier than giraffe.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Oh wow! That's cool you had a connection to the animal when you were young. I have a stuffed one, too, but it's a more recent acquisition. They are amazing creatures in their own rights. And, yes, they are funnier than giraffes!

[luthienberen]

Thank you for sharing, it is an incredible story. I am glad you found the pic. It was great learning more about your username and how important it it is you. :)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Oh, thank you! I am glad you liked the story.

[debriswoman]

This is actually very interesting and a fascinating reason for your user name. I have another online friend who is very fond of the animal, okapi and has the same stuffed okapi as on your pic, so I did not consider any other source:-)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Ah, stuffed okapis get around! They have their charm. Sometimes the boys play with mine (using launching him into outer space or making him play in their football league).

Thank you! Glad you liked the story. I was surprised to find the photo in the book.