When I grow up until around my study time in university, many people keep telling me that I looked like someone they know. Be it their neighbor, their friends, their boyfriend, their whoever.

There was one odd incident that my face look like the sibling of a twins that happen to study in the same batch in my university. One of the twin was taking the same major with me :O

Now the look-alike-face did not happen after I graduated, but once I started my work, it is my name that become more 'universal'.

As most of you aware, Dwi and Chandra is inherited from Sanskrit letter means 'two' and 'moon'¹. My last name (Taniel) is a derivative of the Chinese 'Chen' (or Tan in Indonesian)².

Up to my professional career in Indonesia and Malaysia, I am well known as 'Dwi Chandra' (hence that is the calling of this website name). The use of that calling during that time had caused some odd situation that I didn't realize before.

There were incidents that I have to meet people and after I told them I am Dwi, the first comment that always come out from them is 'I thought you are an Indian'.

The same story happens when I was being called by several recruiting agency in Asian region, guess what? most of them are Indian companies! ... and sadly once they found out that I am not an Indian, there was never been any further follow up, etc (d*mn you racist recruiter!!! )

When I moved to Australia and take on a teaching job, I have several Asian students, including Vietnam. One of the student's name is Dui. Not long after, I start hearing some Vietnamese last name of 'Thanh'.

There you go, now I can disguise myself as 'Dui Thanh' (ha!)

Anyway, about my look-alike-face didn't happen, actually it is partially true. Up to now, it still happen, but in broader scope.

When I traveled to Thailand, the locals keep greeting me with Thai, which of course I am puzzled as I have no clue what they are saying. After I inform them that I can't speak Thai, all of them make the same comment 'I thought you are a Thai'

When I traveled to other countries, quite often that many 'Chinese' looking people approached me and start speaking in their language (you name it: Chinese, Hakka, Hokkien, Teochew, Malay, Thai, Korean, etc.) I bet when i go to Japan, they will all try to speak their language to me.

How do I know this? Because during my business trip in Jakarta (Indonesia), a lot of taxi drivers thought I am a Japanese (or Korean).

From me, I am also mimic-ing other languages and make them sound as though I am a native speakers.

It is a common occasion that when I greeted a Korean and before they look at me, they just replied gladly in Korean and start 'chanting' in Korean. But right after they saw my face (my blank face staring at them clueless), only then they realize that I don't speak Korean.

So looks like one of my life calling of being 'universal' has started way back and it is up to me how I decided to be the citizen of the world.

It is fun, it is enjoyable and it really broadens my horizon of knowing that there are many beautiful things in life that I can learn because of how I look and how I speak that can become universal.

P.S.: I recalled several times in my church community about the Glossolalia³, I will write separately on this as I felt that my universality is the way I put my Glossolalia to work

¹ http://www.triangleyoga.com/SanskritGlossary.html

² http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_(surname)

³ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia