My First Cousins Once Removed

This photo shows the names of my cousins’ children. As this picture was taken in December 2008, it does not show the Christmas ornament of Evan, who was born early this year in January. Soon there will be another addition.

According to genealogists, they are my first cousins once removed and, I am their first cousin once removed as well.

It will be strange if they start greeting me, “hi, first cousin once removed weng.” I am very contented with the current “hi, uncle weng” or “uncle win” as one of them pronounced it.

I have two more first cousins once removed whose names don’t appear in the picture. They are of, er, child-bearing age, and their children are supposed to be my first cousins twice removed.

The Singapore way of addressing seniors uncles and aunties seems to avoid such problems though relationships might be confused. I can’t bring myself to address someone older than and not related to me as “uncles” and “aunties”. Just weird.