MEA Means Growth in Swahili
When we shortened our Modern Elder Academy name to MEA, we didn't expect we'd have to do a "mea culpa" to Spanish and Portuguese-speaking people as "mea" is the third person for urinating. Not exactly a great word association.
But, more recently, we've found that "mea" means "growth" or "sprout" in Swahili, to "measure" in Sanskrit, and it has a relationship "to host" in Hawaiian, where they call a host "mea ho'okipa." Ho'okipa means hospitality (in a simplified English translation sort of way), and, in this case, the word mea, when added in front of it, means "the one who brings/delivers/establishes/creates."
Phew! I know that's a lot to take in. What can I say? I'm a word nerd, but you already knew that. The bottom line is that MEA can mean "to host," which makes perfect sense to me as someone who has spent my life hosting as a boutique hotelier, as the head of all the hosts at Airbnb, and now as your host at MEA.
We hope you'll give us the opportunity to host your midlife growth spurt, which we will measure in margaritas (or, better yet, merriment).
-Chip
