Chao !

If you have been in a Metropolitan in India or somewhere in Europe, you have definitely heard this....although Chao is the phonetic spelling of the word, the actual word is ''ciao''

Many people are not aware that although ''chao'' is used for ''goodbye'', it also means ''hello''. Inevitably all Italians start their emails with ''Chao Tom'' and this surprises most people. During my first time in Italy, when I walked into a hotel in Rome and the receptionist said ''chao'', I was not sure if she was indirectly telling me I had no reservation....it took me a couple of more chaos to finally figure out that everyone is saying hello !

Chao Signor/Signora !