That's great. I'm glad you've finally got that all straightened out. It seems like a really long process. Most people would probably give up before they start.

My driver's license doesn't even have a spot for weight. Not that i'm complaining. :)

Dang, brother, you are forever millions of centuries older than I am! :-p

And that's excellent! I like your name. Though I'm gonna call you Nezalita on holidays.

One of my former students began insisting on a Spanish rather than Anglo pronunciation of her first name a few years ago, and noticed that the change was very empowering. Heck, I noticed quite a difference in her demeanor in classes (she became much more involved in class discussions) and in her focus. Rather than continue to conform to the dominant culture, she reclaimed a bit of who she was. A change in name (or even in pronunciation) might seem like a small thing, but I've seen it lead to some beautiful changes.

Keep on keepin' in!

So much in common.

'mano, I know what you mean. It would kill me when I was being introduced, it was like nails on a chalkboard, every time I heard somebody say, "what did you say?" or "can you repeat that again."

Felicidades! You sound really really happy. :)

This made me think of a post Kactus wrote about her daughters name. I think you'd be interested in seeing it: What's in a Name? I agree with her that sometimes the refusal to pronounce a name correctly is passive agressive. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt the first couple of times, but after that, it really appears to be disrespect.

I'm curious about the "nom de intertubes" you've chosen. Where did that come from, if you don't mind explaining?

i will definitely head over there and read that, donna. i agree that it is sometimes that. i also think people are just afraid of embarrassing themselves. and have mental barriers in place against sounding out letters differently, especially children raised monlingually. in addition, there could be invisible guides in place that look down on foreign names, and these could help them not be "able" to pronounce such names.

excuse me for linking rather than copying and pasting or explaining anew: NLXJ.

ah, yes, i have read that. even tho i didnt comment. great post.

Beautiful! Congratulations!

Congratulations! I have a name that has always evoked "hunh" and "what" looks from people too. But you know what, it's taught me to really make an effort to pronounce people's name the way that they prefer. My partner is in the process of changing over his surname from the one he got when he was adopted to the one that he originally had, the one that reflects his heritage.

I am so happy for you! You deserve to have your identity respected. This country isn't lily-white and people are going to have to eventually get used to the fact that we don't all want to be named Jane, Jack, and Marie. I gave my daughter an Arabic name and people slaughter it every single time but I hope that she will always treasure it and insist that people pronounce it correctly.

It is an artist's name.

And wow, you're a Pisces! That explains a lot!

oh?

thank you bint!

yes, i took the same lesson out of it. i understand, now, how it feels. so i know people's names are important for them. i hate even having to ask twice, but of course sometimes you just have to! until you know it. as long as someone is making effort, earnest effort, to get it right, i only appreciate it. it's only that "Hunh????" thing that still gets me a little. but things to easier once mister phoenix busted out, too.

i hope your daughter grows to love her name, too. my 14 year old like her name now, but there was a period she didn't want to stand out. (it's not spanish, but a word i sort of made up, compound word).

That is so awesome! I'm glad you have a chance to have your name on your papers.

I find that I've been pretty fortunate with my name. My whole immediate family is geographically named (excepting my dad, whose name is that of his father, which is also that of a president, and that of little towns/bridges/areas named for that president or people like him). My mother is a city, my middle sister and I are islands, and my youngest sister is a city and a geographical feature. We were named for places before that was popular.

People who choose to remark on my name either do a little song and dance (believe me, if you heard it, our incredibly sucessful tourist bureau would have the theme song popping into your head too) - I had an eighth grade teacher who would not greet me without singing it - or a lame pickup line, or a song from a dumb, if popular and somewhat inspirational, movie. Or they say "What a pretty name!"

What they can't do is spell it. It's an island! It's a country! It's a popular island/country/place! Yet somehow, not a bloody person can spell it right.

I don't mind when people pronounce it wrong, though. Most of the people who do so do it because of language reasons... substituting a "ya" where there should be a "juh," and so on.

What I do mind is when people turn around and ask "Oh, are you from [the country I'm named after]?," or sing the stupid song over and over again (okay, once is cool! It's silly, it's funny, get it out of your system... but it gets old real fast), or immediately think it's okay to call me any geographically themed name. I've gotten Aruba, Cuba, Carribean, and... Singapore, of all places. None of which sound like my name. (And nevermind the years of getting confused with a girl named America... who was in a different grade, half a foot shorter than I am, and hispanic)

Heaven forfend I should use my middle name (spelled out in full, hyphenated, Japanese glory wherever possible). Hardly anyone can pronounce it, or spell it, or remember what it is. Even friends I had for years in High School (with their own Chinese/Philippino/Mexican/El Salvadoran/Thai names, to boot) had trouble with that. My youngest sister went by her (Japanese) middle name for years (starts with a "Ts," and makes everyone's head spin in confusion), and now either goes by her first name (in class, usually), or by... Lisa? Jane? something blandly White American, when she's at Starbucks or the like.

I'm very happy for you. I've had the same experience twice, first in Mexico with my name Xochitl and then in the US when I decided to go by Lucero. In Mexico kids used to make fun of my name and call me Xochimilco, which would really irritate me and hurt me. Then, when I came to the US, wanting to put a stop to the bullying, I decided to go by Lucero. Little did I know what I was getting into. Non-mexicans always stumbled upon my name and even question it saying things like, "shouldn't your name end with an 'a'"? or just plain wanting to call me Lucy, which I have always refused. Now, as I learn more about my culture I like both my names. Lucero Xochitl is very representative of who I am as a person and the complexity of my culture.

Lucero Xochitl, it's a beautiful name.