Remember those days when your biggest problem was how to get past the school guard at the gate because:
a. you forgot your ID;
b. you were not wearing white socks;
c. you were not wearing socks; or,
d. you were wearing sneakers instead of black school shoes?
Oh, how simple life was back then.
19 February 2007
08 February 2007
What's in a Name?
My full name is Jade Sheryl--not Jade, not Jadesheryl, and not Jade-Sheryl. Americans seem to have a hard time accepting this fact. "It's like Mary Jane," I tell them, "or Billy Bob." They still don't get it. (In America, if you're given two names, the second name automatically becomes your middle name.) Ever since I arrived here six years ago, it's been a constant struggle to set things straight, especially when it comes to paperwork. My husband keeps telling me to give up the fight, not worth the aggravation, he says. But I can't. I was born with that name, and I'll fight to keep it. The battle:
Credit Cards. The credit-card invitations I get in the mail have either of the three iterations I've mentioned above. If I'm interested, I call them up and say, "I'll sign up for your card if you can fix my name." Their response is either it's "too long" or "we can't fit two words." WTF! (I acquiesced once because the deal they gave me was too good to pass up. They printed my name as Jade S. Y. Z---.)
License. When I got my Learner's Permit, same response (too long...no two words). So my name came out as Jade,Sheryl. Then, when I applied for my driver's license, the rude woman behind the desk made me choose between Jade or Jadesheryl. "See here miss, the computer won't accept the spacebar." Fucker. I chose the former.
Citizenship. Now this is tricky. When I got my green card, both names were printed correctly. When I applied for citizenship by mail, some clerk (probably caffeine-deprived) typed in my name as Jake Sheryl. I sent them a letter to correct my name, and when their acknowledgement came back, they addressed me only as Jade. Now I don't know if that's what my citizenship card's going to say. I'll have to wait and see.
So for all the people in the world with a Samuel, a Kay, a Renan, a Rose, I hope you're not having as hard a time as I am. The Beths, Aldwyns and Teds are the lucky ones.
Credit Cards. The credit-card invitations I get in the mail have either of the three iterations I've mentioned above. If I'm interested, I call them up and say, "I'll sign up for your card if you can fix my name." Their response is either it's "too long" or "we can't fit two words." WTF! (I acquiesced once because the deal they gave me was too good to pass up. They printed my name as Jade S. Y. Z---.)
License. When I got my Learner's Permit, same response (too long...no two words). So my name came out as Jade,Sheryl. Then, when I applied for my driver's license, the rude woman behind the desk made me choose between Jade or Jadesheryl. "See here miss, the computer won't accept the spacebar." Fucker. I chose the former.
Citizenship. Now this is tricky. When I got my green card, both names were printed correctly. When I applied for citizenship by mail, some clerk (probably caffeine-deprived) typed in my name as Jake Sheryl. I sent them a letter to correct my name, and when their acknowledgement came back, they addressed me only as Jade. Now I don't know if that's what my citizenship card's going to say. I'll have to wait and see.
So for all the people in the world with a Samuel, a Kay, a Renan, a Rose, I hope you're not having as hard a time as I am. The Beths, Aldwyns and Teds are the lucky ones.
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