Baptized Maria Elizarah, I learned I am also Elizabeth when I’m asked to turn-in my birth certificate as a college-graduation requirement. From grade school to high school to college, it was a big adjustment to change names, even if it’s just the first name. To reconcile the records, I turned to older relatives for an affidavit under oath that I am the same person and distributed copies to those concerned.
But despite the switch of first names, I opted to keep my nickname personally and professionally. Even my firsts and last sets of business cards in the Philippines was “Zarah.” When I came to the US everybody was calling me Elizabeth, others Liz, and a few others Lizzie despite my repetitive requests to call me by my nickname. So my old nickname is now history.
I have been “Sweetheart” since Brack and I started going out for until I had Abraham, it was replaced by “Mommy.” Not that I don’t want to be called one, trust me, it’s always a pleasure to hear the kids call me Mommy. Brack calls me Zarah on very limited occasions, one is when he is mad or irritated with me, but believe it or not, it’s still music to hear even if he’s in a bad mood. I don’t know, but I desperately love it when someone calls me by the name I grew up with, it is intimate. I could feel it’s me, just me and my own real person.
But despite the switch of first names, I opted to keep my nickname personally and professionally. Even my firsts and last sets of business cards in the Philippines was “Zarah.” When I came to the US everybody was calling me Elizabeth, others Liz, and a few others Lizzie despite my repetitive requests to call me by my nickname. So my old nickname is now history.
I have been “Sweetheart” since Brack and I started going out for until I had Abraham, it was replaced by “Mommy.” Not that I don’t want to be called one, trust me, it’s always a pleasure to hear the kids call me Mommy. Brack calls me Zarah on very limited occasions, one is when he is mad or irritated with me, but believe it or not, it’s still music to hear even if he’s in a bad mood. I don’t know, but I desperately love it when someone calls me by the name I grew up with, it is intimate. I could feel it’s me, just me and my own real person.
2 comments:
who was it that said that we are called by different names because we are different personas for the different people in our lives? can't remember anymore but with your entry, it fits so well...
thank you for visiting me. I hope we get to visit each other more often on the web.
take care!
Hi Ate Sienna!
Thanks for your visit and this comment. I bookmarked ur site since my first visit, definitely will revisit often :-)
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