Dealing with a first name that no one can ever get right:
How would you pronounce the name “Thalia” if you saw it? You either just said Ta-li-a or emphasized the “Th” and said Th-ali-a. This has been my life for the past eighteen years, and it is something that I have had to get accustomed to. Being a Latina, this name is common but for most Americans’ it is something that has never been seen before. When meeting people, I often have to repeat myself three or four times before telling them to just call me Thai for short.
I have always been that kid who gets their name butchered on the intercom at school, and have to just close my eyes and deal with it! My last name does not add on to it either, as I have two and they are both super Hispanic. Up until graduation, my name still was not announced properly and I spelled it out phonetically at graduation practice to save myself the embarrassment but was disappointed again.
It was up until a few years ago, that I decided to just come up with something easier to pronounce and remember when people have to acknowledge me. “Thai” became my new nickname, and seemed to fit as well as stick with me ever since. I tell everyone to call me Thai, when I first introduce myself to save myself from having to go into a ten-minute discussion on how to say my name, when in reality it will probably not be remembered.
However, I do find myself appreciating my name that much more when I return to Puerto Rico where my family is from, where I am finally able to hear my name said in a Spanish accent and sounds so gracefully just like it is supposed to be! So although, people here might not say my name it should be or remember it… I will always appreciate the way those who do say it correctly and of course my parents for blessing me with such a unique and beautiful name!
