I was named Annabel after my great grandmother, Annabelle. My mother didn't love the name so she took away an 'l' and an 'e' at the end. She thought the original name was a good one for the family cow, the one you keep out the back for your every dairy need.
Everybody called me Anna until I was 13. I even remember talking about my name to my teacher when I was 5 - I thought the 'bel' part was a middle name, giving me two middle names. On my first day of high school, my form room (home room) teacher asked me what I wanted to be called and I announced to the world that I had always been called Anna but I preferred Annabel.
Most of the world didn't hear this and continued to call me Anna well into my 20s, no matter how many times I asked to be called Annabel. I think I'd always said when asked: "My family call me Anna but I really prefer Annabel" When I moved to Bangladesh, I didn't mention the Anna bit and I was firmly Annabel. It works much better than my first approach.
Just before I went home last November, I sent a rather abrupt, almost shocking, email to my immediate family, who fail time and again to introduce me as Annabel. I basically shouted at them over the interweb: I AM ANNABEL, NOT ANNA, PLEASE STOP CALLING ME THAT. It all arose from nerves about travel, the tension that comes with planning weddings, and feeling so disconnected over here, on the other side of nowhere.
It worked, I even got a few apologies and explanations. On my visit home I was clearly introduced as Anna... bel (with a little pause, as they remembered). I love you, family! Thanks for breaking an old habit for me. xx
he he, guilty as charged!
ReplyDeleteYou're one of them!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely, totally know what you mean!
ReplyDelete1) Annabelle is maybe a moocow name, but not as bad (in my opinion) as Clarabelle or Clothilda.
2) I'm starting to wish I'd recorded when I first declared I wanted to be Anderina instead of Andy, because I would never have guessed the changeover would take so long.
3) I don't mind the people that are trying and still slip up, but there are two or three I could name&shame who'll say to me "oh yes I know, but *I* can still call you Andy, can't I? It's what I've always known you as!" To those people I want to say, "Sure! You don't mind if I call you Hepzibah, do you?" It's not my name, it's not who I am any more!!!
4) I have one uncle who consistently calls me Ondreena. I can't remember if he did this while I was still Andy. I don't know how he arrived at that pronunciation, perhaps he thinks it's French? I can't figure out how to correct him.
5) There are also people who act (?) all embarrassed say "oh, why didn't you tell me?!" when I know I've told them at least twice in the past five years or so. When it's no longer new news, I don't know how to politely / patiently say "please call me Anderina now" over and over again. In fact I delegated that to Andrew: he has to take people aside and remind them on my behalf.
love Anderina. with an 'A'
1.I think Annabelle's a pretty spelling and I don't see it as cow-ee at all.
Delete3. Yes, irritating.
4. that's funny. Lots of P.I.s call me Ana which I actually don't mind because they don't have Anna in their list of names and they do have Ana. I used to mind though, and I'd correct. But then have to correct the same people every time I saw them. Like being asked about my violin when I'm holding a viola in my hands. Ah...I feel a new post coming on.