It's Mrs H. To You

Before you are even born, your parents fight over the name they are going to give you. One wants Gretchen, the other some ungodly name which escapes me at the moment. They argue and they argue and then, the day of your birth, your mother's sister and your father's brother, who happen to be dating each other, decide THEY are going to name you and you end up with a name like Juneisy. As if that wasn't a hard enough name, your last name happens to be Quintana and apparently they didn't think of the mouthful your whole name will be.

Yup, that's me. I was not fortunate, or maybe unfortunate, enough to have a name like Maria or Juana. I spent all my life, since I can remember, spelling my name every single time I had to tell it to somebody. Anyone understands Jane Smith, but Juneisy Quintana is an entire different matter. It didn't bother me much as a kid, or I can't remember if it did, but as I got older I got tired of spelling it, of correcting people and if hearing my name butchered left and right. I love the name, don't get me wrong, but I know it's not very user friendly. I used to dream about the day I'd change my name to something shorter and simpler, and that day seemed so far away.

Well, I guess everything in its own time. Today was the day I got to change my name, BUT, as I had always dreamed, I didn't make it any easier to say, au contraire! I ended simply adding my new last name behind Quintana, which I kept as my middle name. I guess I just grew to love my name so I just couldn't part with it. I may have a long name, but it is MY name and it has been a part of me since the day I was born and what better way to keep true to myself than simply keeping it as my middle name? So it's Juneisy Quintana H. and that marks a new period of my life.