Floating Leaf (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
floatingleaf) wrote2008-10-27 06:30 pm
floatingleaf) wrote2008-10-27 06:30 pm
Entry tags:
on citizenship, ethnicity, name spelling issues and other related subjects
Just checking in for the benefit of the few kind souls who were keeping their fingers crossed for me today (you know who you are :). I passed. Everything went so smoothly I am almost shocked by it... lol. I am very glad I took the train downtown instead of driving (which saved me a whole lot of extra stress, not to mention steep parking fees). It's a 20-25 minute walk from my place to the closest train station, and it was cold today - but fortunately the expected rain/snow showers didn't materialize, the wind was pretty tame (for Chicago anyway... lol), and even a bit of sun came out, so it wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. I got there about 25 minutes early, but by the time I went through security, checked in with the receptionist and visited the ladies' room, it was almost my turn. I barely managed to take a seat in the waiting area when I was called in. A young and beautiful Hispanic woman took me to a private room, asked me about five childishly simple questions (how many states are there in the US, how many stripes on the flag, who is the governor of the state I live in etc.), peered briefly at my identification and the other documents I was required to provide, collected a few signatures and told me I was done. It took all of five minutes or so. Seven, maybe. Oh, and she also asked me to write down one sentence: "The President lives in the White House" (which I somehow managed to do without snorting out loud at the ridiculousness of it all). Then she congratulated me on passing and said I should expect the notice for the oath of allegiance appointment in the mail within the next few weeks. I don't legally become a citizen until then, so unfortunately I will not be able to vote in this election. If I'd known they would process my application so fast, I would have sent it in a few weeks earlier, and maybe then I would have made it by November. But I didn't really expect to hear from them until sometime next year, so I had no idea it would make any difference how much I procrastinate... lol. Anyway... the very fact that I actually CARE about my right to vote is an improvement in itself (my close friends know how utterly apolitical I used to be back in the old country). And since I cannot vote, I just might make up for it by donating a few bucks to the Human Rights Campaign (who keep sending me emails ever since I signed that online petition for legalizing gay marriage).
Another thing I should probably mention in relation to the above is the fact that I have decided to change my name. Or, to be precise, the spelling of it. So that non-Polish speaking people would pronounce it in a way that sounds closer to how it SHOULD sound. Ever since I moved to the US six years ago, my biggest pet peeve has been having my name mispronounced at every turn. Now, I was never too thrilled with my name to begin with - I always wished my parents would have picked something else. But, it was a valid Polish name, and I could live with it. Whereas the typical mispronunciation I get here in the States sounds absolutely grotesque - in both languages. Honestly, I cringe every time I hear it (some of my Polish friends like to tease me about it - I imagine it's funny to them because it's not their names being mangled). So, obviously, as soon as I found out that becoming a citizen meant, among other things, a possibility of name change at no extra cost, I started thinking about it. I tried out various versions, and finally came up with one that was only mildly ridiculous... lol. Btw, that applies to my last name - because, fortunately, my first name does have a commonly used English (or, etymologically speaking, French) equivalent which I rather like. So, in this case, it's not so much a name change as a name translation. Still, from a legal point of view, it is a name change, and I probably don't know at this point what I have gotten myself into (I suppose I will need to notify every institution that has me on record, get a new driver's license, credit cards etc.etc.etc.). The whole bureaucratic side of it scares me a little, to put it mildly... but the fact that I am STILL doing it only proves beyond any doubt how utterly sick & tired I was of having to constantly correct each and every new person who tried to address me after seeing my name in writing (funnily enough, those who only heard it, without seeing the written version, were usually doing fine - at least UNTIL they saw it, lol). Well... NO MORE. From now on, most people who look at my signature will see something recognizable, and I will no longer inwardly cringe every time I need to introduce myself. And, despite any hassle the legal side might cause, I feel GOOD about it. Even though I know my parents might resent it (I haven't told them yet... lol), and some of my Polish friends might accuse me of being ashamed of my roots. Which is certainly not the case. If I had a name which sounds roughly the same whether it's pronounced by an English-speaking or a Polish-speaking person (like Anita, Agata or Marta, for example), I would see no reason to change it (or even to stick an 'h' in there, if you know what I mean). But I'm not that lucky. And, to provide another good example of what I'm doing - if someone's last name is Kowalski, are they renouncing their roots by changing it to Kovalski?... Quite the contrary, imo, since only now will they hear it pronounced (more or less) correctly by pretty much everyone, regardless of ethnic background. So, to me, it's actually more about preserving your roots and language. But, of course, that's a topic open for discussion. And now I really need to shut up and raid the kitchen for an evening snack.:P
Another thing I should probably mention in relation to the above is the fact that I have decided to change my name. Or, to be precise, the spelling of it. So that non-Polish speaking people would pronounce it in a way that sounds closer to how it SHOULD sound. Ever since I moved to the US six years ago, my biggest pet peeve has been having my name mispronounced at every turn. Now, I was never too thrilled with my name to begin with - I always wished my parents would have picked something else. But, it was a valid Polish name, and I could live with it. Whereas the typical mispronunciation I get here in the States sounds absolutely grotesque - in both languages. Honestly, I cringe every time I hear it (some of my Polish friends like to tease me about it - I imagine it's funny to them because it's not their names being mangled). So, obviously, as soon as I found out that becoming a citizen meant, among other things, a possibility of name change at no extra cost, I started thinking about it. I tried out various versions, and finally came up with one that was only mildly ridiculous... lol. Btw, that applies to my last name - because, fortunately, my first name does have a commonly used English (or, etymologically speaking, French) equivalent which I rather like. So, in this case, it's not so much a name change as a name translation. Still, from a legal point of view, it is a name change, and I probably don't know at this point what I have gotten myself into (I suppose I will need to notify every institution that has me on record, get a new driver's license, credit cards etc.etc.etc.). The whole bureaucratic side of it scares me a little, to put it mildly... but the fact that I am STILL doing it only proves beyond any doubt how utterly sick & tired I was of having to constantly correct each and every new person who tried to address me after seeing my name in writing (funnily enough, those who only heard it, without seeing the written version, were usually doing fine - at least UNTIL they saw it, lol). Well... NO MORE. From now on, most people who look at my signature will see something recognizable, and I will no longer inwardly cringe every time I need to introduce myself. And, despite any hassle the legal side might cause, I feel GOOD about it. Even though I know my parents might resent it (I haven't told them yet... lol), and some of my Polish friends might accuse me of being ashamed of my roots. Which is certainly not the case. If I had a name which sounds roughly the same whether it's pronounced by an English-speaking or a Polish-speaking person (like Anita, Agata or Marta, for example), I would see no reason to change it (or even to stick an 'h' in there, if you know what I mean). But I'm not that lucky. And, to provide another good example of what I'm doing - if someone's last name is Kowalski, are they renouncing their roots by changing it to Kovalski?... Quite the contrary, imo, since only now will they hear it pronounced (more or less) correctly by pretty much everyone, regardless of ethnic background. So, to me, it's actually more about preserving your roots and language. But, of course, that's a topic open for discussion. And now I really need to shut up and raid the kitchen for an evening snack.:P
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Stalking V. begins the day after tomorrow at the "Good" premiere here in Chicago! As for other similar events in different locations in the future... we shall see. I'll definitely let you know.;)