Calling names - my name

What seems obvious usually turns out not to be so. Otherwise the world would be a simple one and mis-understandings rare.

A lot of people in Hong Kong have English names - i.e. apart from the English translation of their Chinese names, they would also take up a single-word name from the list of 'common names' which exist amongst the Western communities (these names may or may not appear on their official documents such as passports). Mary,David, Pierre, Susan. You name it, they have all been taken.

I do not have an English name. I am happy for people to call me by my Chinese name, even if that means they cannot pronounce it in the most authentic and 'correct' manner. But problems arise when people can't even remember my name.

My Chinese name consists of 2 words in English (because it was a 2 character name in Chinese), and the British were simply not accustomed to the idea that someone should be called a name with 2 words (not including the surname) in day-to-day activities. So, despite my name being short and simple, no one in the classes or boarding house (in secondary school) could remember.

After a fortnight of confusion and brain re-tuning, most senior students and teachers have finally come round to addressing me correctly, which I suspected was accomplished by fudging the 2 words in my name forcefully into one, then learned very hard to remember that newly created word. However the junior students were still addressing me in ways which I would in no way realise that I was being addressed.

In the end, special measures had to be sought. I raised a challenge and offered a small prize in return. Whoever could call my name correctly first would receive a packet of chocolate. That somehow ignited their incentives, and whenever I appeared various attempts would be made.

The prize was finally awarded just before the end of the term, when a Ukranian student got there first. Once someone among the peers got it, the correct version soon spread and I was never called in funny ways anymore. The result was rather pleasing for a fantastic cost of £0.83.

When I entered university, the same problem arose. This time, I gave up. There were simply too many students, friends, lecturers to deal with. I took out the second word in my name and asked everyone to call me by the first word in my name. That worked very well given that it comprises only 2 letters and is analogus to the most common preposition in English language. Should have done this earlier, although this effective change in name had enabled me to distinguish my secondary school friends from the others from the start of an e-mail or telephone conversation.

If you face a difficult name but masters it, the owner will appreciate your effort. Don't always opt to customise or simplify on behalf of the owner.