What is My (nick)Name?

If you scroll back a few posts, you will see that I have already written about my name (titled "What is My Name") and gone into detail about my troubles regarding my name. While this is true, I have never written about my nickname--the most important one that was given to me.

My first ever nickname given to me was "Jassi," (JUH-see), which evolved from the first three letters of my name, "Jas." Rather than my name, Jaspreet, appearing more in family reunions, it has been Jassi, and because of this, I wonder if my extended family members know my real name--or if they think my birth name is Jassi. Although the nickname seems specific to my name, it rhymes with my older sister's nickname, Manni, which leads me to believe it is just an excuse to not have to sound out all of the two syllables of my name. But, I do not hate "Jassi," and I never have.

In the past, I struggled to love "Jaspreet"; it felt too long and drawn out but, "Jassi" provided me with what I thought it lacked. The transition from eight letters to five--although only three letters are dropped--simulated the shortness of the names I had heard at school. The only problem was that my peers at school did not call me "Jassi," and are more accustomed to "Jaspreet." Truthfully, I did not want them to call me a different name so suddenly, thus I had only one choice: garner an appreciation towards my full name.

Along the way, I discovered something: nicknames, personally, are meant for those who are close to me, and there is a reason why my elementary-aged self would rather suffer through mispronunciations on the first day of school, than supply something that is so private. In a sense, nicknames are a divider between personal and professional life, but the idea of who is allowed to use a certain name is up to the receiver--just like everything in life, nicknames are ambiguous.

 

Until next time,

A girl with an ethnic name. 

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

currently reading: fyodor dostoevsky's crime and punishment.