Chelsya Ernina. When my first and middle name is spelled out, it appears as if every letter was given deep thought before eternally assigning it to a beloved daughter. Little did we know that this was actually not the case. Well.... not for my first name at least.
I was born in 1996. And in 1996, Chelsea F.C. reached the FA cup semi-finals. They had been in a losing drought for over 2 decades, but my father was faithful. In 1997, my father's intuition was right, for Chelsea won the FA cup, 2-0 against Middlesborough. Yes, Chelsea is spelled with an 'e'. Not a 'y'. But if anyone asked my family where my first name came from, without skipping a beat, my father would proudly say, "the 1996 Chelsea F.C. of course!". They may have just wanted to be a little extra special by spelling it with a 'y' and having it pronounced Chel-see-yah.
The past couple of years, my last name on forms and Facebook has switched between Ernina, my middle name and Waworuntu, my last name. At first, it was not at all intentional. I just felt that it flowed better. One day, my mother said to me, "you should use your middle name more often, it's quite beautiful." That night I went to sleep thinking, "it is beautiful, isn't it?".
My grandparents' names (from my father's side) are Ernest and Helena. My grandparents' names (from my mother's side) are Berni and Eni. When my parents decided to combine the four names, Ernina was the result. This is probably the most significant reason why both my parents and I hold this name close to our hearts. But another reason is that I may just feel extra connected to my little sister. Her middle name is Bernika. As you can see, her name was derived from my grandparents as well. And to me, this is why I love my name.
Covarrubias vs. Waworuntu
When reading about Covarrubias and her different names such as pet names, family names or even terms of endearment, it was quite hard to find a parallel to my family. But I genuinely believe that this may be due to the different cultures. For Indonesians, our name is our name. No nicknames, no family names. Well.... unless you have a little sister who was unable to say your name and what she had coined at 3 years old stuck forever. Cheya.
A Teacher's Influence
A child is at school for 1/3 of their day for approximately 36 weeks in a year. Therefore, a child is influenced by the teacher and their classmates for 1/3 of their day for 70% of their year. So when a teacher does not learn the student's name correctly, it makes sense that there will be psychological implications in the future. A teacher's influence is greater than most making it extremely important for him or her to show genuine care for a student and learning how to pronounce it properly.
As a teacher, interacting with students from other cultures may be somewhat difficult but if treated with a positive manner, this could provide for a monumental teaching lesson (though subconcious) for everyone else in the class. In avoiding negative consequences, the best policy is honesty. If struggling, a teacher could admit that they are having a hard time pronouncing the student's name, but are willing to learn. Then, simply ask the student if he or her could go over it with the teacher.
“For my father, a human being’s maximum sin was to be ignorant and mediocre."
My perspective is similar but also different to that of Covarrubias' father. Have you ever heard the saying, "ignorance is bliss?". I don't necessarily agree with that statement, but I see and understand that sometimes, not knowing and not understanding certain things can keep you out of trouble.
Is it a "maximum sin... to be ignorant and mediocre?" I don't think so. I do think that when being aware of one's ignorance and choosing to not do anything about it, especially on topics that are significant and could alter people's lives, then that could be categorized as something close to sinful. Such as being ignorant of certain experiences, certain histories, and certain aspects that are often problematic in society.
