What's My Name

one day in the 8th grade, we were talking about identity and how our names take part in that identity. our teacher told us to give ourselves a different name for the day and we were to call each by our new names. i thought about it for awhile and i picked the name, Cherisse for some reason. i think i had just heard it the day before or something but i thought it sounded pretty. anyhow, during lunch a bunch of my classmates and i started looking at each and tried to figure out a fitting name for that person. my old classmate, Ben, turned to me and said, "anna, you look like a BETTY." i do? hmmm, that would've been weird.

but weird is what my aunt WANTED to name me when i was born. some of you probably won't remember this, but in sesame street, during those cartoon breaks, this little scribble of a girl would come out from the side of the white background and yell, "WILLHEMENA WILLHEMENA!!" and then just leave. THAT's what my then 12-year old aunt told my parents she wanted to name me. CAN YOU IMAGINE? in the end my mom and dad decided to name me after a girl in a soap opera. i look at myself in the mirror every morning and the girl i see is anna. WILLHEMENA? i don't think so. Anna Lissa Bautista Gonda...that's my whole name. could you BE anymore Filipino than that?

but names are such a big deal. could you honestly see yourself with another name, except of course maybe for the chicks who plan to get married and change their LAST name. anyhow, that's all. if you could have another name what would it be? i know what iya would want us to call her...