My Name is a Curse Word
When I was younger, I hated my name. No one could get the pronunciation right and no one had the name to compare it to. "How do you pronounce your name?" was a question I got quite often from elementary school through college and I still get it but my name has become more common which I hate. Though there's also confusion amongst my loved ones on the pronunciation of my name.
The correct pronunciation is Gem-ma but my family and high school friends call me G-ma though I use Gem-ma. You see in actuality it is Gem-ma but due to my mother's accent she has trouble pronouncing Gem-ma so she called me G-ma hence why everyone before my college years calls me G-ma. I'll answer to either one really. The real confusion is when my aunt introduces me to people because she'll call me G-ma but introduce me as Gem-ma. Are you confused yet?
For those in the field I want to get into, it's not too difficult thanks to the popularity of actresses Gemma Arterton and Gemma Jones. I thought, finally people will know how to pronounce my name! This is not the case. However it makes me laugh when people approach me now or see my name at a Starbucks. Their eyes grow wide and for fear of pain of death, remain silent and just call out the order (in the case of Starbucks) but in the situation that they must say my name (like if they look up a card account for me), their eyes grow wide and they guess usually calling me Gemma, pronouncing the "G" like in the word "girl."
When I smile and correct them, they sigh with relief like "Oh thank God she has a sense of humor" or "Thank God she spared my life."
The reason I hate that my name is becoming popular is because I like being unique and I've grown quite fond of my name especially because people treat it like a curse word. They dare not try to say it. Sometimes when I have to give my name for an order, the person asks me several times to repeat myself before coming up with their own pronunciation. "Jenna!" "Jayma" are two names I get when I clearly said Gem-ma when I gave my name. I'll also get, "How do you spell that?" I'll spell it for them and they still get it wrong. I used to get annoyed but now I find it quite comical. Although I still get the look of horror especially at Starbucks. Sometimes they don't have to say anything. All I do is look at their face and I say, "It's mine." Sometimes they give me my order and other times they question me of which I say, "Trust me, it's mine." I never thought my name as being difficult but I get joy out of it now because I get to share these funny moments with you. So next time you see my name, don't hesitate. I'm not going to kill you, torture you, or become a zombie and bite your head off because you get it wrong. I'm usually happy that you tried at all. I'm pretty friendly once you get to know me though my name frightens people like Darth Vader.
The correct pronunciation is Gem-ma but my family and high school friends call me G-ma though I use Gem-ma. You see in actuality it is Gem-ma but due to my mother's accent she has trouble pronouncing Gem-ma so she called me G-ma hence why everyone before my college years calls me G-ma. I'll answer to either one really. The real confusion is when my aunt introduces me to people because she'll call me G-ma but introduce me as Gem-ma. Are you confused yet?
For those in the field I want to get into, it's not too difficult thanks to the popularity of actresses Gemma Arterton and Gemma Jones. I thought, finally people will know how to pronounce my name! This is not the case. However it makes me laugh when people approach me now or see my name at a Starbucks. Their eyes grow wide and for fear of pain of death, remain silent and just call out the order (in the case of Starbucks) but in the situation that they must say my name (like if they look up a card account for me), their eyes grow wide and they guess usually calling me Gemma, pronouncing the "G" like in the word "girl."
When I smile and correct them, they sigh with relief like "Oh thank God she has a sense of humor" or "Thank God she spared my life."
The reason I hate that my name is becoming popular is because I like being unique and I've grown quite fond of my name especially because people treat it like a curse word. They dare not try to say it. Sometimes when I have to give my name for an order, the person asks me several times to repeat myself before coming up with their own pronunciation. "Jenna!" "Jayma" are two names I get when I clearly said Gem-ma when I gave my name. I'll also get, "How do you spell that?" I'll spell it for them and they still get it wrong. I used to get annoyed but now I find it quite comical. Although I still get the look of horror especially at Starbucks. Sometimes they don't have to say anything. All I do is look at their face and I say, "It's mine." Sometimes they give me my order and other times they question me of which I say, "Trust me, it's mine." I never thought my name as being difficult but I get joy out of it now because I get to share these funny moments with you. So next time you see my name, don't hesitate. I'm not going to kill you, torture you, or become a zombie and bite your head off because you get it wrong. I'm usually happy that you tried at all. I'm pretty friendly once you get to know me though my name frightens people like Darth Vader.
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