Sias University
Henan Province, ChinaSpring Semester, 2012
Everyone in China has an American name. The current generation of parents is giving their children a Chinese name and an American name at birth. But most of my students were given their names when they are in the 5th or 6th grade, when they start to learn English. Their teachers usually assigned them a name. But some of them came up with a name on their own. And many of the names are not names as we know them. They are more words that appeal to them.
Selia just took all of the first letters of names of people she admired and she made up her name. Hope, a man works with Oliver, a woman. Abner picked his name on his own but his boss doesn’t like it. So she now calls him David. He doesn’t like that name so I suggested that he tell her that. I don’t think he did because I heard a faculty member talking about David and someone asked, "Who is David”? “He’s the kid who used to be called Abner.” Lisa picked her name because she loved the name Elizabeth. She told me it is the most beautiful name she has ever heard. But Elizabeth was too hard to say so she took Lisa which she thinks is the nickname for Elizabeth.
I have a Key, Moli, Miry, Talia, Wency, Mel, Sunny, Angella, Silvania, Monday, Jurny, Karin, Honey, Ryen, ViVi, Sun, Fullmoon and Shaina. I meet a boy named Bush. He heard that there was a famous American with this name.
I, too, have a new name: Long Nv (Dragon Lady).
