Growing up with a name like Dorkys hasn’t exactly been fun times. Quite frankly, it sucked. Kids can be cruel little punks and will tease and torture their classmates just for the sake of either feeling superior or like they’re part of the cooler crowd. And with a name like mine, I was just begging for others to make fun of me. The first days of school made my stomach hurt because I just knew that a) my new teacher would butcher my name and b) my new classmates would start giggling at the idea somebody could actually have such a name. I still get anxious when I meet new people because I just don’t know how they’ll respond. It seems that becoming an adult does nothing for the naturally immature.
Last week, I wrote an essay on learning to accept my weird name after discovering its roots and although I would’ve preferred a more conventional name over mine, being named Dorkys has come with its special set of benefits.
Did you ever get teased for your name? And if it still happens please share because it’d be nice to know that I’m not the only one dealing with some ignorant fools.
First of all - LOOK AT YOU! :) I am so happy and proud of you for being in such an incredible place right now! That's excellent!
ReplyDeleteTalking about the name game: I would never have thought to pronounce your name any differently than "door-kiss" and I always loved it though I haven't heard it before. And when I watched said GIRLS´ episode, I instantly thought of you :)
My name is Martina and while it's not an uncommon name, I never liked it growing up. I'd rather be named Melanie or Natalie which were incredible popular names back then. I don't remember exactly when, but our Ethics teacher brought up name meanings one day and thus I learned that Martina means "god sent warrior" which I just loved. And ever since I loved that name! Also I was always the only Martina in class while there were a plethora of Natalies and Melanies :)
xo
Exactly. I think growing up it's scary to have something set you apart from the rest of your peers. And then once we grow up, we want to find something that will make us stand out from the pack. It's still scary because I know that some people just never grew out of their teasing days. I'm glad you found the meaning behind your name. It helps so much to know that there's some intent behind it.
DeleteI agree with Martina - you are looking great (and I always melt when I see that smile of yours!)
ReplyDeleteI was teased as a child for having a handicap (a visible hearing aid) that caused trouble makers to want to fiddle with it (or worse yet, steal it) --
Children can be so cruel - and some of them never grow up.
Dorkys spelled backwards is Sykrod... now that sounds way cool!
For some reason, that name conjures up an image of a boy with a green mohawk speeding around on a skateboard.
DeleteOH YES. My Chinese name is Chia-Yi and that used to be my official first name. In elementary school, people called me chia-pet. After I became a citizen, I changed my name to Joyce at the same time. Now looking back, I kind of wish I hadn't done that. I also wished that when I came to the US, people had done a better job of translating my Chinese name to English -- it should be "Jiayee". Had they done that, no way people would have butchered it!
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, people would bring up the option of changing my name and I'd always refuse. What if someday I became famous under a more common name and then the tabloids bust out with my real name? I'd rather just own it so no one can really use it against me. I do remember teachers butchering my name all the time and it definitely didn't help with the teasing.
DeleteMy high school had a big Asian population so I'd come across quite a few classmates who chose their own American names and a tiny part of me envied their opportunity to do so. But I also wondered if the people around them shouldn't have been forced to just learn how to say their names properly without the need to anglicize anything foreign.
Dorcas I think is biblical I hated my name bc it is boring and nothing like me
ReplyDeleteYup, my name is derived from the Biblical name Dorcas. It means gazelle and there's actually a species named the dorcas gazelle. I discovered that during a walk through the San Diego Zoo and pretty much flipped out. That beats a souvenir mug any day. As for your name, just know that there are loads of people who'd give anything to not have others judge them before they've even gotten a chance to speak.
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