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| Painting a self-portrait by Ingrid Mida Pen and ink drawing 2011 |
It got me thinking about what is in a name, especially when our name is chosen for us. This topic has surfaced recently both in the article "My name is Amen" from The Globe and Mail and "Hooray for Hazel" on the blog The Clever Pup.
As a girl, I remember wishing I was a Jennifer, Juliet or Elizabeth instead of being named after my mother's favourite actress, Ingrid Bergman. Of course when I was nicknamed Muffy in university, I was secretly thrilled. That worked until I entered the world of finance where Muffy wasn't exactly the moniker for a serious professional.
It wasn't until years later that the second half of my name became an issue. Even after getting married, I was fairly certain I had no reason to change my name but I got worn down by the confusion of having a different last name than my children. The compromise was the double whammy name of Masak Mida which worked for a time. But then September 11th happened and the rigor with which the passport office checked documents took on a new meaning. Even though I had cheques, credit cards and business cards with that name, the passport officer said that I had no proof that I had adopted that name in the community because my driver's license was Ingrid Masak. Guess who lost the argument?
From that point, every time I traveled I had to explain my identity especially when long-held air travel reservations had been made under the name of "Ingrid Masak Mida". Notarized documents were required when I traveled alone with the children proving that I was their mother and had permission to travel with them alone. My passport would be scrutinized closely and confusion followed me everywhere. My husband would regularly ask "What is your name today?"
The clincher was when I lost our passports in Paris several years ago and the nightmare of trying to travel home without any documents changed everything. Proving who you are and why your children do not have the same last name with high school French in a police station is something that I never want to repeat. Suffice to say, once I got home, I dealt with the name issue once and for all. It seemed easier to just go with "Ingrid Mida" across the board. I also thought it would make my website address shorter and people might actually know what to call me.
I've been Ingrid Mida for a while now, and even though I inwardly cringe when I hear it pronouned Meeda, I answer with a smile. But Ingrid Mada just makes me mad-da.
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Source: http://fashionismymuse.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-is-in-name.html
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