What's in a name?

Oct. 17, 2012

I was so excited to read about chops and calligraphy. When we go to Taiwan, I definitely want to get a chop made. I would also love to learn how to write my original Chinese name. I don’t even know how to type it.

I have always been OK with my first name. But I’ve always hated my middle name — it seems too stuffy and European for a Taiwanese baby. I can’t imagine why my adoptive parents chose it.

When I married, I considered changing my middle name to my original Chinese surname, Lin. But I chickened out because at that time, and even now, I was not sure what that name meant to me. I couldn’t really feel a connection to it, either.

Given my adoption and history with my adoptive family, you can probably understand why I couldn’t wait to lose my maiden name. It was a name I had no connection to, or so I thought. But I remember being surprised at my emotional reaction seeing my married name on paper. It didn’t look or feel like me, either. Eight years later, I am more comfortable with it.

Some Taiwanese have told me my Chinese name is pretty. It will be neat to explore it further.