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Say my name?

Helena Ann-Florence Busiakiewicz. 

A bit of a mouthful, right? 

I have always found my name to be a difficult subject. My wonderful parents decided to bless me with a less than average name. Even my first name is a source of tongue-tie. It is inconveniently pronounced Heh-lenn-ah. (Not Hell-un-uh, not Hell-ain-a, and for God's sake, not Hell-oo-nah)

When it comes to meeting new people, I used to find myself becoming self-conscious at the thought of having to pronounce my name. I make a point of pronouncing it very clearly, but sometimes it is extremely socially awkward to correct people, leaving me to be addressed incorrectly. For example, my old drama teacher had taught me for 5 whole years, and still does not pronounce my name correctly.




Public situations, such as the doctors, can be nightmarish. My surname, pronounced (Bush ah kev-itch, for those who were curious) is, however innocently, butchered. I will now take to list some of the fabulous versions people have concocted, spelt phonetically.

"Hi there, is this Miss..."

1. Boozy-a- karv-is?

2. Bus-kee-witch?

3. Busi...Bushy...Buzk??

I have anglicised my surname, and mainly go by the nickname of "Bush". Though people do have their personal favourites. There's been: Lena, Lenn, H, Bushy, Bushy Cabbage, and the infamous, Bush-wank-a-bitch. I like the nickname Bush, it has to be said. Sometimes it even sounds odd to hear "Helena". 

I do understand that my name is not the easiest to pronounce. However, I have of late found myself becoming more and more disgruntled at people who make no effort to address me correctly.  I feel that our names create the first definition of yourself. Your actions, words and beliefs all are listed under your name, and I feel that's an important sign of basic respect.

Under that belief, I have decided to no longer allow people to address me incorrectly. I am polite but succinct! I am more than happy to clarify the pronunciation, and failing that? 

Just call me Bush.

Thanks for reading!

Do you have a "difficult" name? Let me know your thoughts and experiences.

Twitter-@they_callmebush
Instagram-@helenabush




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