tah-ee-lorr

as a rule, i'm pretty easy to get along with.

... let me rephrase that.

generally, i like my peers.

... one more time.

unless you're impossible to be around, i will not fantasize about shanking you.

that's not to say that i don't like people. actually, i fancy myself a people person. but lately, i've been overcome by the urge to slap my spanish professors with whatever notebook i'm currently doodling on. and it's not because of his or her teaching style, thick spanish accent, or inability to get to class on time. this urge has taken over my thoughts because of one mistake that every single one of my teachers has committed:

pronouncing my name how it would sound in spanish.

granted, my parents (bless their hearts) did not bestow upon me a traditional mexican name. and i am forever grateful for that, because otherwise, anyone with half a brain would look at me, see that my name was ______ (maría, josefina, luisa josé de la santa maria...) herrera, and immediately assume that i had just gotten off the boat from guadalajara. so, as a thank-you to my dear mother and father, i have an english name.

but that doesn't help the fact that i also look very mexican, and am currently living in a country full to the brim of spanish speakers. again, don't get me wrong -- i absofruitly love having a natural tan all year and being mistaken for hawaiian/kind of asian/exotic (that one's my favorite... partially because NO ONE who uses it has any clue what it means). i am a secure young woman who can handle the puzzled looks of passersby that are probably thinking "where did this mexicana learn english?"

and now, to my point.

i am starting a new round of classes here in spain, and for the love of all that is holy, i cannot contain my emotions when a professor calls roll and says, without fail, "TAH-EE-LORR? Tah-ee-lorr, HERRERA?!?! Eres española? Pero porqué tienes un nombre tan inglesa?" ("You're Spanish? But why do you have such an English name?")

this is where i go through the exact same routine:

1) say my name in english with an american accent. taylor.

professor gives me a quizzical look.

2) repeat my name more slowly, maintaining american accent. tayyylorrrr.

by the looks of it, teach has just suffered an intense drop in IQ.

3) say my name slowly in a spanish accent. teh-ee-lorr.

prof has just had an aneurysm.

4) give up and let my professor call me whatever they can manage. usually something along the lines of tyler, tah-ee-lorr, or -- the best -- tee-lehr.

this sequence of events has happened enough times that i've learned to adopt a spanish alter-ego for whenever a spaniard asks my name. her name is carolina (and my last name is herrera... laugh if you get it).

i guess at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what people here call me. i've learned to answer to all forms of the name 'taylor' without problem. but let's just say that i've added more yoga and stretching into my daily routine, as well.

ps -- you know what's even more fun than having a spanish last name in a spanish-speaking country? seeing the looks on people's faces when you tell them you're from california. but more on that later. i have to do some eagle pose before i burst a vein in my forehead.