People have trouble saying it ("Carla?"), spelling it ("Karman"), and understanding it ("Thats a boy's name!"). She also never met anyone else named Carmen. When she was 6 or 7, she let some other kid at the playground call her "Carly," something that I guess sounded better to her little ears.
I tried to explain to her that I had wanted a Spanish name for her, something to reflect her background (which also includes Ukrainian, Polish, German and Mapuche Indian). Of course, being only 10 years old now, she didn't really understand my rationale... and just wanted a more common name.
Fast-forward to Chile, where "Carmen" is still as common down here as "Catherine" or "Anne," back at home. While the name has become a bit of a classic (like Catherine and Anne) and been supplanted by more modern -- and English-sounding -- names like "Ailin" and "Yuli," there are still LOTS of Carmens around.
Most notably, however, there are dozens of street names in Santiago with some version of Carmen in it. Driving around one day, we found ourselves on "Carmencita" Street. Carmencita is what I've called Carmen since she was little. It's an affectionate term, like Cathie or Annie.
So, all of a sudden, Carmen is not so foreign any more... and while I don't know if my daughter likes her name any more than she did before we came to Chile, she gets it now.
(Yes, darling, there was a method to my madness.)
Here are a few more pictures of my Carmencita:
http://picasaweb.google.com/suzannesoto03/MyCarmencita#
Carmencita. Now the Anglos get it too. :) Still brainstorming on that book for you. . . . I didn't even know you had Mapuche Indian in your heritage. From a marketing perspective, I think a lot of people in North America (and Europe?) -- whether they're mixed race, mixed ethnicity, or not -- are trying to figure diversity out. I'm no marketing guy, but there's gotta be a need out there for nonfiction that addresses mixed ethnicity or race in one family. By the way, I'm reading the memoir Mixed: My Life in Black and White, by Angela Nissel, and it's hilarious.
ReplyDeleteBob
Tell Carmen, my sister is called Carmen too... after all we are from Brazil and it is a popular name there too! It is also a BEAUTIFUL name... and Carmensita is just adorable ;D
ReplyDeleteBTW... Carla seems to be a problem name outside of Brazil..here - most of the time - I'm called Carlo (that IS a boy's name!)