It seemed like a cruel April Fool's joke when I woke up yesterday morning to discover that my name had been misspelled in The Toronto Star, one of Canada's largest daily newspapers. I had become Ingrid Mada within the body of the article and also under my photo credit. Although the online version was soon corrected, the print edition had the incorrect spelling and that is what my family saw.
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 for a time until I went into the workforce and now, I think Ingrid suits me quite well.
The second half of my name became an issue relatively recently. 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 Masak Mida, 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 few years now, and even though I inwardly cringe when I hear it pronouned Meeda instead of M-ii-da, I answer with a smile. But Ingrid Mada just makes me mad-da.
8 comments:
Ah A Name - is it all or nothing? Your name is equally lovely even mis-spelt, but cause to appreciate how much of a difference changing even one letter can make to a signature. On the bright side - at least it wasn't Mud -a, which smacks of sodden ground and too much rain. Yours in admiration,
Annie Starr - TWO 'R's' not ONE......
Dear Annie
You make an excellent point my friend. And yes you are right, I've spelled your name with one r instead of two. That is only because I think of you as a star, because of your superior writing skill.
Great post, Ingrid, and I feel your pain :) My name is constantly misspelled, I am a bit used to it but I get irritated every time ~ and I wanted my name to have been "Susie" when I was young..also going through never ending issues with the hyphenated last name of "DeSouligny-Blanco" (now you know what my missspell issue is!, not to mention my full name never fits anywhere and they shorten it?)...my sons are Blanco...oh it is all such a mess, and had I really thought of all of the ramifications when I got married I think I would have done different. But I think it is hard to just give up who you are and have been in my case for 34 years, and just suddenly become aligned with another lineage, and kiss yours goodbye. Definitely an interesting issue!My son is now angry at me why he could not have a more common name, there is no "nickname" for Marcello...and the story continues!
I am happy that they corrected the online version. There are amazing things you can do with an eraser and the proper pen to change that "a" to an "i"!!! For your own scrapbook...
Enjoy your weekend,
Nathalie
Ah yes the joy of names.I've had five and that doesn't include using my real and original name as I now do wherever possible.How much easier if we all had bar codes!!
I loved this post Ingrid....how often these problems can interfere with the smooth running of our lives. Your self portrait is wonderful and could only be you...however they spelt your surname...xv
It surprises me that, in such a major newspaper, there could be such an unprofessional mistake.
If I follow correctly, "Mida" rhymes with "hide a" and not "need a" -- is that right? (Is that what you mean by "m-ii-da"?)
My first name is pronounced something like "onion" without the final N, but I get "ann-I-ah," "ann-ee-ah" and so on. As for my last name, every one in my family seems to pronounce it differently. Go figure!
There's SO much in a name. I cringed for you when I read that your name had been mis-spelled. Awful!
My surname is continually spelled incorrectly, so much so that I now spell it as a matter of course when giving it out. C-A-L-L-A-N-- like November.
Your married/unmarried name problems sound like a nightmare, and are food for thought for an as yet still unmarried woman!
I'm also gratified to know that I've been pronouncing your surname correctly all this time. Phew!
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