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 »Middle East Meets Far West

Being Farnoosh

Hey, I like your name.

Wow, interesting. Does it have any meaning?

F.A.R.N.O.O.S.H , that's nice.

Farnoosh! Hmm, new name...it may take some time for me to remember that, but I really like it. Mine is Lisa. (Look around you: everyone's name is Lisa. Ah!)

These are comments I hear everyday. Before moving to Canada, I was not expecting this at all. I believed people would have difficulties pronouncing my name and eventually, I would have to change it to something else. Fortunately, that hasn't happened. Everything has turned out all right.

In this year and half that I have been living in Vancouver, I have found that people like differences. Well, that is obvious since we are in a multicultural society; there should be many varieties. This is the positive point of such communities to see people from all around the world with their different names and cultures. Living here is like seeing the whole world in a small space.

While walking in the street or traveling by public transportation, you see people from everywhere talking in their own languages. It's fun, although I admit it can be annoying too, especially when some people talk so loudly you feel tons of unknown sounds punched into your brain. The only way out is to escape, as staring at them, hoping to remind them respect for others doesn't work. They don't care.

(I almost missed the main point of the article, but that's OK. I would have had a heart attack if I couldn't express my feeling about this LOUD VOICE matter.)

Back to the point, it is really good for people to keep their original identity. While accepting and respecting the rules and regulation of a new country, we immigrants shouldn't forget and neglect own cultures. We should teach our kids the language and culture of our homeland. These kids will be adults one day seeking their own lives. It is their right to know where their parents came from and the reasons leading to their immigration.

For those who might be curious about my name, I will explain its meaning. "Far" means "royal glory" and "noosh" in one way is "to drink," also means "belong to", so the whole word means "the one who has the royal glory." Also, it was the name of one of the kings of Median Empire dating 600 BCE. "Farnoosh" also means "powerful mind".

You see how lovely my name is. I am proud of being Farnoosh. But please stop putting this name on your kids. Let them have your own native names, and be proud of them.