What's in a name?
Those that know me well would know (and those that don't are about to find out) that I like my name. I mean I really like it. Stephanie. Not Steph, not Stephy, but Stephanie. I'm not sure when I started being really picky with it. Maybe year 9 when I became great friends with another Stephanie. People tried all sorts of ways to distinguish began the two if us and I decided I really liked my full name. It's the name my parents gave me and they must also have liked it. I'm really grateful to the people who all what my preference is and then use my full name. Many of them are strong advocates on my behalf. "it's not Steph, it's StephANIE". In fact, often my name becomes Stephan-KNEE. I don't mind that, because it shows they are trying.
Anyway, this post isn't to make people feel bad if they call Steph, but to illustrate a point. I love my name. And maybe that's a problem. Maybe I love it too much. Because here in Zambia, I rarely get 'Stephanie'. Here are some of the variations I get:
-Stefan
The most common here. In the Zambian thinking, Stephanie is just a version of Stephan, so why waste time saying the 'ee' sound? In other cases, they don't pronounce the 'ee' sound at the end of English words. For example, healthy becomes health. "are you health? Between these two common practices, Stefan is my most common name. I still think it's a boy’s name...
-Stefaneezy
No idea where this one came from, but I hear it every so often.
-Stefan-ia
Again, not sure why this combination, but maybe it's easier to end a word with an 'a' sound.
-Steph-sozo
I think this makes me part of a group, (sozo being a cool sound to add to the end of a word). What's funny about this one is that the same guys who have me this name complained that Stephanie is too long and Steph is much easier to say. But Steph-sozo had the same number of syllables...
-Mama
This is a cultural name so I don't mind it too much. It's a huge sign of respect for me from the person greeting me, but it does sound strange to hear me being called Mama. Another variation of this is 'Ba'. Not showing quite as much respect as 'mama' but still honouring the person. It's usually attached to Stefan though, so Ba-Stefan it is. :)
-Bukata
This is my Zambian name. I asked my students if they would choose a Zambian name for me and this is what they chose. It means "Privilege." I'm not entirley sure of the reason behind that one, but for me, it is a privilege being here and serving God by teaching.
-Muzungu / Azungu
This is by far my least favourite name, but I get why I get called this. In both Zambia and Malawi it means 'white person ', but I’ve heard it also means ‘the provider’. I’m not a fan of this because the last thing I feel like is a provider when I walk through the town. There are so many needs and I feel like there is so little I can do about them. Generally speaking, though, it’s a term that carries respect, and riding through Malawi, I loved the sight of children running from all corners shouting and waving, “Azungu, Azungu!” I’d smile, wave and call back, “Bo!” (Hi) and it would melt my heart!
Sometimes I wonder if I'm too picky. Maybe God is trying to teach me something through all the different names. That my value and identity is in him, not what people call me. The more important name is 'child of God' and that regardless of what I get called, my identity is secure in Him.
