Anayeli Maximino Discussion 6

I am not an immigrant to the U.S., but my parents are. My parents immigrated to the U.S. before I was born so that they could have a better life. Years passed and I was born. One vignette that resonates with my childhood is “My Name” because of my unique name. I am the one who named me. When she was young, she met a woman who was named Anayeli, and she knew that she wanted to name her first daughter Anayeli. My name can be said in two different ways depending on people’s accents. In elementary school, I was surrounded by many Hispanics who said my name very smoothly, which is, like how people say Ezperanza’s name in Spanish. But in middle school, I was surrounded by many white people who said my name differently. In the beginning, it sounded new and weird. I kept trying to correct them but again it did not sound the same as how Hispanics say my name. So, I concluded that there are two ways to say my name, and that is okay with me.