Fatimah is my name

Name: Fatimah AL Ibrahim

ESL 100

August 31, 2015

Fiction

Fatimah is my name

            In my language, Arabic, my name means happiness. However, it means nothing in English. What a sad feeling when your name has no meaning in other languages except yours. In my country, my name is very common; there are hundreds of Fatimahs in the same school. In fact, when I was in high school, I really hated the moment when I discovered that there are other girls called Fatimah. Feeling cold and nothing was what I felt at that time. Nothing is special. All Fatimahs say “yes” when a teacher says “Fatimah”.

            I used to ask my parents why they chose this name. Their answer was always the same “You should be proud of your name; it is a religious name.” I am proud, but how about that my name is meaningless in other languages. I just want a name that has meaning in other languages, such as English. One meaning in one language is not enough.

            I wonder if I can think of different meanings of my name that could be related to the Arabic meaning. Something likes smile, hope, shining, or beauty. Then I could teach everyone the beauty of my name instead of being disappointed about it and wanting to change it to another name.

            My mom used to say that what makes someone special is the personality, not the name. I think she is right. All the new meanings of my name are kind of similar to my personality, and this is what will make my name alive not empty, and also special not like other Fatimahs.