What’s in a Name?

"I can see my house from up here"

It’s a new year and I have a new name.  Well actually I was given this new name back in 2014 on my second day of work, and I’m just now getting around to mentioning it.  By the time I introduced myself to the staff at OPALS I was well aware that Moroccans had a hard time pronouncing my name.  If I introduced myself as Caitlyn I got “Kay-lin” back.  If I said Caity I got “Key-lee” or just “K” back.  I’ve actually grown rather fond of how my host family calls me Keylee.  Probably because they always say it so positively and look at me like “oh how cute, the American girl is doing something silly again”.  Anyway, Keylee or K or Kaylin is not my new name.  Nope I got an entirely new Arabic name.  Call me Donia.

"Just around the river-bend!" 

Like I said, I was completely ready for people to struggle to pronounce my name at work based on my previous experiences.  I was not expecting to be told, “Nope. We give you a new name” and that be that.  My boss Ilham picked the name out of me and I had to write it down after the third time she had to remind me what it was.  She told me that the simple Arabic meaning of the name was “life”.  This being my second day I was not totally trusting if she was telling the truth.  Maybe this was a funny thing they tell newcomers and the name actually means “oven mitt”.  So of course I had to Google the name meaning as soon as possible. 

Me and my boss

Turns out that Donia does in fact mean “life” or “world” in Arabic.  Better yet, I read the baby name websites that describe the personalities of each name and what I found was pretty spot on (or at least I like to think so).  I’ll let your read the following and be the judge.

Who are they?

Donia are extremely lively and energetic women who are also warm and friendly, cheerful and very likeable. They are rather quirky and have various areas of interests, of both a creative and intellectual nature and simply for fun. Because they are extremely sensitive they could appear reserved, wary or even inhibited at first; however their true nature is authoritarian and strong-willed, despite their volatile emotions which can sometimes destabilize them. With their cyclothymic moods and exaggerated reactions, they can indeed be very changeable characters. Furthermore, they are highly-strung and irascible which hardly makes their interactions with others any easier. Introverted at times, light-hearted and talkative at others, it can be difficult to discern their "real" personality. They are quite proud and feel torn between the desire to impress others, take control of their lives and succeed, and a tendency to take the path of least resistance (especially if they were born in March, or a 3rd, 12th, 21st or 30th, or if their Life Path Number is 5). Bright and quick-witted, they are critical, cynical and sensitive to humor. As children, they are adaptable, cheerful, bubbly, quick as a flash and often more interested in play than work. They cannot tolerate being relegated to the side-lines and are capable of outbursts of anger if they feel that they have been wronged. Sensitive to esthetics and art, it would be a good idea to encourage them to make the most of their creative talents, because when they are motivated, Donia are capable of great personal effort and the results could be astonishing.

What does they like?

They enjoy talking and communicating, expression, creation, having fun in general and are particularly partial to games. Somewhat eccentric, they are interested in fashion and anything that is avant-garde. They want to be noticed and could have a tendency to cultivate this originality in an effort to stand out from the crowd, either through their intellectual standpoint or their behavior. In matters of the heart, they seek admiration above all and generally show the best of themselves in a relationship. Nevertheless, Donia are shy creatures, and tend to take refuge in their secret garden whenever they feel vulnerable or compromised. Their partner could find such an attitude disconcerting because it is quite contradictory to their carefree appearance. They often feel as though they are misunderstood, however they do not always do what is necessary to make things clearer and prefer to leave their man guessing, hoping that he will understand them without the need for words...

What do they do?

Donia will be drawn to occupations that favor oral expression (teaching, marketing, theatre or cinema...), while esthetic or artistic activities are also possible directions for these young ladies. Furthermore, the latest technology appeals to their clever minds and they can sometimes be found in very specialized professions. Finally, they could be tempted by one of the liberal professions.

"I made this. Well I didn’t, but I could have! Maybe.”

It is also reportedly a Gaelic name meaning: “Rules all”.  Again, accurate.

“I rule (and now own) all these shoes!”

Then I had to check out Urban Dictionary to make sure my name didn’t mean anything dirty.  They wrote that Donia means: “a gorgeous creature, not of this earth, but a seductive fairy. She lives to tease, yet can capture u with just a look of her eyes. She can be happy and friendly, and angry and dangerous. aka.... dangerous beauty.... she can also be an angel”. 

Thanks Deena for capturing the truly majestic side of me 

After the Google research, I was feeling pretty good about my new name and made no complaints to be introduced as Donia (plus everyone gets really excited thinking I have Aarbic name).  I only run into problems when I have to email people and they get confused why the name Caitlyn is on there.  If it weren’t for that occasional reminder I don’t think anyone at work would remember my original name. 

"I work all day, but I want to bang on the drum all day"

One day we were having a meeting with a local woman’s group talking about HIV/AIDS awareness and testing.  When we went around the room introducing ourselves I said what was natural for me – Donia.  When they asked what my last name was I completely froze.  It wasn’t that I forgot what my last name is, it was that I wasn’t sure if I should use it or ask for an assigned Arabic last name to go with my new first name.  Instead I just blurted out, “I don’t know” which then caused the room to burst out laughing.  Rapid discussion began with looks in my direction and the word Donia being used.  Looking confused with my head tilted to the side I waited until they were done to tell what was so funny.  They said, “Donia in Aribic means ‘Life’”. I nodded.  “You said us were unsure about your last name”. I nodded again.  “So it sounds like - Life is unsure” to which they all burst out laughing again.  I smiled and fake laughed along with them all the while thinking, “life is unsure.  Life is UNSURE.  Damn that’s deep for a joke”.

“I’m in a concrete box of emotion!”

The last great think you need to know about my new name is that there is a song about it.  It’s in Arabic so I really don’t know what the dude singing is saying, but I’ve been told it’s about the love if his “life” (aka Donia) and how she needs to come back to him.  My boss really likes the song and sings it when she sees me.  However, her version does not sound the same and the rhythm she sings in sounds more like “smelly cat”.

Clearly the way I spell Donia is better.

Oh look another photo of me!

Happy New Years everyone!  In the tradition of starting the New Year with resolutions or goals for changing yourself for the better, how about instead just getting a new name that has a cool meaning.  And maybe has a music video too.  

Happy New Years from Tangier!