What's your name?

When I first moved to Canada, I tried everything I could to try and get people to pronounce my name correctly. Unfortunately, English lacks the sound that is needed to pronounce my name. I don't remember why but it was SO important to me that my name was pronounced properly. After a while, I got used to the way people pronounced my name and I started introducing myself with my new name. To this day, my friends assume that I must have a seperate Japanese name because what they call me and what my parents call me sound very different even though it's spelled the same.
Today, a classmate of mine, who is East Indian (she's hindu), told the class how frustrating it is for her to have everyone mispronounce her name. I could relate to everything she was saying and her experiences being discriminated against because of her name, among other things. I have associated myself with my "english" name for so long that I had forgotten how frustrating it is. The way my name is pronounced now, it sounds like it could be an "english" name, it's my last name that gives me away. I may get "othered" for my appearance (that's why I'm a VISIBLE minority), I didn't think that I could be pigeonholed without being seen. My thoughts today take me back to the first day I arrived in K-town; My landlord, after meeting with me for the first time said: "Wow, I didn't expect you to speak such good English!". It took me a couple minutes to realize she meant that as a compliment. Even though, she knew that I was moving from V-city, because of my name, she had assumed that I must be a "ethinic" student (her words). It's amazing what ideas people can form about you without ever seeing or speaking with you. I guess someone's name does say a lot.