My Name

I have three names in all and each represent a different aspect of me. Tong Kar Chun is my Cantonese name. I think my grandfather chose this name for me, and I’m pretty sure it has some sort of symbolism to it, but all I know about it is that Tong, my last name, sounds a lot like sugar and looks like the character too in both Cantonese and Mandarin. It represents my true heritage even though much of my life has been influenced by the western culture. I don’t usually get called by this name except by my grandparents and when I was in Mandarin class. However, when my parents get mad at me, they shout “JASON TONG!”, so hearing my last name is usually not a good sign.

Jason is my preferred name. I like this name for three reasons. Firstly, it’s a lot easier and faster to write. It’s only nine letters, compared to the thirty something strokes in my Cantonese name. Secondly, it represents the American in me, even though I only have Hong Kong blood and I am only an American citizen because I was born there. Thirdly, I found out that my name is an acronym for the five consecutive months starting from July. Plus, it’s pretty cool to have a Greek hero named after you. I like how my name makes me fit in, since Jason is such a common name at our school. I remember that in sixth grade there were five Jason’s!

Spanish class gave me new skills and a new name too. My third name is Javier, which my Spanish teacher gave me. This one represents my uniqueness since nobody else has it. I like this name because of its interesting pronunciation; rather than starting with the normal ‘j’ sound, in Spanish, ‘j’ is pronounced with an ‘h’ sound. That’s why my friends often joked that when I introduce myself, I’d say: “Hey, I’m heavier.” What a great way to greet someone who was over-weight. That’s why I still prefer Jason. Nobody teases me about that name.