What's in a name?
"Confused, I drink out of both. Why should it matter if a stream of cool, refreshing water pours into my mouth or another?" Margarita Engle, Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings. "Viii-naii-nahh, ummm Veeninaaa, Viniana, Vinai-na Kalokalo", as the teacher struggled to say this name while i looked around confused to see who this person was. As i looked around, i also wondered how familiar those names were. I knew too well that that's not how you pronounce ' that' name- you really had to stress all the syllables. That was perhaps my first realisation of the stigma and insecurity this name carried. Unlike most of the population, i was born with a different name and different identity. I was born during a time (and still live in a time) that is full of racism and hatred. As someone who is of mixed ethnicity, it has always been a struggle - it wasn't about fitting in but rather a struggle to belong. I think that's been