nickname

Having a nickname is a unique experience because it can sometimes feel like I’m two different people. Nothing is wrong with either of my names, but my nickname lets me feel like my truest self. 

As “Deen,” I no longer had to be the ambassador for my name’s origin. I could just be an “American,” freed from the shackles of my name’s uniqueness in this country.

As much as I wanted to cherish my full Korean name, I felt that my name was weighing down my confidence and hindering me from being myself while in the United States.