What’s in a Name?

By Bec
Today I began the lengthy and time-consuming process of changing my name. Given the period of time we’ve already been married, it’s something that should have been done long ago, but with the move to Japan so quickly after our wedding and the insane amount of paperwork that was involved in applying for an international job, living in a new country, and all the documentation that had to match to the letter, I was advised to wait. And so I did.
“Are you sure you want to change your name?” asked the lady at the ministry of transportation after hearing what my new name would be. It’s a fair question, not because of the name itself, but because of everything that is involved. Changing my name is not only a matter of standing in countless lines, but of identity. I’ve had quite a while to come to grips with the reality of it, but it is amazing how much I have come to integrate my name with who “I” am. I have been Rebecca Barnhoorn for my entire life. And now I am not…so who am I? Rod and I did discuss (although not too seriously given what we had to work with) the option of hyphenating my name. We even heard of a couple who took parts of each of their last names and gave themselves a new family name. Our choices were “Snoobar” and Barsnoo.”
I am proud to carry my new last name. The family that it comes with and the honour and integrity of the family that it comes with are such that I can hold my head high. But for me, my new name is a statement not only of my new family, but of the two of us becoming one. That is what marriage is, and that is why I am willing redefine who “I” am.