what's in a name?

So I wasn't always called Kelly. Until about the age of 11 I had a Vietnamese name that sounds nothing like, but was pronounced "Two Train". I remember when this happened. It was during my first day of kindergarten and during roll call the teacher pronounced my name best she could. In her defense she did ask me if this was correct and I did nod. I didn't speak English at the time.

Did it bother me that people were mispronouncing my name? No. Why? Because I realized quickly there's something worse than having people mispronounce your name and that is trying to correct it. It goes something like this (shortened version):

Them: Two Train?
Me: [correct way]
Them: TWO Train?
Me: [correct way]
Them: Two TRAIN?
Me: [correct way]
Them: TWO TRAIN??? [hopeful and expectant look]
Me: Good! [I am lying]

I think it is very sweet when people try to pronounce my name correctly but I also think people need to accept that it's another language and not pronouncing it correctly is ok (kind of how I have accepted I will never pronounce the the french letter "U" correctly - it's ok!!!!). Let it go and let me move on with my life.

Anywho,when I became a U.S. citizen my mother decided that we would all change our names (I suspect it had something to do with the fact that it was free with the citizenship change). I was 11 at the time and my favorite show was Saved by the Bell so... well, it could have been worse. I almost called myself Adora.

So I was officially Kelly and tucked Train to my middle name and everything was hunky dory. Until I moved to France (of course).

For some reason (which I still regret to this day) I put my middle name on my CV and my company decided to take my middle name and hyphenate it with my last name. I'm not sure why they did this but it's annoying because now at work, to find me in lotus notes or to call me, you have to look under 'T' and now I have to have this conversation over and over:

Them: I can't find your email address/phone number.
Me: Try under T.
Them: But I thought your last name starts with a P.
Me: It does.
Them: So why is it listed under T?
Me: [BECAUSE FRENCH PEOPLE CAN'T HANDLE MIDDLE NAMES!!!!!] Dunno.

And it's not just in my work life. The French social security system decided to use the name on my birth certificate (Two Train) while issuing me a french identity card with the name on my passport (Kelly). What's worse is that the name on my birth certificate has my Vietnamese middle name (Thi) first followed by first name which lead to this conversation:

Bf: I thought your Vietnamese name is Two Train
Me: It is.
Bf: Card says Thi Two Train
Me: I don't want to talk about it.

So the other day, I finally received my supplemental insurance card which is sponsored by my company BUT works also in collaboration with social security so I was curious, which name would they use?

Why all of them!!!! I'm not kidding, the name on the card is:

Thi Two Train Kelly

I just hope they never ask for ID.