My parents call me Ghiss but even if you speak French my name doesn’t always roll off the tongue the right way.
I used to not care about my name until I found out the age range of the people who respond to it. That’s when I started looking everything up. Ghislaine, Ghyslaine, Gislène…
So many variations and variables, diversifications and ramifications.
My parents call me Ghiss and my friends Gigi or JJ or RiRi and my teachers call me by my last name sometimes too. My 6th grade math teacher called me Ghizlaine but I didn’t mind because he understood my struggles in life and in the classroom.
I used to not like my name but how can you hate something that shines so brightly in so many languages? I am a giraffe, a mermaid, a rose, a bee and so much more.
Today I am a cactus, an eagle, a bear, a butterfly and so much more.