7. Spanish name issues

The title of this blog is self-explanatory.

Basically, I have come to realise that there are many good and also bad points to having a Basque/Catalan/Spanish name!

1) Every time a teacher reads my first name (Aidoia) in the register they then ask, oh your name is Basque, are you from the Basque country?

2) A good point is when someone reads my name, especially the Catalans, they love that I have a Catalan surname (Puig, which is even in many street names!). They all light up, which makes me feel really special.But then they start speaking Catalan to me, and then they are extremely disappointed when the only Catalan word I know is goodbye. Very awkward. Especially for instance the other day when I was the only foreigner in a class full of locals. I had no idea what anyone was saying, and I spent most of the class confused and then the teacher asked me a question, I responded, everyone laughed, and that was that. No one realised I was foreign, and now they definitely all think I'm stupid.

3) Then, there are the people that are like, why does an English girl have a Spanish name? and the people who are like, oh you must be fluent in Spanish if your dad is Spanish? I then have to respond with the same response as always.. "No, I learnt Spanish in education, just like everyone else"

4) However, may favourite point of my Spanish name, is that over here, every one pronounces it correctly, unlike in the UK, where everyone pulls a funny face and I say "just call me doya".

For the first time in my life, I'm known as Aidoia and not Doya, it is a strange feeling.