It was especially infuriating when I was dragged somewhere with a throbbing jaw (pulpitis, but no time for treatment—finals week) and sleep-deprived (slept only three hours due to an attack). My stomach hurt, and I had just finished an exam. On top of that, I had to maintain a polite smile. And then there were those people I was seeing for the very first time who called me by a diminutive name while using formal "you"... (again, not enough emojis!)

And for some reason, everyone—absolutely everyone—says I'm stupid for not liking my own name, and they start listing female relatives and friends with the same name, as if it pleases me that half the street turns around when someone shouts.

Diminutives ending in "-sha" are just awful. They immediately remind me of a nasty boy who came up with mean rhymes. And I think there was more than one.

As for my last name, it's a real miracle—always and everywhere, you get to be first on every list!