Campion Celebrity 2012

Highs and lows of the day:

High: I went to my Chicanos, Latinos, Hispanos class for the first time in 4 weeks (had off for Day of the Dead, skipped for Jeff's visit and another class was cancelled). The professor even remember that he is my thesis mentor today! We also randomly discussed Thanksgiving, pardoning turkeys and the deliciousness of stuffing (brought up by the professor, not me).
Low: The professor gave the same lecture (with a few slight changes) from 4 weeks ago. I guess he forgot we already covered that topic? Also, his suggestions for bibliography for my thesis were less than desirable.

High: I went to the Facultad de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales to pick up my official letter confirming my thesis mentor. I also found out what I need to do to change my name and no longer be "illegal" in the UNAM system because my name doesn't match.
Low: I have to notarize my FM3 card, which means taking the time and paying again. Apparently it wasn't enough to notarize the first 2 pages of my FM3 booklet (even though the rest of the book was blank). Not sure why they couldn't have told me that 3 months ago. Now I have the FM3 card (yes, got the new one!)  instead of the book and need to notarize that. I also need to pay a 400 peso fine and turn in a copy of my birth certificate and course registration. Unfortunately, they sent them email today at 11:00 am (I heard about it in the office at 2:30 pm) and they want all documents by tomorrow. That meant it was too late to go to the notary today and, unlike in the US where it's on the spot, I have to wait a day (or 2) for it to be ready. Story to be continued....

High: I finally got my printer fixed today! The service center wasn't too far from my house (I just had to find out where it was first). He fiddled with it for a minute and magically it was working again. Apparently one of the mechanisms inside where the paper passes through was bent.

High: I bought a space heater! After sleeping in 2 pairs of socks, yoga pants, pajama pants, a tank top, a long sleeve shirt and a sweatshirt last night (plus all the blankets I have), I decided it was a very necessary investment. Now my room is much warmer!
(Note-- I also saw a mini Christmas tree which I was tempted to buy....)

Low: Still haven't found where to buy a new battery for my watch.

High: Made it to the market before it closed. Got a cantaloupe, (yellow) plums and something similar to tlacoyos but round and with cheese inside.

The cultural uses of names has become a recurring (and at times quite frustrating) theme this semester.

In the US, the most common name structure is first, middle and last name (typically the father's last name). Here (and in other Spanish-speaking countries) most people have two names and two last names: father's (paternal) last name, followed by the mother's (paternal) last name. For example, the children of Jose Francisco Hernandez Diaz and Maria Rosa Lopez Martinez would have the last name Hernandez Lopez.

Since I only have 3 names, this became a slight confusion when I went to get my CURP (ID number, used liked a US Social Security number but for citizens and foreigners). The CURP is a string of letters and numbers made out of a combination of the 2 last names, the first name, date of birth and place of birth. When mine first came back, they had used my middle name as my first last name and my last name as a second last name. Luckily, I knew how the CURP was formed and spotted the error.
The complication of having one last name has also come up in some of the standardized online forms which require two last names for the entry to be considered complete-- even though I only have one last name.

In the US it is also common to only include the first name and last name on forms/
documents/ applications etc., unless the "full name," middle name or middle initial are specifically requested. Here it's important to include all names, pretty much at all times, or you could be a different person. I even see this in class, where students use all 4 names when turning in a paper to the professor. In the US not only did I not use all 3 names, but I was always "Becca" as opposed to "Rebecca."
I've run into an issue here because I originally applied to UNAM with my first and last name -- omitting my middle name-- and that's how I'm registered in the system. I was informed I might have issues when it comes to graduation because my name in the system doesn't match my official documents. I started the process to update my name and add my middle name -- but the process was stalled because UNAM currently thinks I'm here illegally. Why? Because my name in the system doesn't match my migration documents. So.... I can't fix my name because my name is wrong. Awesome. I'm still in the process on this one...

Another cultural difference is names in the context of marriage. Going back to our hypothetical Maria Rosa, when she married hypothetical Jose Francisco, she keeps her last name of Lopez Martinez or possibly adds "de Hernandez" (de/"of" husband's paternal last name). In the US it is most common (though not everyone does it) for the wife to take the husband's last name, either adding it or completely replacing her maiden name. I was explaining this to a friend and he made the observation, "Isn't that system more machista?" And really, it is. While Latin American cultures are generally thought to be more "machista" than the US culture, this is a counterexample. One can argue about adding "de" ("of") in the sense of belonging to someone, but the woman still keeps her last names, whereas in the US the last name is generally replaced by the husband's last name.

Finally, here my name is constantly misspelled, because it's "Rebeca" in Spanish, as opposed to "Rebecca" (double c). This also results in other misspellings, such as "Rebbeca" as people try to remember how exactly my name is different than the norm. Also, the more common nickname here for Rebecca is "Rebe" as opposed to "Becca."

So lessons learned:
1. When in doubt, always include all names
2. Always check for misspellings