While the world cheers up anytime an Abba song breaks in the dance floor, there are a handful of us that are instantly reminded of the Abba curse, and by that I do not mean the painful thought of Meryl Streep trying to sing or act in the infamous movie, a proof that even geniuses are not good at everything.
I refer to the curse of all Spanish people living abroad endure for not having an worldwide standard naming structure.
Yes, way before the #metoo movement, Spanish women were the first ones in the world to scape the male domination, and were protected by law from changing their maiden names and most important were allowed to figure in the property and civil registers with their real family names, so assets and family lines could be preserved. Long story short, this means that all Spaniards have two surnames, one coming from the fathers side and another from the women side. Till there, this may stay as a corky fun fact or a conversation started on a first date.
But then, Abba decided that, since most of Swedish were spending their holidays in Spain, they should start introducing some Spanish flair to their songs, and their Machiavellian mind orchestrated a song called Fernando. The curse was born.
Ever since the song hit the charts, people started to forget that I actually had a first name and started calling me Fernando. Some will say its close enough to my actual first surname, Fernandez, so confusion could be forgiven.
But this things typically get worse. After Abba's success, Lady Gaga also tried to use Spanish to get the audiences together, and a song called Alejandro was made. So I went from Fernando to Alejandro and from there people start taking creative liberties.
I have been called, Roberto, Alvaro, Ferdinand, Ferdinando, Alvin and any combinations of letters that can imagine.
You may think it is a trivial issue, as the majority of the things I talked about in this blog, but it isn't. Think about the consequences, I haven't been able to convince my office travel agency to book me a ticket with my names and surnames in correct order for years. So they can never find my reservation at check in My credit card creatively cuts the family names short so I always look suspicious in shops when asked for ID.
Even more, my bank think I am Philipino and decided to start sending me notifications in Tagal.
Being Spanish, it is already too hard. Let's face it. We haven't won the Eurovision Song Contest for so many decades, everyone in my office ignores my deadlines and always use as an excuse they thought I meant 'mañana".
They also believe we are always taking naps, when it is actually the Chinese who do that at the office. And the most annoying of all, restaurants of all kinds have decided to be mean and make smaller portions and call it tapas, when they have no resemblance whatsoever with the real thing.
So please next time you see me, think what a hard life Spanish people have to endure and call me by my name ( Or at least don't call me Chiquitita ).
I refer to the curse of all Spanish people living abroad endure for not having an worldwide standard naming structure.
Yes, way before the #metoo movement, Spanish women were the first ones in the world to scape the male domination, and were protected by law from changing their maiden names and most important were allowed to figure in the property and civil registers with their real family names, so assets and family lines could be preserved. Long story short, this means that all Spaniards have two surnames, one coming from the fathers side and another from the women side. Till there, this may stay as a corky fun fact or a conversation started on a first date.
But then, Abba decided that, since most of Swedish were spending their holidays in Spain, they should start introducing some Spanish flair to their songs, and their Machiavellian mind orchestrated a song called Fernando. The curse was born.
Ever since the song hit the charts, people started to forget that I actually had a first name and started calling me Fernando. Some will say its close enough to my actual first surname, Fernandez, so confusion could be forgiven.
But this things typically get worse. After Abba's success, Lady Gaga also tried to use Spanish to get the audiences together, and a song called Alejandro was made. So I went from Fernando to Alejandro and from there people start taking creative liberties.
I have been called, Roberto, Alvaro, Ferdinand, Ferdinando, Alvin and any combinations of letters that can imagine.
You may think it is a trivial issue, as the majority of the things I talked about in this blog, but it isn't. Think about the consequences, I haven't been able to convince my office travel agency to book me a ticket with my names and surnames in correct order for years. So they can never find my reservation at check in My credit card creatively cuts the family names short so I always look suspicious in shops when asked for ID.
Even more, my bank think I am Philipino and decided to start sending me notifications in Tagal.
Being Spanish, it is already too hard. Let's face it. We haven't won the Eurovision Song Contest for so many decades, everyone in my office ignores my deadlines and always use as an excuse they thought I meant 'mañana".
They also believe we are always taking naps, when it is actually the Chinese who do that at the office. And the most annoying of all, restaurants of all kinds have decided to be mean and make smaller portions and call it tapas, when they have no resemblance whatsoever with the real thing.
So please next time you see me, think what a hard life Spanish people have to endure and call me by my name ( Or at least don't call me Chiquitita ).
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