Tamara McAndrews (9) went to Raising Cane’s with friends over the summer. After ordering, she told the cashier what her name was and how to spell it, but after several minutes, she was confused because her order still wasn’t ready. Then, she realized that the cashier had been mispronouncing her name so badly that she hadn’t realized he was calling her order (like tam air ay). Frustrated, McAndrews sat down at a table with her friends and tried to laugh it off.
McAndrews’ name is often mispronounced. When said correctly, Tamara rhymes with camera. But teachers mispronounce her name all year, despite her corrections, making it sound more like (ta-mair-uh).
McAndrews’ name means ‘date palm’. She lived in Haiti until she was four and grew up picking dates from the trees around her home. Her name reminds her of these childhood memories. Date palms also symbolize beauty, a meaning she takes pride in.
When McAndrews moved to America, she didn’t have a middle name. Her adoptive parents gave her the middle name Lucienne after her biological mother’s name. It means “light.”
“My mom just looked at me and said, ‘What a beauty,’” McAndrews said.
Apart from picking fruit, McAndrews doesn’t remember much from her life in Haiti, but she does remember why the move was necessary.
“It wasn’t safe down there, because there weren’t any road signs, there would be a lot of [car] crashes,” McAndrews said.
Around the time of the move, Haiti was also struggling with political unrest, recovery from an earthquake, and health crises.
McAndrews moved to America when she was four, and left six of her siblings in Haiti, while two came with her.
McAndrews doesn’t remember what it was like adjusting to her new family because of how young she was when the move happened. She only remembers how hard it was to leave her siblings behind.
“I can’t even remember what they look like anymore,” McAndrews said.
Her two siblings who came with her are ELHS students Edwen and Edner McAndrews. She also has two nonbiological siblings, Kinsey and Kate McAndrews, who are both in college. Her sister’s names both start with a K, while her brother’s names both start with an E, leaving Tamara feeling like the odd one out.
“You see how all my family members’ names start with the same letter? And I’m just by myself,” Tamara said.
Tamara has been given many nicknames by friends and family, including Tam and T. Her father used to call her Sizzle when she was younger because of her sassy personality. These nicknames are special to her because they are often associated with her loved ones.
Tamara’s name holds a lot of meaning. When her name is mispronounced, it feels like the meaning is diminished. She doesn’t have anything from her biological mother, except for her name, which is why it holds so much importance. The name given by her mother can never be taken away, but when it’s said wrong, sometimes it feels like it is.
