I’ve officially change my name here in Australia.
When wives change their names after the wedding, it’s tedious. But if you change your name here in Australia, it’s doubly tedious.
Here in Australia, they don’t use their mother’s maiden name–as in they don’t. My cuzins who were born here were simply First Name Second Name (if they do have any) Surname (example: Teresa Charmane Malabunga). But in the Philippines, ganito ang name natin: Teresa Charmane Zurbano Malabunga (Zurbano being the mother’s maiden name and it will eventually became Z.).
When I got married and applied for a driver’s license, the officer was very confused by my name. Yung passport ko kasi read: Avigail Zurbano Malabunga, then there was an amendment by the Philippine Consulate saying that my name has been changed to Avigail Malabunga Sanchez. Akala ng officer my second name was Zurbano at nagtataka sya kung bakit napalitan nang magpakasal ako. So I insisted na maiden name yun ng nanay ko and that after getting married napalitan ng Malabunga because I adopted my husband’s surname. When they were creating my license, it read Avigail Zurbano Sanchez…so I said, “No, no, no, that’s wrong!” Finally na-gets naman nila kasi pinakita ko yung birth certificate ko certifying that Zurbano is indeed my mother’s maiden name. Halos maubusan ako ng English kaka-explain.
So I thought okay na. All my records here has been changed to my new name from the Immigration, bank, and office records.
BUT (the biggest but of all), since I wasn’t born AND married here, the change of name HAS to be official…as in registered in the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Because somewhere down the line, some government agency will still need that certification that in the records of Australian Government, that is your name. If you’re married overseas, Australia does not honor the Marriage Certificate from wherever country. And in my case, I need that certification because (1) I will soon be applying for citizenship and (2) I will be travelling. In some government agency pwede ka pang makalusot pero kung maga-apply ka na ng citizenship, you don’t have much of a choice–they will ask for that document whether you like it or not.
And another thing, when you change your name here, you have to take out your maiden name. So dito sa Australia, I can’t use my maiden name anymore 🙁
On a nostalgic light, I feel kinda robbed in a way, like a part of me was taken away. But there’s nothing I can do, that’s the way life is here. I’ve never had any qualms about changing names, but to take MY name (the one given to me by my dad)–that name that will always connect me with MY parents….parang na-sad ako bigla.
Oh well, that’s life. I will always be my parent’s baby no matter what name I have.
