Amelia Week 1: Nicknames Are a Collection of Memories

One of the first nicknames I ever got was Meli (pronounced as mail - ee (my name but without the a’s)). I got this nickname from my older brother when I was a toddler and originally hated it. I thought it was my brother’s way of teasing me, but I soon learned that it was his way of showing love. Meli eventually spread to my little brother who also started calling me that after he heard it from my older brother. This nickname stuck, and it is actually still going strong. It would be really weird and unnatural if my little brother went up to me and called me Amelia even today. Recently, the nickname Oatmealiat (pronounced oatmeal-yat) has been thrown around between my brothers because my name somewhat sounds like oatmeal and the “iat” at the end makes it sound more Hebrew. That nickname is only for comedic purposes; they usually just call me Meli. 

    The next nickname I got was Mimi (pronounced me-me), given to me by my parents. It has become a common household name and has spread to a few relatives outside my immediate family. When they call me Mimi it makes me feel appreciated as a daughter and niece because they still call me the same thing they did when I was three years old. 

    When I entered kindergarten, the nickname Amelia Bedelia was born. This came from the storybook character who took everything literally. This nickname went through many teachers (maybe they all thought they were original?). I didn’t mind this nickname, but, in retrospect, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about all of my teachers calling me the name of a girl who was not very smart. Despite this, this nickname showed that the teachers cared about me and it was their special way of showing their love. 

    In middle school, I got the nickname Meils (pronounced as meals) from my closest friends. This was all my friends called me for a long time, but since then, it has faded. Few people still call me Meils, but the ones that do have been there since its establishment. This nickname is endearing to me and shows that I always have my friends by my side. Coincidentally, my friends at camp also started calling me Meils, completely unaware that my school friends called me that too. My camp friends now call me Meils on Wheels (like the nonprofit organization). I think it’s a funny play on words and definitely differs from my other nicknames.

    Some recent nicknames include Wiggy Diggy and, most notably, Ess (very long stories). I think someone’s nicknames can say a lot about them; they are like a timeline of different relationships and connections they’ve had. Don't worry, though, after reading this whole thing, it is still perfectly fine for you to just call me Amelia; I’ll still love you!

How do the nicknames you’ve been given represent who you are?