For now, I’ll leave myself unnamed for a few minutes. I want to lead you on a train through a timeline, no, perhaps even to another lifetime. Yes, it doesn’t exist in reality, it’s fictional, but please bear with me, it won’t take long. In this moment, imagine darkness falls. We have reached the first stop. Polished, gleaming white marble seeps through the palace. Rounded, intricately designed arcs adorn the ceiling of the spacious room. I feel the opulent comfort of my throne. A dense object seems to be in my hands. The sharp, distinct edges cut at me. It feels
like dense metal. Perhaps steel? No, silver? I very slowly pick up the bulky item and squint at it underneath blinding lights. It’s a crown. Made of pure gold along with dazzling quartz. I feel the smooth wine-colored silk in my hands, like liquid. Darkness falls once again. We have reached the second stop. It's now more dim, somber, much more relaxing for my eyes. I seem to be on a cushion chair, and I’m holding an orb of some sort? I can see movement of individuals inside the glassy orb. The individual in the clip playing inside the orb completely resembles the young woman standing in front of me. She has an unfortunate fate of illness. Fortune-telling? My eyelids are forced to seal once again. We have reached the third and final stop. This time, I’m transported to a hill, the sweet slight scent of natural wind rushes in my face, the clouds in front of me are massive in size. I seem so small under these earth-sized clouds, like a speck of dust in the wind. I think about laying on the lush grass under my feet, but before that can happen, the journey comes to a halt. Unfortunately, we have to return back to our timeline train, back to the present. Now that we’ve arrived back, I’ll tell you all about why I brought you along on this journey. In English, my first name means “wealthy” or “full of riches”. Like smooth, wine-colored drapes of fabric. In Hebrew, it means “foresight”. Gleaming, glass orbs, like the radiance of eyes. My last name means “royalty” or “power”, more specifically, the word “king”. Perhaps, a crown made of elegant quartz. In southern German however, it means “field of grass” . It’s an oil painting of soft, bouncing clouds, vivid blue-tinted skies, and lush grass. See the correlation now with the journey? (wink, wink) My mother named me after an actress she saw one ordinary, mundane night watching television on her sofa. She thought the name was relatively simple, concise, and most importantly, easy to pronounce. She had just arrived in this foreign country where everything, including culture and language, everything around her seemed detached from what she once knew. My last name is hereditary from my dad’s family tree, passed down from older generations one at a time, receiving the gift of this last name. There are many different origin stories to this Chinese surname, but according to the most well-known version of the tale, when a king descended from the throne or had his life cut short, his legacy would be forced into the shadows of society where it would become forgotten. To avoid this, his descendants would continue to be recognized as royal. Over the course of history, this royal position became more prevalent throughout the regions, changing the Chinese term “king” from a mere royal position to a surname. From that day in history and on, the surname will continue to flourish, beginning as a tiny, verdant sprout to an entire field of swaying daisies. My name will always be Jessica Wang, Jessica as in “wealth”, Wang as in “king”. At times, I’m known as “Jess” or “Jessie” to those close to me. Most people mispronounce my last name as “Wang” instead of “Wong”, but I understand, the accents are difficult. I’m personally indifferent to what people title me as. Although, I have to admit, my name doesn’t suit me the best. I’m not anything like royalty: confident, bold, strategic. I’m soft-spoken, empathetic, and timid. My parents’ names, on the other hand, are quite suitable for them. My mother’s first name means a long/far away journey, indicating the distance she is away from her home country. My dad’s first name means bring your family glory. My sister’s first name means innocence, an angel, Angela, which does suit her appearance and character, besides the occasional temper tantrums. I wish to go back in time, and reanimate my name into one that is more unique, one that I can claim for myself, and myself only. Rare is always better than common from my perspective because it feels more intimate and significant. Perhaps Cosmos, Skye, Peony, or Raine, yes, Raine will do. I enjoy mother nature, so it suits my character more. If we are to contemplate deeply, every name tells a narrative, reflecting your inner character. Your name still reveals a part of who you are in the world, so much that I feel our name is our identity card to life. When we were born, our name served as the foundation of who we are to others, and started building our character. And it continues to develop throughout life because our identity is fickle, always changing in response to our experiences.