Way too many Wayans

1998 > Indonesia

Usually one in a million, on Bali I was one of the millions!

My name, which gives me a bit of trouble in the States and in Russia, surprised
me by being even more problematic in Bali. In America and Russia, no one
has ever heard of Wayan, so they just accept it as wired (and misspelling
/ mispronouncing it as Wayne or Ivan), but in Bali, where the majority of
first born children are named Wayan, I wasn’t
believed. When they asked my name, shock, then disbelief
resulted. I usually had to show my birth certificate to prove that was my
name, and I wasn’t trying to be “cool” by adopting a local name for my stay.
A mini celebrity, I was the first 100% non-Balinese Wayan most had ever met.

Meet Wayan & Wayan, two of the many Wayans I met.

Of course meeting so many other Wayans, and hearing *my* name called so many
times, made me realize what it is like to be a John, Ed, Ann, or Jane. Now
I am even more determined to give my kids unusual names and encourage others
to do the same.