My New Norwegian Name

All the time I have been so proud to own my long Russian last name with four consonants in the beginning of the word (so that no one can read it fast at the first time). It is not famous (though in my city there is a block that bears the same last name as mine), it is not specially nice sounding or anything, but it is just me. A part of me like my curly hair. And I said that I am going to have that last name forever. But I think the time is coming when I will change it. And no, don’t congratulate me, I am not getting married.

It is a fact that Norwegian employers are skeptical about foreign names. I don’t have statistics on it, but everybody knows that if an employer sits with a huge pile of CVs, the easiest way to start is to sort the foreign names into the pile B (that means: these can be thrown away at once). Because if it is not a job that needs special skills, it is always easier to relate to a person with the name Helene Hansen than Volha Shcherbachenko, for example (just guessing if it is a male of a female can consume much energy). And of course, if the job has to do with clients, they would be much more at ease talking to blond girls and boys, than trying to figure out the strange name on the badge, accent and skin color. I have worked in service for more than two years now, but some clients still ask me: “Do you speak Norwegian?”
That is why I don’t like sending my CVs, but bring them personally to the boss. If they say no, they say NO to this smart and pretty face of mine, not to my difficult name (and it is difficult, trust me!). For getting job in the shops this strategy worked. But think of more serious jobs, after I am done with me education – they would not allow me to pop into boss’s office with my CV. So it would be smart to change the last name. And in Norway this procedure doesn’t take much time or money – so why not?

After a while I even reconciled that I would lose a part of my identity. My difficult proud last name. Though I used to say that if the world remembers Shakespeare, they could remember me. But I am not Shakespeare, and do I have time to risk? So I could offer my last name for brighter future in Norway. Another problem that I face: no Norwegian name suits me!

Ok, my first name is Marina. What can go with it and sound nice? Marina Hansen, Marina Jensen, Marina Pederson? – no, no, no! Marina Blomqvist? Marina Engelstad? - noble last names, but they don’t work with mine. Marina Stoltenberg (prime-minister’s name)? well, that would do…and maybe, I would be asked if I am related to Jens Stoltenberg, and I would look all mystically about it and say: “I don’t wish to talk about family sercrets…”

Here are the names that work easily with my name: Marina Rinaldi (well, this is glamorous, I know), Marina Fellini, Marina Bertolucci, Marina Antonioni (this is ambitious too). Italian names are perfect for me, it is like sound of music! Marina is a Latin name, that’s why... I could even be a simple Marina Gomez or Marina Gonzales. But how to adapt my lovely Latin name with the sound of the warm sea in it to Scandinavian, rough and tough, language of Vikings???

If you have some ideas of last names that will suit me, let me know.