Eleven Liu

My name is Eleven

My name is Eleven and I have a brother’s name Seven…Yes, I guess most of you know this by now.

I probably have shared that 7 and I were named after the convenience store, the very famous one you guys see every day.

But there’s actually more to the story.

33 years ago, just right after my older brother was born. My parents worked really hard. So hard that the only time they had for dating was actually close to midnight. In Taipei back in 1990s, everything was closed during midnight except one thing: the 24 hrs always-open Seven-Eleven.

The convenient store became their only dating place and 7-11 later became their kid’s English names.

What a beautiful love story!!

01

I remember my first English class when I was in 3rd-grade. The first lesson was self-introduction.

The teacher will start: “I am teacher Susan. What’s your name?”

And we, the little kids, introduce ourselves one after another.

“Good morning! My name is Jack.”
“My name is Mary.”
“My name is Johnny”....

When it’s my turn, as soon as I spit out: “My name is Eleven,” the whole class would burst into laughters.

My face immediately turned red, I sat down, and tried my best to ignore the the embarrassment.

Every time when I change a new English teacher, entering a new English class, I became immediately scared and worried. Because I will have to introduce my name to the all whole class all over again.

In fact, my birthday wish when I was child was always: Can I just have a normal name? I can be Benny, Johnson, Kevin, or even Marry - as long as my name is not a number!!

And I thought this would get better when I grew older.

When I was 16, I left home to study abroad in the USA for high school. Whoever I’ve met, when I introduce my name, they would give me this really strange look and say:

“Your name is WHAT?”

“Huh? That’s not a name…What’s your real name?”

Even when I go to Starbucks, when they ask for my name to put on the paper cup - which I’ve paid for!! They would always get my name wrong. I’ve gotten “Alvin” on the cup,“Elephants” on the cup, and even “Evelyn”, the girl name on the cup.

“Excuse me! which part of me look like a “Evelyn” to you? “

Was it my beautiful silky hair? Or my slimmer than average body?

I don’t get it.

For a very long time, I really thought my name - A NUMBER NAME - was the worst idea in the world. A prank from my so-brilliant father!

02

2007 - the day before starting my first year in university. My “name” frights kicked in again - imagined the dozens of self-introductions I had to do in one day…. Even thinking about it, makes me want to vomit.

“Wait. Your name is a number? That’s so interesting. Tell me more.” Surprisingly, that was the most common reaction I’ve gotten from my first day of University.

Only then, I realized that my name “Eleven” was actually my biggest secret weapon. It’s the best ice breaker and conversation starter ever.

During the rest of my 5 years studying & working in the USA, I made so many friends from all over the world. I’ve befriended an Economist from the Czech Republic, had my very first eating-cury-with-hands experience with my Indian friend, I learned how to really enjoy Natto beans from my dear Japanese classmates.

I believe that it must be my magical unique number name that had made me so likable.

03

Until one day a friend told me.

“Eleven - You know what’s interesting? After getting to know you. You make me forget that Eleven is a number. When I see the number 11 now, I think of a person: You!”

That sentence engraved in me till now. It was then that I came to realize - maybe people didn’t really care much about my name. Maybe they just liked me because I’m curious, fun, and perhaps even a little bit interesting.

After 31 years using the same name, I’ve gotten even more comfortable with it. Now, I say my name “Eleven” with pride.

I even advanced my self introduction a little bit. “My name is Eleven. Just like the number.” This surely helped the Starbucks people a lot. And sometimes they even just put down “11” for me.

I also hear the same comment more - from friends / colleagues saying that they forget the fact that “11” is actually a number.

04

Maybe my father knew this for all years long. The embarrassment of my unique name would make me stronger. And as I grew older and braver, I would then have the guts to share the story of my special name even on the stage like right now and eventually learn to appreciate it.

Or maybe - he just didn’t think a name mattered that much.

Our names don’t define who we are.
WE define our names.
If you ask me now: Is “Eleven a number?”
My answer would be: “No, it’s my name!”

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图：Eleven Liu

文：Eleven Liu
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