"Uroosa… Ahh - Roo – Sah… Uroosa.
Growing up, I hated my first name.Whenever someone asked me the meaning of this foreign mesh of vowels and consonants that inhibited the surname “UROOSA” I would instantly blush from embarrassment. I would try to hide my shame by throwing a joke about how stupid and idiotic my name was.
Why would my parents name me something so… ugly? Its literal definition is “bride”, you know, the word you call a woman when she’s about to get married. Why didn’t my parents give me a name that meant something with much more value? Why couldn’t my name mean loyal, or gentle, or genuine? Why did it have to be Uroosa?
Who in their right mind would name their daughter such a foul name? I started to envy girls who were born with names like Alexis, or Sara. They were simple, you know? Easy on the tongue, and easy on the heart.
It wasn’t until as of recent when a sweet Egyptian boy complimented me on my name. He told me how lovely of a meaning my name held. He said, “when you describe a girl as Uroosa it means the most “amazing” or “perfect” girl. She is one who is mature, beautiful in her aesthetics and in even more in her nature. She’s the brightest and wisest of them all.”
It took me years to accept the name my parents gifted me with, but finally, I understand why my parents would give me such a difficult and profound name. Most people can’t get it right when they read it, and you know what? That’s okay. I learned to love how others must make an effort to pronounce my name correctly. My name commands use of the entire tongue. It wasn’t written for me to be easy on the tongue, or easy on the heart."