Pajamas, Ice Cream, Reflections and a Destiny Fulfilled

By: Brittany S

BRITTANY (BRIT a nee; not to be confused with BRIT-nee): the English translation of the French region, Bretagne, settled by the Britons (British).  The name means “Land of the Britons.”

NOMMO:  interpreted as the Afrocentric principle of the creative power of a word; a word’s power to speak things into existence.  Originally derived from the Dogon people of Central Africa and rebirthed by African American Rhetorical Scholar Molefi Asante.

My mother always told me that I need to “speak things into existence.”  If I want to succeed, don’t say I will fail; say I have already succeeded all expectations.  I really like “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.” –(Henry Ford)

What's worse is I used to sign my name like this, too.

But yet, my mother named me after a chipmunk.

If you remember “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and the girls, or the “Chipettes,” then you might know from where my name came.  I’m not sure where my middle name (Nicole) came from, but it almost seems like in the mid 80s (at least in the Midwest anyway) almost every “Brittany” was a “Brittany Nicole.”  “Nicole” is of Greek origin and means “victorious people.”  My last name is actually a made-up name and the only people I know with that name are my family members.

So why tell you all about my name?  As I said, I believe in nommo.  Now that isn’t to say you can just speak something into existence and POOF! there it is (“faith without works is dead”), but I am saying there is something in a name.  You ever look at someone and thought “Yea she looks like a Stephanie” or “everyone I know named ‘Paris’ is pretty” or something like that?  I know I have.  If we hear someone’s (American) name is hyphenated like “Billy-Bob” or “Sallie-Mae,” we automatically associate them with a rural/country upbringing.  If we hear a name with a bunch of hyphens, dashes, or extra letters, we associate that with something, too.  There is something in a name.

In short, my name speaks to Britain and France (Brittany), victorious people (Nicole), and trailblazing (my last name is made-up remember?).  One of those bored, sitting-in-pjs-all-day-eating-ice-cream-out-of-the-pint type of summer days I reflected on my name and my life experiences.  My first international trip was to London (with a weekend in France), even though I went through hell and back to get there (alone).  As a matter of fact, almost every major international journey I have made has had its hiccups.  But, my fighting, “victorious” spirit wouldn’t give up and I am so thankful that I didn’t.  I’m doing these people in my family have never even dreamed of and I’m leading the way for those around me (family/friends/associates/mentees) to do the same.

I didn’t write this snippet of my life so that you can get busy Googling your name and reevaluating your life (although I am curious to hear if anyone else has a name that can be translated to speak more on who they are/want to be).  I wrote it because it was on this particular pj Saturday that I realized that I was/am doing exactly what I was called to do.  I felt a sense of purpose in this new hobby.  Ever heard of the chaos theory or butterfly effect?

Learned about it from this movie haha don't judge me.  It's a real theory!

In short, the chaos theory refers to seemingly unrelated events that in reality are all connected and the slightest change in the initial conditions can have the biggest impact on the outcome.  Although this is more of a mathematical concept than anything else, in application, I’ll just say this.  Now that I am where I am, looking back, I have realized there are a lot of random things in my life that had things been different even slightly; I would not be where I am today.  I’ll even include my name.  If my mother preferred another chipette or maybe another cartoon altogether, what would my name be?

If I didn’t win a study abroad scholarship would I have ever sought out a program?  What if I graduated from college earlier or later?  What if I got that summer job that I REALLY wanted and was devastated that I didn't get it (after all, this job is the reason I had nothing to do over the summer and got bored so applied to leave the country)?  There are so many things that happened exactly as they needed to (even though they weren’t the way I wanted them to) so that things would be the way they are.  It all makes sense now.  My take home message out of my rambling is this:  even though things are not always the way you wish they were, sometimes things are not the way they seem.  Whatever you may be going through right now is preparing in you some way for what is to come.  Who knows, maybe it'll lead to you deciding to trade it all in and go abroad, too.  Ultimately, I think traveling is a great way to start over.  One thing is for sure; being abroad makes you do a lot of soul-searching.  For me, I am realizing that not every rough patch is without its flower.    Not all “chaos” is bad! :-)

BTW, did the title make anyone else think of this?  No?  Yea, no, me neither...heh heh