Self
People who I am acquainted with refer to me as Yashi, though my name on the records is said to be Jacob. Over the years, some have shown curiosity as to the story behind this odd name which in Hebrew, my native tongue, does not even exist. The story goes along these lines: My grandfather from my dad's side was named Yasha back in Soviet Russia, the name, in Yiddish, allegedly means just what my "official" name means--Jacob, or Ya'akov, in Hebrew. So when I was born, it was probably decided that I would be named Jacob (or Ya'akov) in honor of my grandfather, but they didn't just want to use this big, "solemn" name on an infant who they conceived as being cute. English speakers might compare this to calling an adorable puppy by the name of Lawrence or Frederick. So my dad came to the rescue, and revealed the nickname that could be used--Yasha. As if to show she had the last say on things, my mom had to turn it from Yasha to Yashi and thus remove any traces of Russian roots and make it completely...asian!
And to think that initially she insisted on calling me Achi (literally translates as "my brother").
