Months ago, when I told my then fiance that I was going to take his name, he didn't understand why I would want to give up my last name. In Colombia, women maintain their maiden name even when they get married. If they want to add onto their last name, they could do something like "C. Berry de Toro". I didn't like that idea. Next, there was no way I was going to hyphenate my last names to become "Berry-Toro". It's sounds too much like "very Toro" which is a disaster waiting to happen. Plus, I work with students, and I do not want to set myself up for teasing. Flip the names around, and I could be a new type of fruit - the "Toro-Berry". No way. Finally, I decided that it sounds more professional to have just "Toro" as my last name. My fiance said, "Well, what if we go to Colombia? They will think that we are brother and sister since we have the same last name." There is no way that could happen since my husband and I don't look anything like each other. I think we'll be fine.
Most American women grow up knowing that the possibility of changing their last name exists which is a concept foreign to most Latina women who live outside the United States. It was a constant topic of conversation this summer. Once I met the man of my dreams and we became serious, I started to get used to my new identity which is why I jumped the gun on making the blog with my new name. I've had time to get adjusted to my new name just like new parents have nine months to get used to the idea of having a baby. Changing my name hasn't been such a shock to me. It's practically expected here.
As my husband sees me jump through hoops to change my last name, he asks if it is all worth it. In my opinion, it is. He is no longer the only Toro in the house. We are together now. I'm part of his new American family. Is it pain to change? Yes. Is it worth it? Without a doubt.
Here are some pictures of us and our name. Anything that resembles Toro or bulls we get it or take a picture. It's actually a lot of fun. We have plenty of stuff around the house, too.
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| Sra. Toro |
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| Sr. Toro |
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| For our Colombian coffee |
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| Me = Toro on the outside, Irish on the inside |
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