Ajala. It’s one of those names that get mispronounced very often, or the name that the teachers stutter over. I don’t blame them because it is an unusual name to start with. It can be pronounced many different ways from “?-jay-la” to “?-jah-la”, and yet only on is right.

My name. It’s who I am. It is what I got called by from day one. It means Earth in Indian, my Princess to my Mother, and to the rest of the world it is another name given to a baby girl.

My name. It flows like the Amazon River. It sounds like the wind blowing in a field of dandelions. To me it is what stays with me when I am a hibernating bear to an energetic monkey.

I like my name. It’s original. It is like ice-cream with pickles. Sweet and Salty. It is like that one grape fruit snack in your fruit snacks. It’s one of those words you have to add to the dictionary on Microsoft.

Ajala. It’s unique. It’s warm and fuzzy. Because it’s hard to pronounced, don’t be shy to pronounce it. Challenges become easier and easier overtime.