In Indonesian, “Taufan” means hurricane. Hurricanes bring destruction and chaos. My last name is Taufan, so do I bring destruction? Do I bring chaos? My mom once told me “You shouldn’t be proud to be a Taufan.” That explains why she kept her maiden name after she and my dad got married. It explains why every single one of my dad’s seven sisters took on their husbands’ last name. It also explains why my dad hides his own last name under the pseudonym “Lodewijk.” My mom, my aunts, and my dad are all afraid that they would be defined by their name. But I’m not afraid. Despite the stigma that the name Taufan may come with, those stigmas will never define me. They open doors to my past. They help me see where I come from, but they can not tell