Steemit Name Challenge: Wanderlass

_{image by ractapopulous from source: pixabay licensed under CC0 Creative Commons}

I was nominated by @barge for the Steemit Name Challenge. It took me some time to think of what to write as there isn't really a story behind my Steemit name. I finally thought of just sharing why I chose it among all my options.

The rules for this challenge:

• Tell us in a post how you chose the current Steemit username you have. The story behind it.
• Tell us your real name!
• If you could change your current username, which name would you choose and why? If you have possible usernames list, mention it!
• Use the tag #steemitnamechallenge so that the creator of the challenge can track all the posts and check them out
  Nominate 5 people for this challenge

What is wanderlass?

According to urbandictionary:

Wanderlass is "A female who is affected by a strong, innate desire to travel."

Why Wanderlass?

When I discovered Steemit, I saw it as a blogging platform and I initially just thought of sharing my travel stories. I have tried blogging about my trips a few times through Wordpress but I didn't get to push through with a real blog as all the requirements (hosting sites, domain name, etc) would cost some money and it wasn't on my budget.

One of the reasons why I want to travel blog is for me to have something to look back to when I grow old. I can look back at photos but I want to remember what happened there as well. Luckily, we have the blockchain where these memories are imprinted permanently and I don't need to pay hosting sites for that! (Reminder: This is also the reason why we have to be mindful of what we put in here as we can no longer take it back)

There are a lot of travel names so why wanderlass?

I had this tagline on my Twitter account (which I don't use anymore) before and one of my Grammar Nazi colleagues made fun of it, in an insulting way (you can make fun and have fun but the intention was different). I actually don't know why she dislikes me, but I know it was targeted to me. So maybe, subconsciously, I wanted to redeem that petty thing. That thing that people laugh at can become something. It wasn't a big deal but that experience just made the name more appealing to me. I just realized this looking back so it wasn't something deliberate.

But your content isn't always about travel?

That's what I love about Steemit. No strict rules that I should limit myself to only travel posts. Sure you can especially if you want to build a niche. In my case, I like sharing about my travel experiences and about various interesting topics as well. Myy mind always wanders, so I guess my username still fits my general content.

My real nickname

My real nickname is Raine. My real name is quite unique where I'm from so it would be better to just leave my nickname here. It isn't so far from that name anyway. My real name is a Spanish word (now you have a clue!) and I have only acquired this nickname when I started working.

My first job was in a multinational company and my counterparts from that different parts of the world would always mispronounce my real name. They find it easier to call me by this shorter version and I have grown to like it too.

_{Trivia: Spanish names (and surnames) are common here in the Philippines since we were under Spain a loooong time ago.}

If I could change my real name, what will it be?

When I realized that Steemit isn't strict that you stick to a niche, in my case travel, I somehow thought of using a name that's closer to my real nick name. I have thought of:

@raine
@ulan (Tagalog word for rain)

Finally, I nominate the following people to join this fun and simple challenge. I am really curious how you got your name :)

@amariespeaks
@titajuls
@koskl
@jocrazy
@kassixo (I already know what your name means but I miss your blogs! :D )

No pressure, and thank you!