Tella vs Tella (Teya)

Tellalikeitis is kinda cute right!?! I thought it was pretty creative and a fun play on words when I came up with it last year for my Instagram handle and eventual website/blog. I also find it quite amusing that a lot of my friends call me Tony Tella. Not just Tony, but Tony Tella. I’ve never been quite sure why but my guess is that it flows easily off the tongue and again, sounds kinda catchy.

So, here is my little dilemma and a short Spanish lesson for my non-Spanish speaking friends and followers. The double L in Spanish is pronounced like a Y. The correct pronunciation of my last name is (Teya). My mother and a couple of other members of my family always corrected those who would pronounce it Tella and not Teya. Now, you can imagine if I had to go through life in the US trying to correct everyone that called me Tony Tella and give them this brief but annoying (to me) little Spanish lesson. That wasn’t going to happen so Tony Tella it was and has been for 57 years.

Fast forward to present day. I now live in Mexico where yes, you guessed it, they speak Spanish and yes you guessed it, my last name is pronounced Teya here. UGH!! My whole identity and brand has been shaken, not stirred and has caused me to pause and think about all of this the past few weeks. I can just hear the “I told you so” voice of my mom in my ear as I write this.

So, what do I do from here on out? Nothing really!! I’m still the same person I was before I moved to Mexico. I’m not a brand and my identity and self remain intact but always evolving and growing (I promise I am not in witness protection). So moving forward you can continue to call me Tony “Tella”, or you can call me Tony “Teya”, you can even call me Al, but whatever you do, do not call me “surely”.