It all started when I received my
report card.
Instinctively, I search for the grades that I earned. It was not until later that I noticed that my name was
misspelled. But unlike previous misspellings of my name, this one was of my first name,
Benjamin, a relatively simple
name to spell, rather than my longish German/Swiss surname.
They spelled it "Benjmin." I quickly guessed that it was a
typo on the part of whoever set the report card and nothing more. I then get a letter from Josten's, the
yearbook/class ring/etc. company. It begins:
Dear Benjmin . . .
So then I start to thinking. And I reach the conclusion that my name is misspelled on the entire school's database that goes out to everyone. Sensing that I should act quickly to rectify the situation, I go to the front office one day during Anatomy and Physiology. The lady tells me to go to the Attendance Office, which was not very far from where I was standing. So I go there. After waiting for the woman behind the counter to finish making a long call pertaining to some kid who fell on some concrete (at the request of a woman who wasn't even related to said child), I finally got to talk to her. She heard my plight and promptly sent me to the G Building. Feeling a little ignored I went there. The woman who I was supposed to talk to wasn't even there. I wait around and then go to the next office over, which is occupied by a man not only whose occupation I do not know, but whom I have never seen before. I tell him what is going on and then he gets a call on his phone.
After more waiting, he tells me that we are all connected to the district now and it would take a few weeks to fully change the error. I thanked him for his time and went back to my class, which was watching the film Lorenzo's Oil.
I then got the feeling that this was how I was going to be treated later on in life; just shuffled along to the next person, continually referred and re-referred. Hardly ever getting a prompt direct answer.
Update: It is now Friday, 13 April 2001 and they still have not changed their error. So it goes . . .
Even more updated:I don't recall when, but they fixed it! But now the database says that I live in "Conwy," not "Conway." At first I thought it was a contraction or an abbreviation or something, but then when I saw "Conway" instead of "Conwy," I realized that there was yet another typo on my record. I am not even going to try to fix that one.