the naming of things, namely me

I've always been rather fond of my name - it's nothing too embarrassing-sounding or anything. I've always wanted to write a book, if not more (although I'm still awaiting inspiration as to what it should be all about) and I've often thought that I like the name Nushelle de Silva enough to not choose a pen-name to write under.
HOWEVER.
Seeing my name in all things Princeton - on the nameboard next to my door, on programmes for plays, on the occasional letter that they do not address to "Ms Dinuki de Silva" (I'm not sure whether Dinuki is a name I like or not yet) - I often wish that my surname were Sinhalese, not Portuguese. Something nice and mind-bending (for Americans) like...oh I dunno. I mean, look at my friends' names:
Shilpa Samaratunge
Manishka Gunasekara
Menaka Wijenaike
Nilangi Kulasinghe
Aanjeli Wimalasiri
...and the list goes on. And this is not inclusive of all friends who are Tamil and Muslim. You see? If I had a name like that I would chuckle quietly and evilly every time someone tried to say my name. Even Nushelle is relatively easy to pronounce - it sounds too much like Michelle. In America, I like to be exotic. I (partly) wish my name was.
Speaking of exotic, I often look at people in Princeton and wonder whether they were super-awkward in school, and have suddenly found their niche in university and are now Ultra-Cool People. I feel like I'm at least slightly cooler in New Jersey than I am in Colombo. Also, being international, I don't have to worry about not being in the know about stuff. I can go all wide-eyed and blame my backward country for my savagery and ignorance instead of trying to keep up. It's a good excuse, even if it's not true. Also, people I know in college are really more excited if you're a three-time Math Olympiad gold medallist (I think I actually know one) than if you know EXACTLY what clothes should be worn this fall. People seem to have a different measure for the Coolness Factor in university, and I find that kind of interesting.