AncestryDNA Results

Results are in! Ahead of schedule which is a nice Christmas present for yours truly. For those just reading, my DNA was analyzed by scientists at AncestryDNA to estimate my heritage. So...here it is...large percentages of my DNA are from Europe West (region from France to Poland) and Great Britain with lesser percentages being from Ireland. The "trace" regions or small DNA matches are Scandinavia and Italy/Greece.

As most Americans are...I am a lovable mix of many different and diverse backgrounds. A breed unto my very own. A few of my predictions were right: Ireland made the list as did France. No big surprise there. I was a bit taken back by Scandinavia...those blue eyes/blonde hair genes apparently didn't make the cut for this girl. However, hailing from the "North Men" or Vikings is something to be intrigued by. The greatest joy in this process is seeing Italy/Greece. It may be a small percentage...but it is there! My love of all things mediterranean runs deep...all the way to my DNA it seems.

The ironic and magical twist in my results is that I've actually been to 90% of these regions. Scandinavia may still be on the travel map BUT my feet have literally touched each and every other region. From Ireland, to the Highlands of Scotland, to the moors and hills of England, to the beaches of Normandy and the streets of Paris, to the mountains of Germany and Switzerland. My feet, my journey, carried me back to these lands. The parts of this earth where generations ago my ancestors once lived. I cannot help but begin to imagine their lives now. In a way I feel connected to these unknown faces in time. Now, because of these results, I feel even more in tune with who I authentically am.

We all are a sum, a detailed building of many different parts. The beauty in knowing these parts is that it reminds us just how connected we really are to each other. Not only to those here in this present time but to the ones who've come before...to the ones who will come after us. A complex, intertwined collection of data that traces itself back to the very beginning and extends itself throughout the course of time. A living cord which tells a single story of immeasurable truth: we are one creation.

-Authentically Me

The Truth Found In Our DNA

History has always fascinated me. I grew up never really thinking about the future for I was quite too mesmerized by the past. You see when I was a little girl I ventured out into the yard after a frightful summer rain. Playing in the muddy, soft ground, my stick scrapped against a hard surface. Digging a little deeper I noticed a yellow object in the ground. Curiosity getting the better of me, I began to etch around it with my tool, to slowly uncover amongst the dirt an old toy truck. Neither my brother nor I had such a object. It was left there by someone who came before us. My eyes gazed from the earth tarnished truck to the rest of my backyard...what other treasures might I find?

The incredible thing about history it is not just within the ground we walk on or the books we read in school...it's actually stored within us. Our DNA is now a roadmap to our very own history...our own biological journey across time itself. Given my rapture with history and the past, it's not a surprise that I would be slightly curious about my own ancestral heritage. I've wanted to do a DNA test for years...and now I am! With a little help from ancestryDNA. 

There are many at-home tests out there...many out of my price range. AncestryDNA is a starter course so to speak. It tests your DNA and breaks down your ethnicity into categories (there are 26 viable options in the database). 

After purchasing online, you simply DIY. Collecting the DNA is easy...just collect spit. It might not be the most flattering process BUT it is simple and guided. You cannot eat or drink 30 minutes prior to the test...so make sure you use the mobile app to set a timer. After a few minutes of saliva collecting and a quick seal the return package is ready. 

Simply mail the package back to ancestryDNA! 

Upon receiving the DNA it takes at least 6-8 weeks for it to be fully analyzed. No Amazon Prime membership on this one. Patience is a virtue when it comes to finding out your own history I guess. Plenty of time to ponder just what it might be! 

My ethnicity has always been a question. Despite being "Caucasian" on government paperwork, I never really felt it. I can't tell you how many times people have asked me:

"Where do you come from?" 

I reply, "Nashville." 

They reply, "no, I mean what's your ethnicity?" 

I reply, "what do you think?" 

I've heard the gambit over the years. From Japanese, to Polynesian, to Italian, to Spanish, to Native American, to Hispanic. If you looked at a picture of my mother's father you would've thought he was Native American. Rumors from that side of my family whispered the idea of being French Creole...however being in the South this was never a proper topic of conversation. My father's side always held to the idea that they were Irish. A few family members even tried to track down our ancestors. Reports indicate that we did come from the mystical Isle...but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. 

The beauty in this process is realizing that I am a part of something larger than myself. Despite how much our modern and progressive world tries not to categorize or separate...we still check off a box that denotes our race. We see and divide based on color, category, and geography. So why am I doing this test? I am asking the questions not many want to ask: where do I really come from? The farther back we look into our history, the longer the journey within our DNA's record, the more obvious it is that we all come from the same place, the same beginning. Our DNA binds us...not separates us. 

-Authentically Me