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
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