My genetic ethnicity

Tags

DNA, ethnicity, family, genetics, postaday2013

I checked out my account on Ancestry.com and found out the results of my DNA analysis. I have to say that I was initially surprised by the results, I identify myself primarily with my French background so when I found out that genetically there isn’t any French material within my DNA, I was shocked. My genetic ethnicity is made up of 54% British Isles, 39% Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain or Italy) and 7% uncertain.

I had a good laugh over the 7% uncertain, I told my hubby that perhaps I have alien heritage in me. After I took a few hours to digest the results, I remembered someone at the family feast last summer in France mention hearing that in our ancestry, there were English who had come over during the time the English ruled Bordeaux, around the time of Jeanne d’Arc. I already know that my grandfather on my father’s side was 100% English and now I know that on my mother’s there was an English person or two as well.

I was really surprised to learn that genetically I am of most probably Italian or “Roman” heritage. It makes sense given how many Roman ruins my daughter and I visited last summer while traveling through southern France, I was a little disappointed to find out that I am not an indigenous French person, but being a descendent of a Roman who decided to put down roots in a nice country such as France, well I got over my disappointment.

It seems to me that my heritage is made up of people who wanted to be in France, now don’t get me wrong, I am very proud of my maiden name Jones and being English, it just seems funny to me that my grandfather left Liverpool with the express desire to perfect his trade as a chocolate maker in France and to marry a French woman and on my mother’s side, an English person also made their way across the Channel to settle in France. Moreover, some Roman family made their way at some point during the Roman Empire to settle in Gaul.

Finally I really got a kick of the 7% uncertain part, it might be from Martinique which according to my family is where the family fled to during the French Revolution or it could be from North Africa mixing in with the Roman theme. Who knows? I like the exotic possibility of it all.

The journey

Tell us about a journey – whether a physical trip you took, or an emotional one.

I have taken quite a few physical journeys, I don't know if I have taken more emotional journeys than physical ones. I will focus on one of the physical journeys, they are usually much more fun and light hearted.

I really did enjoy my trip up to Scotland with my friends during the summer of 1987. We were N.Y.U students, all spending six weeks at the University of London and we decided to take one of our long weekends to go visit Edinburgh and then Inverness.

The group that I was with was made up of myself, my roommate Cindy, our friends Rita and Bill. We purchased bus tickets and spent Friday night on the bus, a very comfortable bus, riding up from London all the way up to Edinburgh. The countryside, the whole entire time that I had sunlight to see it, was absolutely glorious. I know that I have said it before, but I had never understood exactly the depth and breadth of what the color green was and meant before I witnessed the countryside of northern England and Scotland.

When we arrived in Edinburgh we made our way to the local youth hostel to check in and put down our bags and then we explored the entire city. Edinburgh was everything that I had vaguely imagined and more; the history was teeming in the streets, the castle was magnificent, the people so lovely and we had delicious food. I'll never forget the bowl of English pea soup that I had at this lovely little restaurant, it was seriously good.

Once we had our allotted time in Edinburgh, we left the grand city albeit with a heavy heart, we loved it that much, we took another bus up to Inverness with plans to go visit the nearby Loch and look for Nessie.

Inverness didn't have a youth hostel, but it certainly had its share of Bed and Breakfasts. Unfortunately we were turned away from the first five Bed and Breakfasts because we kept trying to stay all together in one room, all four of us, and the proprietresses weren't having anything of that. It was the sixth Bed and Breakfast held by an older gentleman who allowed us to stay in the same room, Cindy, Rita, Bill and myself. The next day, he served us a complete English breakfast and gave us a ride up to the Loch.

We spent the entire afternoon around the Loch and we rented horses and rode around the Loch. It was beautiful, we didn't see Nessie but spending the entire day walking and riding around the Loch was one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring things that I have ever done.

We didn't have a ride back to the Bed and Breakfast so we started walking the seven miles back to town and halfway through we got picked up by two nice guys and we squeezed ourselves in the back seat. Once we got back to the Bed and Breakfast, the older gentleman was very curious about how our day had gone and when we told him, he was quite delighted that we had such a wonderful time. He was such a kind man.

We made our way back to the bus station and got ready for the marathon bus ride back to London. The trip back was uneventful, aside from poor Bill who forgot his passport and papers in the men's restroom at one of the pit stops on our way back. He had to spend a few days going back and forth from school to the American Embassy to replace his passport and papers. It put his plans to go to France on hold, but he was finally able to go despite the hiccups; back then traveling was a little easier.

I have written about how much I loved the short time I spent in Scotland before, but it is one of those memories that makes me so happy to revisit again and again. I would gladly go back to Scotland with my hubby anytime, I would love to experience Edinburgh with him by my side and explore the city even more in depth, as grown-ups can and not as young college students.