Growing up I really didn't now much about where my biological family came from. I knew I was part Irish and English, but the rest was just as guess. I knew I was born in the New York City area but that really doesn't tell much. I couldn't ever figure out why I got so tan in the summer, or why I had so much long dark hair. Or where the freckles across my cheeks came from. During my senior year I was taking a class that was half a year of epidemiology and half forensics. My 18th birthday was coming around and that would mean the time that I could legally search for my biological family. My forensics class brought up the questions and ideas that I always had about myself and my family. And my birthday only stirred up more emotions. So after talking about it with some of my classmates and teacher they suggested I take a DNA test. And naturally I thought that would be going to a facility and having my blood drawn and my hair pulled out for testing. Luckily for me I had some pretty smart friends and they told me you can get DNA tests on the internet now. I was totally confused. But upon further research I discovered that you and buy a DNA test kit from companies like ancestry.com and 23 and me. So (with the permission from my teacher) I called and asked my mom if I could do it right in the middle of class. And she said whatever I wanted to do it was fine with her. She gave me her credit card information and I bought it right then and there.
A few weeks later my test kit arrived and I couldn't be more excited. I followed the direction and sent my samples in the lab to be tested. It took a while to get results back, a little over a month, but it was well worth the wait. I finally got a confirmation that my results were ready for viewing on my online account, and I couldn't be more excited. I couldn't log on faster either. The results I found weren't entirely shocking, but most certainly things I wasn't anticipating.
ancestry.com gave me an entire breakdown of who i was and where my family came from. It was cool. I always knew I was Irish and english and I assumed to be Mediterranean of some sort, but what I found out was something new and different, along with definitive. I could finally say this is who I was. I always felt like there was a piece of me missing because I couldn't say just exactly what I was like other people could. That hole had finally been filled. was….
43% Europe west, which basically means, Belgian, French, Germain, and Swiss.
20% Italy/ Greece
11% Great Britain
8% Iberian Peninsula, which is Spain and Portugal.
6% Ireland
5% West Asia
3% Scandinavia
2% Asia South
Less than 1% Europe East
Less than 1% North Africa
So basically I'm a mutt, and white. For me the experience of finding out where my family really came from wasn't about the numbers or percentages. It was about finding a new way to define myself. Because my parents let me do this I was able to find a new sense of self. Doing this DNA test really filled a part of me that was missing.
So, My advice to you would be, whether or not you're adopted, do a DNA test. You might be surprised to see what you find. I think often times were told were something so much we blindly believe it. The worst thing that could happen after doing one of these tests is that you find out you were exactly what you thought you were, and you wasted some money. But for me this was an absolutely amazing and fulfilling experience that I would do again in a heartbeat.
