Monday, May 16, 2016

DNA Update: Shocking news!

You guys! I got it! I got my DNA results. And, you'll never believe what the results said about me.

Drumroll please ...

I'm 95 percent European.

Wah wah.

Ok, so, maybe you could have guessed that. I mean, I was pretty sure that that's what it was going to come out to. So, there's nothing really shocking at all. Talk about click-bait. Jeez.

In reality, there are still some interesting tidbits of info in the results. If you're really interested, you can check out the full results here.

But, here's the overview:

So, look at that. Of the 95 percent European, I am 33 percent Irish. Now, I feel like with the red hair and freckles, this would probably be most people's first guess as to my heritage. But, honestly, through the genealogy research that I've seen from my family, I was expecting mostly British and Norwegian (My grandma's maiden name was Kvool. That's pretty darn Norwegian. There's no denying that.). And, you can see that those are the next biggest portions at 31 percent and 23 percent. So, those I was expecting, but, I truly was surprised at the Irish. Honestly, we have tons of stories about being related to Robert Bruce from Scotland, but none about being related to some Irish king.

Ok, confession time. I actually just googled Irish Kings to see if that was even a thing. I had no idea what type of rulers my ancestors had. AND, I couldn't read a single name that came up on the Wikipedia page. It was seriously like a foreign language. 
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill and Toirdelbach Ua Conchobair  
These are two of the names that came up. That is not English. No, seriously. I have no idea how to say those words (names?). 
Man, I am such a bad Irishwoman. I've got to get me some learning on my whole ancestral homeland thing. Anyone up for a trip to the Emerald Isle? I'm sure I could learn a lot in person ...


A redhaired, blue/green-eyed, freckled Irishwoman with beer. Seems about right, I guess.



Alright, so we were all pretty sure that I was going to be mostly European. I mean, I'm a very, very pale redhead with freckles and blue/green eyes. Not much room in there for any cool ancestry.

But, would you look at that? I actually have 5 percent of my DNA that is something else! And, granted, it's less than 1 percent, but I do have some DNA from South Asia!



Guys, do you see that? I'm almost 1 percent South Asian, which includes Nepal. I'm pretty sure that this means I'm part Nepalese. Pawan Dhakal, I'm looking at you, brother! ;) I totally can pass for that, right?

From the Nepalese party at the Dhakals a few years ago. I had no idea I was celebrating my ancestry!


And, last but not least, I'm 4 percent West Asian ...


So, I didn't know anything about the Caucasus area, either. In fact, I still don't really. It covers quite a wide range. From Azerbaijan to Italy. I guess I just get to choose which one to associate with. I really like pizza, so maybe I'm part Italian? But, I've also always wanted to visit the gorgeous cliffs of Santorini, Greece, so maybe that's my Greek heritage beckoning me back? I literally know nothing about Azerbaijan. And, from what we've discovered about my lack of knowledge of Ireland, maybe that means that I am actually from there.

I guess this will always be somewhat of a mystery. But, at least now I know those family lores are just that. Lore. I am not, in fact, related to Pocahontas.  Nope. Not even the slightest trace of Native American DNA in that whole ethnicity profile. There goes that dream.

But, who knows? Maybe when I find out any information at all about Ireland, I can discover that I'm related to the really awesome Irish Pirate Queen, Grace O'Malley. Now, that would be cool. And, I can even say her name.





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