My Take On Ancestry.com

What we are made up of is very important.  I will  admit I get a little "language envy" when I hear my peers speak and their native tongue and I have no clue what language my ancestors spoke.  Naturally, I know I am of African descent.   However, I want to pinpoint my language, what country I am originally from and what are the cultural events that "we" celebrate.

There have been hundreds of times that people have told me I look Jamaican.  Even before I got dredlocks.  A matter of  fact even Jamaicans assume I am Jamaican. But, despite having a lot of Jamaican friends none of them look alike to me or have a certain ethnic look.  Jamaicans came from Africa just like the rest of us so I don't personally see a distinguishing phenotype that sets us apart.

So I decided to convince my husband that we needed   to get a ancestry kit.  He wasn't as excited about it as I was , but he did it anyway.   He states he knows where his culture comes from, he is "A New Orleans Creole" and he is mixed with everything.  Well that is a great thing for him to know,  but that doesn't help me much.

I assumed before I took the test that I   am at least 95 percent African.  My physical features are totally African in my opinion. I have very coarse hair, very dark skin, extra exaggerated lips and a thick bell pepper nose. I guessed I was 5 percent Native American because honestly I just want claim to part of America as twisted as that sounds.

So when my test arrived. I followed the instructions. Spit in the vile, mix it with the solution and mailed it off. They said it takes six to eight weeks for the results but I swear it was so much longer. A matter of fact my husbands result came back before mine and I was jealous as heck.  But, I must say that he did predict his results well.  He almost covered the whole map with the amount of countries that his DNA came from.

A week later when my results arrived I was super happy. I finally knew what countries my ancestors came from.  Well I am 89 percent African and 10 percent European. My guess wasn't even close. What I am grateful for is knowing exactly what countries my ancestors came from and there are quite a few.  I am made up mostly of Cameroon/Congo and Ivory Coast/Ghana.

Now naturally their was a shocker.  Although most of west Africa was highlighted to show my original regions there was a  highlighted island as well. I knew instantly that it was not  Jamaica but what could it be?  None other than Ireland, I would have never guess. How the heck did I get Irish genes.  It could be from a relationship or it could be from someone tip toeing through the tulips during slavery.  There is also is also 1 percent Scandinavian genes, I know absolutely nothing about Scandinavia.

So anyway I am totally happy with my new found knowledge and have been embracing everything, I am.  I have subscribed to a bunch of YouTube channels with food from Ghana and The Congo. I am going to  research to learn even more. Check the video below where I attempting to  cook Ghana Okro Soup and Plantain .   Please subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit me up on Snapchat at Rzashida.  If you would like a ancestry kit click here it is currently priced at $89.00.

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About Brandy Alford

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