Where are your origins, your heritage, family origins, ethnic origins, whatever you want to call it? No, this is not meant to be a racist or discriminatory thread, I just figured it'd be interesting to see how many of us writers here are from where. I'm Vietnamese, so that classifies me as East Asian or Southeast Asian, whatever you prefer.
I'm from North America, which isn't in the poll. You should edit your post and include that, because I'm sure a lot of people here are from NA.
^I meant your origins. If your ancestors were European descendants, then you'd be European, see? And if your African-American, your origins would be African. And somehow the poll just disappeared...
Oh, I misunderstood. My grandmother came from Germany after WW2. We think that she is also Jewish because the German that my family knows and speaks sometimes clashes with the school-taught German around here. We thought it might just be slang, but in all of the discrepancies it turns out the words we use are actually Yiddish. My grandmother looks just like a Jew, and was told by her parents during WW2 that she was full-blooded German. We think this was told to her so she wouldn't be taken away. Then again, I'm white as hell, so who knows.
Technically....how far back are we talking? Just as far back can be traced on your family tree? I am American. Farther back...I am Polish, German, Spanish, Scottish, and Irish...we think. My grandmother on my dad's side was adopted...so we aren't 100% sure. The records have her down as Spanish, but her parents last name was English...so she may have been half Spanish and Half English..we really don't know. I have no cultural ties to anyplace but America though. No foods, no language, no traditions from any European ancestors. All American.
Very true, Cog. Actually, I just remembered, although I'm pretty much full-blooded Vietnamese, it seems that I may have more Chinese blood than I thought - pretty much all Vietnamese have Chinese blood somewhere far off, but it seems mine could have been as recent as 2 to 4 centuries ago, as my family name, "Luu", was not native to Vietnam before then.
I've probably got the most boring past around here. Where I live now and where my last name originated are separated by about 8 miles. So, my family's gone a long way in the last 800 years.
you need to be more clear about what you really want to know... by 'where from' and 'origins' do you mean where we were born?... or where we live now? or do you mean our family origins?... as in, what our national/ethic heritage is?
like carmina, i'm american though further back, i think mostly irish immigrants during the potato famine settling in the tennessee valley (pretty sure - one of my aunts had some time on her hands and wrote a book about our family name), plus some cherokee and german along the way... and probably plenty of other but i don't really know... but really, i'm just plain american. though irish-in-the-valley heritage gives me genes for drinking, freckliness, hauling arse, and the redneck immune system (meaning the ability to survive really stupid things - thankfully the only redneck/hillbilly gene i recieved) though i identify culture not through actual bloodlines, but through location/experience/etc. of course, my japanese friends always told me i was wearing a 'white' costume because i am naturally quirky like many japanese girls tend to be... i wonder though, if you can't trace your relatives back to their pre-american days (meaning your grandparents weren't immigrants) can't we all just be american? i don't see a problem claiming that....
Irish, though i grew up in liverpool.( no i dont speak that mockery of words that seems to be a completly different launguage now 'propa scouse') I only get my accent when am drunk, and am often accused of being australian. Go figure. I found my familys a coat of arms and kilt. Intresting to look back over your family.
I agree actually. I know what countries most of my ancestors came from...but I am American. I remember growing up we would have "Culture Day" where people dressed in the traditional clothing of their ancestry or brought in ethnics foods etc. I was upset because I wasn't Filipino or Mexican or Portuguese or Vietnamese. I was American and all mixed up. In high school, my friend Shiloh came for culture day dressed in a housecoat and curlers. This was out of dresscode (Private School with strict code) so she was called into the office. She said, "there are girls in sari's with their bellies showing, there is a boy in a lava lava (Samoan skirt thing) with no top, why aren't they in here?" "Because it is culture day and they are dressed in the clothes of their heritage." Shiloh responded "But that's what I am doing. As far back the family can recall, we've been poor white trash." They sent her home saying that wasn't "culture." Really though...it is the closest to culture I know.
Or after a certain amount of time has elapsed? If you're family immigrated two hundred years ago, should you still say you are part suchandsuch? Anyways, I consider myself Canadian, but and actually a quarter German, and the rest mostly English, I think. I often find myself wishing I had a more ethnic background but what can you do?
I was born in Mafia-ville, Rhode Island. Raised in Redneck, Florida and Snooty, Massachusetts during my "formative" years. Moved to Anti-establishment, California in my late teen years and today I live in Bankrupt, California. My ancestors emigrated to the USA from France (Dad's side) and Canada (Mom's side). Distant ancestors are Scottish, French and German.
From when my sister did a family tree and traced our family line back... I am a: TRUE BLUE AUSSIE!!! Bitsa everything!
I was born in the United States of America, so I am an American and my family has been here for about three or four generations. However, if traced back further, the reason I checkmark the little box "Caucasian" on forms is because I am mostly a West European mutt. Last name obviously indicates British roots, but one of my grandfathers was from Germany and another from Ireland. We also have French roots. On both my mother's and father's sides we all have the traditional, classic Roman look as we are indeed Italian. When people ask this question, the short answer I give is usually "British and Italian" just because of all the places my ancestors were from, England and Italy have the strongest roots. Trace it back further, and I'm eventually from Africa, where we all of course are originally from.
Born in the US of A, but family origins go back to Germany and Britain, with a think a wee bit 'o Scotch. Basically, I'm a straight up white kid. Haha
As far as I know, my mom has traced our ancestry back to Germany and Wales, with a few relatives coming from other countries. Joel is 100% Danish. And very proud of that fact.
Well, my great-great-grandfather (or great-grandfather, I'm horrible when it comes to genealogy, regardless ), came to America when he was 13 in a small boat during the Armenian Holocaust, and as time and people wed, my mother came out mostly Armenian, and my father is partly Scottish from his respective ancestors who docked upstate in my homestead, so... I am mostly Armenian, about 75% or so, with about 20% Scottish blood, and then some other minorities. (Armenia is a small country land-locked between Europe and Asia, bordered by Turkey.)
My grandmother on my Mother’s side is English. My grandfather on my Mother’s side is Australian. My grandmother and grandfather on my Father's are both Australian, although my Great Grandfather was Swedish and my Great Grandmother, Irish. I’ve inherited mainly my Father's genetics. I have all your typical Scandinavian features; pale, fair skin, high-cheekbones, naturally blonde hair, blue/green eyes and height. I certainly don't look like your stereotypical Australian girl that's for sure (something that's brought to my attention quite often, lol).
