I can trace my family back to the 10th century . . . my mother's side of the family is, how should I say it, a very old French family . . . very old . . .
She grew up in a chateau in the middle of nowhere central France . . 'Hte Vienne' . . . . her older Brother has the entire geneology
My father is American . . . of mostly Irish and French with some German . .
But like all Irish-Americans my family identifies with that however slight . . . and French, seeing as we all speak French when we get together.
Interesting: on the German side . . . going way back in time, I have a great great great (or something) Uncle who was burned at the stake for being a witch
From my mother's side, Irish/Anglo-Saxon. We've got a big old castle in Northern England, apparently.
My dad's heritage is a little more complicated. His father's side is German, but the part of Eastern Europe from which my paternal grandmother's family emigrated no longer exists. Erm... it's still there, but none of us is sure where that might be.
Hmm, my family has been in America for at least 4 Generations. My Great-Great-Grandparents on my mom's mother's side came to America from Canada. They were the last people in my family tree to move to America. I'm a mix of German, Irish, English, Scottish, Russian, and Native American. I'm pretty sure that overseas relatives would be too far removed to care about us.
Note: I hear the Greek/Italian chicks are pretty hot
My mother's side is second generation Irish and my father's are came over from England in 1640 (my snooty maternal grandmother was not pleased with daddy's decision for a mate, needless to say)
Strangely, my older brother is the perfect copy of my mom's Irish coloring (black hair, hazel eyes), my younger sister is a carbon of my dad (blonde with blue eyes), and I'm in the middle (sandy brown and light green eyes- and bright headlights kill me at night)
I've never been to the British Isles, but I would love to go some day. But I grew up in New England.... does that count?
Genetically proven fact: we are, all of us, descended from the Bushmen of Africa . . . we lterally are all related and should treat each other as family.
I am 100% costa rican. I just study in this country.
100% costa rican as in my family has been in the Americas since the 1600s, not that i am native. lol.
Where is the most beautiful spot in Costa Rica?
Is there any place where rain-forest mountains drop into the sea?
I have been reading stuff on Costa Rica for a few years and plan to visit there sometime in the next year. It sounds fascinating. And I already speak Spanish, so that's no problem. heh.
I just don't want to go when the weather's hot. I've had enough hot weather to last a thousand lifetimes.
Well I guess since i am sitting here watching Brini Maxwell and typing on these boards on a Saturday night in the big city, I guess I can't throw stones. Oh hell, I will anyway.
Not subtle at first - how can you be subtle when you don't know the other person? - more like detached, quiet, a bit distrustful.
You would probably feel uncomfortable around Americans then. Many of us are open, friendly, rather trusting, and not hesitant to reach out to people.
I have a theory about why we are this way. I think it has to do with survival on the frontier. People who were stand-offish and didn't make friends easily couldn't count on help when disaster struck. So it behooved people to relate to others quickly upon new acquaintance, since your very life might depend on their assistance at a moment's notice.
Does that make sense? This is completely my own theory, which I have come up with when trying to figure out why Americans *are* the way we are. I guess it's kind of a Darwinian frontier-survival adaptation.
Quote:
I don't really know any Japanese well, but my ex-neighbor is getting married to one, and I'm personally interested in lots of things Japanese so I know Finns who have lived years over there.
After I read the book Shogun, I became quite interested in Japanese traits - especially their sense of honor. However there also seemed to be some cultural rigidity that would make me uncomfortable.
Quote:
I didn't mean to imply that Japanese would be blunt at any time. In my understanding, what we Finns share with them is the slight awkwardness in the get-to-know phase, and the tendency to communicate subtly. There is a lot of similarity between the Japanese and Finnish spoken languages. Both are suitable for saying a thing tersely, yet to imply a lot of related things at the same time. [/B]
I find this so interesting. Maybe you should write a book about it. Why not? I would be your first customer.
Btw, your English is incredibly good. wow. I am so impressed!
Mainly Chinese, of the hakka variety, thrown in with Scottish grandmother from the Reed clan. Third generation of my family to be born in Jamaica, but have I was raised pretty much since birth in Canada. My father has been to the place in China where his father was born and buried and been to the place in Scotland where his mother's family was from, but I've not travelled to either. Interestingly, the current head of the Reed clan in Scotland is a Jamaican born person, from what I've heard anyway.
As far as tracing family lineage, it would be pretty tough. My Chinese grandfather on my dad's side, had a family in China before coming to Jamaica, where he stayed and had a family before returning to China 30-odd years later and hooked up with his family there. My father's trips to China a few years back were his first opportunities to meet his half brothers and sisters over there, and he there found out that he had a niece living in the same city as us who owns a restaurant we visited often. My dad's mom was born in scotland but moved to Jamaica in her late teens. After she split with my grandfather, she moved back to the UK with a couple of her kids and raised them there for a few years, but returned to Jamaica later. On my mom's side, my grandfather was chinese born but moved to Jamaica and settled down. My grandmother was Jamaican born chinese, but was raised in Hong Kong and returned to Jamaica in her late teens too.
All in all, my family seems to be made up of a bunch of transient mongrels. I am engaged to a Serbian girl, who lives up to their reputation as hot blooded in many ways. It will be interesting to hear our kids explain their heritage someday...as my fiance is a little bit of a mix herself...Serbian with a touch of Croatian. Does that really count as a mix, since technically the two groups are of the same stock, but differnt religions?
I can trace my family back to the 10th century . . . my mother's side of the family is, how should I say it, a very old French family . . . very old . . .
She grew up in a chateau in the middle of nowhere central France . . 'Hte Vienne' . . . . her older Brother has the entire geneology
My father is American . . . of mostly Irish and French with some German . .
But like all Irish-Americans my family identifies with that however slight . . . and French, seeing as we all speak French when we get together.
Interesting: on the German side . . . going way back in time, I have a great great great (or something) Uncle who was burned at the stake for being a witch
The 900's! Wow! That seems inconceivable to me. You are SO lucky to have all that information at your disposal. I am envious. Can you imagine what it's like to know almost 'nothing' about one's heritage? Are you in America at present, if you don't mind my asking?
The witch thing is amazing! Somehow, I thought women were the ones who always got burned as witches. Guess they practiced some untimely "gender equality" for your ancestor.
Wonder if he knew about herbal remedies or something. He probably was a brilliant 'early' chemist, and that's the thanks he got for his troubles.
I have light green eyes, but have no problem driving at night. In fact, I see very well in low light.
On a related note, Cossacks rule.
Wasn't there an old movie about the Cossacks called "Taras Bulba"? ...with Tony Curtis and Yul Brynner. I saw it on some late, late show on tv one night years ago. Don't remember anything about it though.
My ethnic heritage is desesperatly french. No foreign people in 400 years of genealogy. Some interesting stuff, especially some book made by one of my great great great uncle who was a churchman.
This work is essentially done by my mother, who is found of genealogia.
Comments
She grew up in a chateau in the middle of nowhere central France . . 'Hte Vienne' . . . . her older Brother has the entire geneology
My father is American . . . of mostly Irish and French with some German . .
But like all Irish-Americans my family identifies with that however slight . . . and French, seeing as we all speak French when we get together.
Interesting: on the German side . . . going way back in time, I have a great great great (or something) Uncle who was burned at the stake for being a witch
My dad's heritage is a little more complicated. His father's side is German, but the part of Eastern Europe from which my paternal grandmother's family emigrated no longer exists. Erm... it's still there, but none of us is sure where that might be.
Note: I hear the Greek/Italian chicks are pretty hot
Originally posted by Crusader
Note: I hear the Greek/Italian chicks are pretty hot
Stay away from them...They all believe in the Fat Earth Theory...
Strangely, my older brother is the perfect copy of my mom's Irish coloring (black hair, hazel eyes), my younger sister is a carbon of my dad (blonde with blue eyes), and I'm in the middle (sandy brown and light green eyes- and bright headlights kill me at night)
I've never been to the British Isles, but I would love to go some day. But I grew up in New England.... does that count?
Originally posted by pfflam
Genetically proven fact: we are, all of us, descended from the Bushmen of Africa . . . we lterally are all related and should treat each other as family.
Hmmm... no.
Originally posted by soulcrusher
I am 100% costa rican. I just study in this country.
100% costa rican as in my family has been in the Americas since the 1600s, not that i am native. lol.
Where is the most beautiful spot in Costa Rica?
Is there any place where rain-forest mountains drop into the sea?
I have been reading stuff on Costa Rica for a few years and plan to visit there sometime in the next year. It sounds fascinating. And I already speak Spanish, so that's no problem. heh.
I just don't want to go when the weather's hot. I've had enough hot weather to last a thousand lifetimes.
Originally posted by Ganondorf
Hmmm... no.
Good lord, is there no parade on this board you won't blunder into and pi$$ on?
It's after midnight in Alabama, shouldn't you be in bed?
Originally posted by tmp
Good lord, is there no parade on this board you won't blunder into and pi$$ on?
It's after midnight in Alabama, shouldn't you be in bed?
Actually, it's 11:21 in Alabama.
Well I guess since i am sitting here watching Brini Maxwell and typing on these boards on a Saturday night in the big city, I guess I can't throw stones. Oh hell, I will anyway.
Originally posted by Gon
Not subtle at first - how can you be subtle when you don't know the other person? - more like detached, quiet, a bit distrustful.
You would probably feel uncomfortable around Americans then. Many of us are open, friendly, rather trusting, and not hesitant to reach out to people.
I have a theory about why we are this way. I think it has to do with survival on the frontier. People who were stand-offish and didn't make friends easily couldn't count on help when disaster struck. So it behooved people to relate to others quickly upon new acquaintance, since your very life might depend on their assistance at a moment's notice.
Does that make sense? This is completely my own theory, which I have come up with when trying to figure out why Americans *are* the way we are. I guess it's kind of a Darwinian frontier-survival adaptation.
I don't really know any Japanese well, but my ex-neighbor is getting married to one, and I'm personally interested in lots of things Japanese so I know Finns who have lived years over there.
After I read the book Shogun, I became quite interested in Japanese traits - especially their sense of honor. However there also seemed to be some cultural rigidity that would make me uncomfortable.
I didn't mean to imply that Japanese would be blunt at any time. In my understanding, what we Finns share with them is the slight awkwardness in the get-to-know phase, and the tendency to communicate subtly. There is a lot of similarity between the Japanese and Finnish spoken languages. Both are suitable for saying a thing tersely, yet to imply a lot of related things at the same time. [/B]
I find this so interesting. Maybe you should write a book about it. Why not? I would be your first customer.
Btw, your English is incredibly good. wow. I am so impressed!
Originally posted by Carol B
You would probably feel uncomfortable around Americans then. Many of us are open, friendly, rather trusting, and not hesitant to reach out to people.
Naive.
Originally posted by Ganondorf
Naive.
Yeah, that too.
As far as tracing family lineage, it would be pretty tough. My Chinese grandfather on my dad's side, had a family in China before coming to Jamaica, where he stayed and had a family before returning to China 30-odd years later and hooked up with his family there. My father's trips to China a few years back were his first opportunities to meet his half brothers and sisters over there, and he there found out that he had a niece living in the same city as us who owns a restaurant we visited often. My dad's mom was born in scotland but moved to Jamaica in her late teens. After she split with my grandfather, she moved back to the UK with a couple of her kids and raised them there for a few years, but returned to Jamaica later. On my mom's side, my grandfather was chinese born but moved to Jamaica and settled down. My grandmother was Jamaican born chinese, but was raised in Hong Kong and returned to Jamaica in her late teens too.
All in all, my family seems to be made up of a bunch of transient mongrels. I am engaged to a Serbian girl, who lives up to their reputation as hot blooded in many ways. It will be interesting to hear our kids explain their heritage someday...as my fiance is a little bit of a mix herself...Serbian with a touch of Croatian. Does that really count as a mix, since technically the two groups are of the same stock, but differnt religions?
Originally posted by pfflam
I can trace my family back to the 10th century . . . my mother's side of the family is, how should I say it, a very old French family . . . very old . . .
She grew up in a chateau in the middle of nowhere central France . . 'Hte Vienne' . . . . her older Brother has the entire geneology
My father is American . . . of mostly Irish and French with some German . .
But like all Irish-Americans my family identifies with that however slight . . . and French, seeing as we all speak French when we get together.
Interesting: on the German side . . . going way back in time, I have a great great great (or something) Uncle who was burned at the stake for being a witch
The 900's! Wow! That seems inconceivable to me. You are SO lucky to have all that information at your disposal. I am envious. Can you imagine what it's like to know almost 'nothing' about one's heritage? Are you in America at present, if you don't mind my asking?
The witch thing is amazing! Somehow, I thought women were the ones who always got burned as witches. Guess they practiced some untimely "gender equality" for your ancestor.
Wonder if he knew about herbal remedies or something. He probably was a brilliant 'early' chemist, and that's the thanks he got for his troubles.
Originally posted by Splinemodel
I have light green eyes, but have no problem driving at night. In fact, I see very well in low light.
On a related note, Cossacks rule.
Wasn't there an old movie about the Cossacks called "Taras Bulba"? ...with Tony Curtis and Yul Brynner. I saw it on some late, late show on tv one night years ago. Don't remember anything about it though.
This work is essentially done by my mother, who is found of genealogia.