Nature vs Nurture

I finally took the leap and did one of those Ancestry DNA kits that have become very popular. I hesitated in doing so because I always cynically thought that they could just tell you anything. Well the results matched up pretty closely with what I knew about my family genes. I am about 70% English and about 20% German. Most surprisingly, to me, was that the area of England my family is from is Cornwall, that little peninsula that sticks out into the Atlantic from southwestern England. Surprising, because my paternal grandmother told me this a long, long time ago, when I didn’t care about such things.

My curiosity piqued, I immediately started to immerse myself in all things Cornwall. Cornwall, though part of England, has its own language and is more closely associated with the Welsh, the Irish, and the Scottish than with the English. I started reading books by Daphne Du Maurier. I have been watching Youtube videos of the Cornish coast (wild and rocky like Maine). I have been delving more into learning about the cities of Truro. St. Ives, and Penzance (yes, those Pirates of Penzance). I am binge watching Poldark on Amazon Prime. By the way, it is a really good series and the woman who plays Demelza Poldark (Eleanor Tomlinson) may just be the most beautiful woman in the world! But, I digress.

I’ve written a lot about how growing up small town Slatington has made me who I am today. What about my Cornish ancestry? The Cornish people are known to be very reserved. That’s me! The Cornish people are known to be people who suffer and endure. Yep, me too! The Cornish people are known as creative storytellers. I’d like to think that’s me. The Cornish people are known to be big drinkers. Well, three out of four isn’t bad!

Lastly, when I tell people that my favorite weather is wind because it makes me feel alive, I often get quizzical looks. That may just be because my ancestors grew up on this peninsula in the Atlantic, one of the windiest places on Earth. Who knows? Nature or nature? Probably a combination of the two!

I’d love to hear what my readers know about their own ancestry. Leave me a comment or IM me on Facebook. I’m looking out my window as I close this post. The breeze is picking up! Could be a great day!