I never knew my dad's side of the family too well - for reasons I won't get into - but I met them them a couple of years ago. It answered some questions I had about myself and we still speak from time to time.
Anyway, I spoke to my aunt this week. She said my grandfather was still very sick (cancer) and my grandmother's alzheimer's is progressively getting worse. Than she said something that changed EVERYTHING I knew about myself...
"I wish mama could have gone back home before she and daddy got sick."
When she said "home" I thought she meant New York, b/c my grandparents are from there originally. Nope...she didn't mean New York...she meant the freakin' Dominican Republic!
My grandmother is Dominican and my grandfather is part Dominican. I NEVER HAD A CLUE!! My mother never said anything, my dad never said anything, and the only physical trait I think I have that would indicate something "different" is my hair. Its really wavvy, which is weird IMO b/c I'm a brown-skinned black guy.
This shouldn't change how I look at myself but it feels like something is different. I actually got up and looked in the mirror after getting off the phone.
Last night I met this girl who's Latina and told her I recently found out I was part-Dominican and she acted as if I belonged to some new club or something. She was telling me I have to learn Spanish (which I studied on-and-off) and that I should meet one of her brother's friends who's Dominican and on and on and on...
My dad is in Iraq so we haven't spoken in months and I haven't called my mom since I found out on Wednesday. I'll be honest -- I'm a little p/ssed at both of them. Anyway, parents out there, please do me a favor -- don't hold family tree info from your kids. Its what makes them who they are. If they grow up knowing their roots they can be proud of it. If someone tells them 26 years after they're born they're just gonna feel a little confused.
Thanks for listening. And, hey, at least I know I'm an American...unless there's something else people aren't telling me!!!
:??:
Anyway, I spoke to my aunt this week. She said my grandfather was still very sick (cancer) and my grandmother's alzheimer's is progressively getting worse. Than she said something that changed EVERYTHING I knew about myself...
"I wish mama could have gone back home before she and daddy got sick."
When she said "home" I thought she meant New York, b/c my grandparents are from there originally. Nope...she didn't mean New York...she meant the freakin' Dominican Republic!
My grandmother is Dominican and my grandfather is part Dominican. I NEVER HAD A CLUE!! My mother never said anything, my dad never said anything, and the only physical trait I think I have that would indicate something "different" is my hair. Its really wavvy, which is weird IMO b/c I'm a brown-skinned black guy.
This shouldn't change how I look at myself but it feels like something is different. I actually got up and looked in the mirror after getting off the phone.
Last night I met this girl who's Latina and told her I recently found out I was part-Dominican and she acted as if I belonged to some new club or something. She was telling me I have to learn Spanish (which I studied on-and-off) and that I should meet one of her brother's friends who's Dominican and on and on and on...
My dad is in Iraq so we haven't spoken in months and I haven't called my mom since I found out on Wednesday. I'll be honest -- I'm a little p/ssed at both of them. Anyway, parents out there, please do me a favor -- don't hold family tree info from your kids. Its what makes them who they are. If they grow up knowing their roots they can be proud of it. If someone tells them 26 years after they're born they're just gonna feel a little confused.
Thanks for listening. And, hey, at least I know I'm an American...unless there's something else people aren't telling me!!!