Happy St. Patrick's Day!!
At JMU I took a geography class with a ridiculous professor. He actually was one of my favorites. He has a photographic memory. All he had to do was meet you and he'd never forget your face and name. He told us this the first day of class, and I thought it was a nice thing to claim but how could it be true with over 100 students in my class, who knows how many other classes of geography 101 he was teaching PLUS any other level class he taught.... however, this professor was completely right. I was on campus 3 more years and every time I ran into him he stopped and said "hi Julia." And I saw him several times a month. Crazy.
So in this class we learned on a speedy level. He admitted he took drugs in his earlier years so now he couldn't stand still and his mind went everywhere...fast. He would run back and forth around his desk and people's desks. It was pretty comical.
We sat there entertained by his eccentric methods and one day out of the blue he decided to give us an assignment. We were to call our oldest relatives and research where we came from. He wanted the most detailed family tree we could come up with, written in paper form. I adore traditions so while the rest of the class groaned, I was pretty excited about the assignment.
I talked with both my grandparents and discovered so many fun stories and cool backgrounds we actually had. My mother's side being pure dutch (my grandfather actually was raised in Holland.) and my father's side being an assortment of very cool european countries.
When I talked with Super (my dad's dad) he told me he wasn't too sure on "Bahbie's" (he had a thick boston accent) past family, but he told me his mom, Katherine, was from Ireland. And that he was at least 1/2 Irish.
In the end (and I wish I hadn't lost the report) I found out my Dad was actually 1/2 irish, so Super had more than he thought. So the basic breakdown for me was 1/2 Dutch (thanks to Mom) 1/4 Irish (dad) and 1/4 of a mix of European (mostly Swedish, Nana's Mother)
It was one of the best assingments I had during my college years. I think its something everyone should look into and know. We are AMERICAN and wicked proud of it, that goes without saying. But our families all came from unique and fun places FULL of traditions and stories that I think should be held onto and shared from generation to the next...
So on today, the 17th of March, I'm proud of my Irish heritage....
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
So in this class we learned on a speedy level. He admitted he took drugs in his earlier years so now he couldn't stand still and his mind went everywhere...fast. He would run back and forth around his desk and people's desks. It was pretty comical.
We sat there entertained by his eccentric methods and one day out of the blue he decided to give us an assignment. We were to call our oldest relatives and research where we came from. He wanted the most detailed family tree we could come up with, written in paper form. I adore traditions so while the rest of the class groaned, I was pretty excited about the assignment.
I talked with both my grandparents and discovered so many fun stories and cool backgrounds we actually had. My mother's side being pure dutch (my grandfather actually was raised in Holland.) and my father's side being an assortment of very cool european countries.
When I talked with Super (my dad's dad) he told me he wasn't too sure on "Bahbie's" (he had a thick boston accent) past family, but he told me his mom, Katherine, was from Ireland. And that he was at least 1/2 Irish.
In the end (and I wish I hadn't lost the report) I found out my Dad was actually 1/2 irish, so Super had more than he thought. So the basic breakdown for me was 1/2 Dutch (thanks to Mom) 1/4 Irish (dad) and 1/4 of a mix of European (mostly Swedish, Nana's Mother)
It was one of the best assingments I had during my college years. I think its something everyone should look into and know. We are AMERICAN and wicked proud of it, that goes without saying. But our families all came from unique and fun places FULL of traditions and stories that I think should be held onto and shared from generation to the next...
So on today, the 17th of March, I'm proud of my Irish heritage....
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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