The infamous question “What are you?” led me here.

The first time I got asked that question I was in the seventh grade. It went something like “what are you? You’re so pretty for a black girl.”

Well, there are a few things I have to say about that question. I’m a female and a person to start off. Are African American people not supposed to be pretty? Must I have something else in me in order to be considered pretty by other people? I went on to hear comments like that for years and learned to brush them off. This may sound a little arrogant which is not my intention. It will all make sense in a little bit.

Many people who look “exotic” or “unique” are often asked this question. Slightly offensive at times, but thought provoking nonetheless. Just going to put it out there, that I do not think I look exotic or unique at all. Some features are interesting, but I never questioned my genetic makeup much.

I started a new job a few years ago and I remember a coworker asking me one day if I knew a lot about my genetic makeup. She said that I had facial features that were unique and she was really curious as to what all I had going on. Also, not the first time I heard comments like this.

At this point I started to question it myself and wonder “what am I?” I usually get a little snarky and just respond that I’m black. You can look at me and tell that. What if there really more to my history then I knew about though. This led me to research DNA/genetic testing.

I shared with a friend a month ago that I had ordered the ancestery.com DNA kit and that my next piece would be about my results. I was excited and anxious at the same time. I could not wait to find out what makes me so uniquely me.

The testing starts out with a tube that asks for a saliva sample, and that’s it. You mail your sample to a lab and they take it from there. The estimated time frame is 6-8 weeks for processing. I have anxiously been awaiting my results and woke up to them this morning.

I am so excited to share them with you. Ancestry.com sends out an ethnicity estimate report, breaking down the percentage of your DNA and the specific reasons. I must say that some of the information was a little shocking and some I had a feeling about.

So here it is. The information that makes me Jalysa King. Take a look!

The summary then breaks this information down even more which I found to be even more interesting.

This revealed that from the African region 38% of my DNA is from Ivory Coast/Ghana, 29% Cameroon/ Congo, 5% Mali, 2% Africa South Central Hunter Gathers, 1% Nigeria, and less than 2% Benin/Togo and Africa Southeastern Bantu.

From the Asian region less than 1% central Asia.

From the European region there are a few that I was pretty shocked by. 12% Great Britain, 7% Ireland, 1% Western Europe, and less than 2% Scandinavia and Iberian Peninsula. From the Pacific Island region I am less than 1% Polynesian.

The test also sends a list of potential relatives, and my close uncle was the very first person listed. It showed as an extremely high chance we’re related. Since I know for a fact he is my uncle this added a lot more reliability and credibility to this test for me. I have already received a message today from a woman saying she’s glad to find out we are cousins. All I can say is that if I were to see her on the street the idea of us being related would not even cross my mind.

We look NOTHING alike.

This is just the beginning of this journey for me and I cannot wait to see what else I am able to find out. This whole experience is teaching me that I am not just “black” and that every little part counts when it comes to who I am. In a world so divided lately it is nice to know that we all may be a little more connected than we think.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/every-little-part-counts-the-journey-to-finding-out_us_579bbd72e4b004301c50e0d3