Last month, I wrote a post about whether AncestryDNA is worth the cost. I was excited to share information about my mom’s experience with AncestryDNA, and I even mentioned that–after the kit had gone on sale–I’d snagged one for myself. As I wait for my results, I can’t help but feel a roller coaster of emotions, positive and negative. In this post, I’m going to relay some of my feelings about the test kit (and if you’ve ever taken your own test, perhaps you can relate).
Let me start by saying that I’m honestly shocked that I’m taking a DNA test in 2024. It’s not that I’ve been opposed to discovering my ethnicity; on the contrary, I’ve always found DNA tests fascinating and an important tool for genealogists. Still, I’d planned to wait and take a DNA test kit when I was older, not in my early twenties. Something about sending off my DNA, no matter how “secure” these testing centers supposedly are, always gave me pause.
But when my mom sent off her DNA test kit and got her results back, I realized I didn’t want to wait. No longer was waiting several decades before learning my DNA appealing. Instead, I wanted to find out my ethnic makeup…and fast. The pride that my mom had when she found out her ethnic background? Her excitement when viewing her traits? Yeah, I wanted to experience those same sort of positive emotions.
Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long because AncestryDNA kits went on sale for St. Patrick’s Day. With just minutes (I’m not exaggerating, I’d forgotten to place my order earlier in the week!) to spare before the sale went off, I placed an order for my kit.
When it arrived in the mail, I couldn’t wait to insert my DNA and get it sent off. Within a couple days, my saliva sample was jetting off to Ancestry in the convenient return box. A few days after that, I got confirmation that my sample had been received. Every day, I’d log onto Ancestry to watch the progress. For what felt like an eternity (but what was really about a week), the tracker didn’t move from “sample received.” Finally, when I logged onto my account next, I got confirmation that my DNA was in the process of being extracted–cue nerves and joy.
When I think about my DNA results being ready to view by the end of April, I can’t help but feel a bit of nervousness. What if the certain percentage of XYZ ethnicity that I’d hoped to have isn’t a reality? Or what if I view my traits and find out that I may be prone to vitamin deficiencies? Will the results I get back change the way I view my heritage, good or bad?
But behind the bundle of nerves, I mostly find excitement at the world of possibilities. While I know my mom’s DNA, my dad hasn’t yet sent off his DNA sample. Besides, even if I knew both my mom’s and dad’s DNA, my percentage of XYZ ethnicities would be vastly different, a combination of both my parents. I’m also ecstatic to discover whether my DNA ranks me as likely to own a pet (surely I’ll be likely, what with all my animals!) or prone to enjoying spicey foods (Cajun-coated baked potato? Yes, please!).
So just what will my DNA results turn up? I’m not sure yet, but I can tell you that I’m counting down the days until my results are ready to view! And don’t worry, I won’t leave you in suspense. Join me next month, where I’ll share some of my DNA results with you!
Until next time, keep the history alive!
