I recently did an ancestry DNA test through ancestry.com.

My friend's blog post about her ancestry test results inspired me to do my own.

I ordered the test kit online and received my package in the mail.

DNA is tested through a saliva sample.

I waited 6 weeks for my results as the sample was sent overseas for testing.

My results were unexpected!

I was very surprised to find out I am 1% Mali, 5% German and 2% Swedish.

I also didn't know I had as much as 25% Irish in me.

Ancestry.com is very advanced and links in with other people who have taken the test.

I found distant and not-so-distant cousins who have taken the test.

Some of these distant cousins live in USA and England which I had no idea about.

I researched into my history and found some interesting discoveries.

The 1% Mali comes from a Jamaican woman (Eliza) who had several children with my 8th great-grandfather from Scotland (Edward) around the 1820s.

Edward Clouston migrated to Jamaica to work on his sugar plantation where he met Eliza. Eliza's mother had been brought from Mali, West Africa to Jamaica as a slave prior to this. Edward and Eliza had several children, including Captain Henry Clouston, who sailed to New Zealand in the 1880s.

The great thing about ancestry.com is that it shows what country the person was born in, and where they died. It's so interesting to see where they went in their life.

I researched into where my Germanic influence comes from.

Around the 1600s, a wave of migrants fled from modern-day Germany (Prussia it was known as back then) to Ireland to escape war and religious intolerance. Who knows how long they had been living in that area of Germany and where there ancestors had been living before that!

These migrants settled in Ireland who married other Irish people who had been living there. A decent chunk of my heritage comes from Ireland (through my mothers side, which ancestry.com shows). My Irish ancestors eventually made their way to New Zealand about 100 years ago. My German comes down through them.

Danke schoen (thank you very much).

Ancestry.com is so advanced. You can make your family tree, and it shows matches for potential mothers and fathers from centuries ago.

Interestingly, the English churches kept very good records of baptisms, marriages, and funerals. There was a number of baptism records of my English ancestors even from 300-400 years ago.

I could trace both sides of my family back about 500 years online through the website.

I have messaged a number of my 3rd cousins and distant cousins. We have exchanged detail about our family history.

I discovered that I have distant cousins in Virginia, USA which comes from my Irish ancestry through my mothers side. We share a 7th great-grandparent who migrated to Ireland a few centuries ago.

Reviewing my DNA made me reflect.

It helped me accept other cultures and other people from different countries.

For example, I found I am 5% German. If I hold anger towards German people it puts things into perspective when I find out I am part-German!

The test cost me $85 on special.

Tapadh leat (Scottish)

Go raibh mile maith agat (Irish)

Vielen Dank (German)

tack så mycket (Swedish)

I ni ce (Malin)

Thank you (English)