Family History

I have to admit, even though my Italian professor put the fear of God in me this year, she did bring up a good point - know where you come from. For months, I've been studying Italian (as you well know by now since I'm going to Rome in August) and I've discovered that...I have no idea where I come from. 


This realization scared me. The oldest person in my immediate family is my grandmother, my mother's mother, who just turned 91 this year (seriously, God bless this woman). So many times, Italian teachers from high school and college have asked me if I know what percentage I am (How Italian am I?) or what part of Italy my ancestors come from. The strange part is that I don't know how Italian I am. I only know that I'm Irish, Italian, and German...and probably some other things that were lost along the way.


But I don't know. I'm completely clueless. 


So I spent a solid 3 hours last night talking with my 91 year old grandmother about my mother's side of the family - the German side. And I learned all about it and more! But still, there are many questions that are left unanswered and it's scary. 


My grandmother is the only person in my family who knows all the history and information about my mother's side. When she dies (heaven forbid), all of that history and information goes with her. So I'm using all possible resources to figure out who was in my family, where they were born and where they are now (if they're still alive), and what secrets they took with them. 


My father's side is another story.