I don't think you should say "unfortunately" we are who we are and there's no reason to feel ashamed about DNA. I gave up a long time ago about feeling ashamed about anchestors or what/whomever. I am not them and I never knew them and if it comes to it I am nowhere accepted. I've been always seen as the dirty foreigner with gypsy looks blah blah and my children have been scolded and told to leave to their own country (trust me they are blond).

If I cross a border I always receive dirty looks and the last time I took the Flixbus they doubted my children were mine. I had that before on the airport as we arrived back from Africa in the Netherlands. The guy told me I should take along the birth certificate of my children! In the end they received a visa stamp in their passport to make up the guys bad behaviour. His excuse was I could have kidnapped them. Sure... I travel to Africa to kidnap blond children and take the plane and arrive on the Airport Amsterdam.

The only friendly people I met in Austria were Italian LOL

My daughter puzzled about the family tree but I don't care. I just know what my grandparents told and of course, now it turns out to be true).
Kind of funny: a grandmother said that she was descended from Charlemagne. So I answered: Certainly from one of his concubines.
BTW, it turns out to be true and in a direct line, my child told me and has the proof. I assume there's nothing left to inherit?

My grandmother, she didn't answer then but I can still see her bitter face and her thoughts. Her brother had studied history and was a writer. It was also funny that he co-wrote the Dutch History book that I had in primary school. I am still looking for that book but it has been taken out of circulation. History has changed and much has been erased and in this way, we are slowly being robbed of the last bit of identity. I think that is the biggest problem that humanity suffers from. You don't have to know everything and you don't have to be responsible for what others do but culture and history are important and part of our identity. Man is an oddball, my grandmother always said or: our dear Lord has strange borders. In that, she was right in any case.

A happy new year to you and I believe in arranging my own luck and so should you. For sure that works out unless I drop dead which I hope won't happen since finally it's the year of the Snake (and the lucky dragon year hasn't ended yet).

Have a super great day!