My family comes from a Scottish/Irish background but i
t's been so long ago that it's just a footnote in our once upon a time in a foreign land justification for the red hair history.
t's been so long ago that it's just a footnote in our once upon a time in a foreign land justification for the red hair history. This is one of the fun parts of this odyssey for me. Mon's 
family history is a lot less removed from their countries of origin than ours. Her Dad is from Germany and married her Mom who is native Swede. They adopted a toddler from Brazil - Mon's oldest brother. They then had two more kids, Mon and her other brother. Fast forward 30 years. Her oldest brother is now married to an Ethiopian woman. Her other brother is married to an Austrian woman. Mon married me. After divorcing, Mon's 
Dad lives in Spain and dates an Italian. For those still keeping score, everyone has paired up with someone from a country they are not from.
family history is a lot less removed from their countries of origin than ours. Her Dad is from Germany and married her Mom who is native Swede. They adopted a toddler from Brazil - Mon's oldest brother. They then had two more kids, Mon and her other brother. Fast forward 30 years. Her oldest brother is now married to an Ethiopian woman. Her other brother is married to an Austrian woman. Mon married me. After divorcing, Mon's 
Dad lives in Spain and dates an Italian. For those still keeping score, everyone has paired up with someone from a country they are not from. Perhaps to the average European who 
brushes shoulders daily with persons from every other country in Europe, this may not be a big deal. But for this simple Midwest kid, it's mind boggling. It blows me away that after all those centuries how distinct cultures and languages still exist without melting into one another.
brushes shoulders daily with persons from every other country in Europe, this may not be a big deal. But for this simple Midwest kid, it's mind boggling. It blows me away that after all those centuries how distinct cultures and languages still exist without melting into one another.In a touch of irony, it is the values instilled in me by my own parents t
o take care of loved ones that now pull us from our stateside family. Still, I look forward to getting to know my European brothers and sisters better. Plus being in Europe, what's the excuse for not doing a little exploring ourselves in the cradle of Western civilization as we know it? One of my goals is to make it to the British Isles and in so doing, perhaps get more in touch with my own family's Celtic heritage.
o take care of loved ones that now pull us from our stateside family. Still, I look forward to getting to know my European brothers and sisters better. Plus being in Europe, what's the excuse for not doing a little exploring ourselves in the cradle of Western civilization as we know it? One of my goals is to make it to the British Isles and in so doing, perhaps get more in touch with my own family's Celtic heritage.
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