Family History: Learning About Roots - Essay Example

When learning about your roots, you must be ready for both encouraging and discouraging history. You should know that you cannot change your past. You cannot change the way your people lived. You can only embrace what your family went through. Your journey to establish your roots should not stop when you come across a dark past.

According to Alex Haley, we are all interested in knowing our heritage. He observed that regardless of the achievements of any man, there is always that desire to learn our roots to fill a vacuum. Based on the argument of this person, it is clear that understanding our family origin is very important. It is important to know that our history can sometimes determine how we behave or do.

In an attempt to understand my roots, I turned to my father and sister. According to the interview I had with my father, I discovered that his family originated from Guanguang Dong China, in the south of China. The nine people on my father’s side include grandparents, aunts, and uncles. My father’s great-great-grandfather was from the northern part of China. However, during those times, people kept moving from one province to the other due to the high incidences of war. Therefore, I learned that my family lived in two or three provinces in China. I also learned that my grandparents and great-grandparents were part of the Chinese soldiers. I was happy to learn that my family was involved in the war for freedom and democracy.

My dad is proud of the history of his family. In fact, if you were to ask him to choose between normal life or military life, he would choose the military way. In 1978, China underwent significant changes triggered by the opening of some coastal zones. Therefore, my dad moved from Guangdong to Shenzhen. One of the reasons why my father enjoyed life in the new city of Shenzhen was the many opportunities there. My father became a businessperson from that time.

I also got a chance to learn about my mother’s family history. However, I did not learn much as the information was scanty. What I know is that she traces her roots in Hainan province since that is where all her people are. She was born into a family of seven girls.

My mother and father met on their way to Shenzhen city. My eldest sister was born in 1986. However, at the time, my parents were not residing in the same place. My father lived in Shenzhen and my mom was left behind. Therefore, my eldest sister was raised in my hometown.

My father established his firm in 1990. My second-born sister was then born. When she came, my parents moved together in the new city. My dad had already bought our first house where the family lived. My father and mother lived with only two daughters until my birth in 1995. My family celebrated my birth as I was their only son.

Shenzhen was our home for 16 years. I cannot complain about our family history in the new city. We were always happy. However, after spending all these years in the town, my father felt that there was a need to move to another place. My father wanted his children to live a life that they could not get in the town. He established that there was no way that they could grow, as he wanted there. Specifically, he felt that it was important for his three children to grow up in a fair society.

In 2012, we left our home country and went to live in Canada. Almost everything in the new country was different from what we experienced at home. However, we adapted with time. I think moving to Canada will only make family history richer. I am now proud of my family after researching its roots. I am now inspired by my ancestors to continue my magnificent family history in the new country.