From epigenetics to family lore, our genealogy can explain a lot about how we and our family function. Here are some of my family stories. With the help of an expert genealogist, I was able to trace my family line as far back as the 1500s — all of it in the Açores, Portugal. Learn how this has informed my own sense of place, belonging and being.
Thirty years ago, when I first landed here, I felt a deep sense of recognition. It was where my parents came from, and their parents, and their parents, and so on until my family tree seems to fade around 1600. That was the year that Maria da Silveira e Ávila was born, in Topo, São […]
Meetings at the Edge Read More »
I was in São Paulo, Brazil, last week. I was there only four days, having gone down for work as a last minute business trip to which I added a couple days for sightseeing. Although it was a whirlwind, and I spent more time in airplanes and airports than in country, I’m glad I took the
Observations from Brazil Read More »
My recent trip to Brazil was the first time I traveled with my Portuguese passport. It was a strange feeling, traveling so far from “home” as a citizen of another country. I was living my other identity as a Portuguese person. Yet, while I was there, I was fully Portuguese. I spoke Portuguese almost exclusively
A meditation on identity Read More »
A few weeks ago I discovered and joined an online Facebook group focused on Azores genealogy. It’s a very active and helpful group with some very knowledgeable people. Years ago I asked my mom to write down as much as she could about my Nunes & Avila ancestry–names, dates, places. I still have her hand-written
The past, the future and being present Read More »