8 Comments
User's avatar
Kiff Joshua's avatar

Loved how informative this was!

Expand full comment
nam's avatar

I always learn something new from your publication :)

Also this part made me laugh haha: "To settle the matter of her parentage, I gave everyone DNA ancestry kits for Christmas. I am still waiting for said sister to prove she belongs to us."

Expand full comment
Rachielle Sheffler's avatar

Thanks for reading! I’m curious what the results will show! What if my mom’s instinct was right and the nurse was wrong? This could be the beginning of a novel!

Expand full comment
Jean Vengua's avatar

Thanks for this interesting post! My last name, "Vengua" (pronounced Bengua in Mindanao) seems to be a mystery to everyone. It could be Chinese, but it could also have Sephardic roots. On the other hand, it was the name of my father's step-dad!

Expand full comment
Rachielle Sheffler's avatar

That's interesting! You never know with last names - Ben-Gwa sounds Chinese, or Vengua could be Spanish and pronounced Bengua because the Filipino language lacks the letter V. There's also a practice of Hispanizing Filipino-Chinese names.https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/opinion/2023/01/25/2239953/chinese-lunar-new-year-and-tsinoy-surnames

Expand full comment
Barb Natividad 🇵🇭🇺🇸's avatar

Tracing ancestry fourteen generations back is amazing!

Expand full comment
Rachielle Sheffler's avatar

Indeed! Quite a production.

Expand full comment
Rachielle Sheffler's avatar

Thanks for spreading the word!

Expand full comment