Sadness from the Puerto Rican Diaspora

Hurricane Maria triggered a sadness that almost makes no sense: I am a second-generation New Yorker but most of my grandparents were from Puerto Rico.

Seeking the Details of My Ancestry

Even decades after her birth, I still marvel at my daughter. Her genetic makeup covers the Caribbean, South America and at least three European countries.

That we know of.

I’m certain that I inherited my coarse, curly hair and need for eyeglasses from the birth mother who left when I was a toddler. I’m kind of sure of my ethnicity but feel sad that I passed the uncertainty to another generation.