Why I (Might) Have Wanderlust

Wanderlust is marked by an intense curiosity for the world around you. While some may see it as a setback to being an average human being, others to see it as a blessing. I am amongst those who consider it to be a blessing. In this post, I'm going to try and nail down why I, as well as some of you, maybe having these feelings.

1) Genetics.

The DRD4-7R gene that is present in some of us is associated with curiosity and restlessness, so there could very well be a genetic component to my curiosity about the world around me. I've always known myself to be a curious individual as well, so nothing has changed in that regard. If anything, the desires to explore and understand this world have grown stronger.

2) Boredom.

Chances are, like me, you also came from a small town. In that small town, there was probably very little to do besides hang out with the same three people and play video games. It probably got tiring after a while, seeing the same sites over and over again, seeing the same people and places over and over again, sleeping in the same bed and relaxing on the same couch day in and day out. You realize that there's much more to this world, and so you want to go out and see it. The nine-to-five Daily Grind is a very unappealing subject to you, and you want to go out and see if there's other ways to make ends meet.

3) Humans are nomadic creatures.

Assessing the human race from a historical and anthropological perspective, our genus started out largely as nomadic people, moving to where the shelter and food were. Overtime, it's also turned into leisure, and seeing new sights. It is in our nature to yearn for more, as we are social creatures by Nature, and Travelers by nurture.

4) An end to Samsara.

This is a Sanskrit term used to denote a worldly wandering caused by suffering and the weariness of life's issues that are ultimately unimportant, such as greed and violence. The more I travel, the freer I feel, and the closer to myself I become. by looking at another's suffering, it makes me rationalize my own, take a step back, and assess the world around me from a different lens.

5) Life is short, and nothing is permanent.

people attempt to give their life permanence and directive by purchasing material goods and possessions, focusing more on what they have accrued rather than the places they have seen and things they have done. I fall more into the latter category, as I spend my money on places to go and things to see and things to experience, much more so than a new car or a new jacket or a new video game console. Those will be here for when I return home one day, or for when I find new home. But one thing is for sure, since we don't keep anything of ours after we expire, I much rather spend the money on a memory than an item.

6) Escapism is essential to survival.

when we leave home for a trip, we acknowledge the fact that we are leaving home and we are leaving our comfort zone. Yeah, we are taking our baggage, or complications, our problems, with us. Everybody has suffering, and escaping one location and embracing another is one way to reassess the suffering from a different perspective. We travel because we hope our external environment and change our internal environment. we are always looking for a reason to get up and go.

And so, these are just a few detailed reasons as to why I refuse to sit still for too long. This is why I whenever somebody I know from Facebook talks to me and says boy have you been traveling a lot, I can't help but grin and say yes, but not enough. I am proud of my travels, as they set me apart from the status quo. But I am not proud of myself, because there's so much more that I can be doing to travel, and I'm just waiting for those days to happen upon me.

I tell myself I want to settle by the time I'm 30 and start a family, but at the same time, who knows? Maybe that will just be another decade of my life and which I will be pulled in another direction to see more and do more things. Truly, time will tell.

My Ancestry

Growing up, I was always told that I was a variety of different ethnicities. I grew up believing that I was part Native American, Pennsylvania Dutch, in German. Eventually consulted with my grandmother on my dad's side, and found out that apparently, I was also French and English. At the time, my parents and I were skeptical. But one day, I decided to have my genome sequenced, and my ancestry plainly laid out for me. This will be the day that I would see without a shred of a scientific doubt once and for all what I am.

23andMe is an interesting concept that allows you to send a saliva sample to a laboratory and received genetic testing results within 6 weeks. For the basic $99 kit (with some occasional discounts), you can have this company sequence your genome to figure out where your ancestry lies. For an additional $100, you can also have them test for health problems that may arise, who exactly your ancestors were, your risk for Alzheimer's and other diseases, and what you inherited from who. This time around, I did the basic model, as it was on sale at the time for $60.

Growing up, I was told that I was European, which made sense given my markedly white skin. But when I asked for an explanation about my tan complexion and why my eyes slant when I smile, I didn't get many explanations. I was told it was because I was Native American, but others thought that I was some sort of Asian. I didn't believe them, until I received my ancestry results. 

As it turns out, I was the first one in my family to have my genome sequenced, growing up I was told it I was European which made sense given my markedly white skin. But when I asked for explanation about my tan complexion and why my eyes slant when I smile, I was told it was because I was Native American. Yet, others thought that I was some sort of Asian. I didn't believe them until I received my ancestry results. As it turns out I was the first one of my family to have my genome sequenced, which meant that I would be the first to know for sure.

After questioning both sets of grandparents, I deduced that I was French, British, Dutch, German, and Native American. When I got my results though, I was surprised to learn that this was not entirely the case. Yes, my makeup was definitely markedly German. However, even though I was about 60% German, I was also about 20% British and French both. It turns out that I was not Native American at all, but I have Italian, Iberian, Scandinavian, and South Asian (Indian specifically) in me. I learned what my paternal and maternal haplogroups were, and as it turned out, I also found that about 2% of my DNA is comprised of Neanderthal. As it turned out, I was quite The Eclectic mixture of things.

If you've ever had a question you haven't been sure about regarding your ancestry, it's best to get checked. You can then send your reports from 23andMe to Promethease and they will sequence your genome results to predict for hereditary illnesses and other things for much cheaper than 23andMe does. Or if you want the complete report, of course, continue forward with 23andMe. By the way around, it's quite interesting to learn where you come from, and a worthwhile investment.

If you are interested in sequencing your genome to determine your ancestry, you can use this link to 23AndMe’s website to figure it out for sure.