4 Ways to Explore Your Personal and Global Narrative

Many people, at some point in their lives, want to explore their heritage. Due to its cultural significance, February often becomes a prime month to reflect on the past. The month contains important American holidays such as President’s Day and Black History month, as well as the birthday of historical icons such as Susan B. Anthony and Abraham Lincoln. 

Honor this month, or even year, by engaging in activities and projects that bring more awareness and appreciation of global and personal history. 

Explore Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com allows users to trace their origins as far back as possible. A paid subscription allows access to a database containing some of your distant and close relatives. It also helps you navigate and develop your own family tree.

Ancestry.com potentially can help you find more of your roots. The site also contains other services such as a DNA kit. This kit traces your genetic makeup to give a more complete picture of your ancestral racial identity. 

Ancestry.com services may seem unaffordable to those on a budget, but Groupon’s Ancestry.com coupons section reveals major discounts, such as $70 off membership and free shipping. Take advantage of these discounts to use the site to explore more of your ancestry. 

Listen to Your Grandparents’ Stories

Ask your grandparent or great-grandparent to tell some stories of their childhood, or ask them to tell you everything that they know about your family’s history. This gives you a prime opportunity to hear some oral history straight from first-person sources. 

Hearing stories of your grandparents’ youth might inspire bonding, or at least give you a deeper understanding of them..

Photo Collage 

Use the year to complete a family digital collage project. Ask all your relatives to send old photo albums and pictures. Additionally, ask them to give you a little history behind some of the photos.

Scan all the images on your computer and start creating a digital album. Spend a little time every day, week, or month editing a long video of your family photos. Create both a digital album or slideshow with photos, and a video.

Send or mail copies of the digital album to anyone who wants one. Save the video collage for the final major family gathering of the year. Make it one of the featured events. 

Visit a Museum

Pick a museum focusing on a historical subject matter or figure dear to your heart, or one you know nothing about. This allows you to learn more about the event, or completely learn something new.

Our history tells us a lot about patterns and traits within our personal and global histories.  Therefore, use these history lessons to develop a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you.