“Go back to where you come from!” Yes, we’ve all heard racist and insulting comments such as this all too often, sometimes even from those in authority and power. The irony here in Australia (and nations such as the USA) is that we’ve ALL come from somewhere else (except for the indigenous peoples). Australia is an immigration nation and this is reflected in my incredible, diverse, multicultural class. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a wonderfully mixed classroom, it adds so much to the richness of our day and is a real example of how we’d all like the world to be – accepting, equal and harmonious. The problem is, though, we sometimes lose those connections to our roots and our heritage and that’s a real shame. I’m from the UK and not long ago I took a DNA test to discover my ancestry. It turns out my ancestors were rather boring. My origins include Scandinavia, Northern Europe, the UK and Ireland, pretty much a reflection of all the nations which came together to form the British people over the last two millennia. Not quite as exotic as I’d hoped for; it seems my ancestors had an aversion to travel! For this Blogging Task I’d like you to talk to your parents (don’t panic) and even your grandparents to find out a little about your origins. Also, why did your family migrate to Australia? Were there “push” factors or “pull” factors which impacted your family and which ended with you sat in a my classroom? Have fun finding out all about yourselves.