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DNA can’t tell you that, if they told you DNA can, then you got double scammed.
There is simply no way that the DNA from someone can pinpoint ancestry to São Tomé e Príncipe. This is just because all people there arrived very recently, so DNA would just show where those people came from.
At most DNA could tell you that there is a mix that is of high occurrence over there, so probability wise it would be more like to be from São Tomé than say, Brazil.We actually know who the ancestors are from family knowledge plus birth/marriage/death registers from the U.K. and Barbados so it’s close enough for us and I certainly wouldn’t consider it a scam!
But going back to the OP and homeschooling, @Princess, you may already have come across a lot of online resources but you can get plenty of workbooks and other texts on iPad/Kindle, which obviously saves a lot of space and effort when you’re moving around. I got GCSE textbooks and practise papers but you can also get SATs material and other electronic resources applicable to Year 6/7 via Amazon.
@meta, as above interesting you mention São Tomé and Príncipe. OH and I got our DNA done recently and some of his comes back to there so it’s piqued my interest!
You got scammed.
Both São Tomé and Príncipe were not inhabitated when the Portuguese arrived, and got populated by Portuguese and, mostly, slaves from the Slave Coast and Angola. So whatever that test told you could be someone from those places and most other African Portuguese colonies.If a DNA test says from STP it may well mean Portuguese descent (or otherwise) born on STP after 1470 and knowing a bit about @NorthernLass’ family history from this forum it seems entirely plausible.
LMAO. No, a DNA test cannot tell you where a person was born.
@Rui-N Perhaps rather than just laughing at people and shouting scam, which is neither kind nor helpful, you could use this as a Public Engagement/SciComm opportunity regarding the field of Genetics which you must work in? Some further explanation regarding the limitations of commercial DNA testing might be of interest to readers – though perhaps straying too far from the OPs post?
The state will have to provide a school place on their return. Whether that’s the school they are currently at or not will depend on capacity, but given the OP didn’t ask for our views on her parenting choices, I suspect that detail is none of our business and we shouldn’t look to make it part of the discussion.
Thank you — I really appreciate all suggestions or reflections from others and I do understand that people have different points of view, especially on parenting.
We’re lucky to have two or three really good schools nearby, so I’m hopeful the transition back won’t be too difficult in case of a school change. Of course, when the time comes, I’ll speak to the boys and explain that there’s a chance they might not return to their original school — just so they’re prepared either way.South America
Galapagos – there is a report by Cat here. That’s on my list.Chile, as you mentioned, Atacama is beautiful. Bolivia even more so. Uyuni is a must on any bucket list. And El Alto (La Paz) for highest city in the world. Bolivia is also cheap.
For total solar eclipse – I’d prefer Iceland over Spain.
You could start your trip that way then transfer via NA America to South America as Iceland is connected with Icelandair and PLAY (low-cost)
@meta Thank you! I’ll dig out Cat’s report.I had actually thought about starting in Iceland to see the eclipse, then heading on to America or South America. I’d prefer to travel west overall, as the jet lag tends to be easier to manage — but initially I was hesitant about South America since it’ll still be winter, and off cours also because of my preference for Asia. I’d love to include Bolivia, though! My husband has some concerns about safety, so I’m hoping a few stunning photos and maybe a nice hotel or two might help win him over.
At this stage, I think I’ll need to plan at least two rough itineraries — one heading east and one west — and then weigh up the pros and cons of each before deciding.
What’s the plan for the children’s schooling?
If I understood correctly I will need to take them out of school for one term and homeschool them while travelling. Then sign them up again when we are back.
I forgot to mention that I will have some paid time off work that is why I’m planning this trip. I’m not leaving my work to travel the world indefinitely unfortunately.
Home schooling when the children want to be out enjoying themselves sounds a bit of a challenge, particularly with jet lag isses.
Are there guarantees that their schools will have a place for them in January 27?
Hi @Richie,
No, the school can’t guarantee them a place, but in the years they’ve been there, I’ve seen a few kids join halfway through the year. There is a big expat community with people moving often enough.
I guess we’ll just have to take the risk.
People move around all the time, not just immigrants.
Sure, I know — I was mainly thinking about the reality I see in my kids’ class, I didn’t mean to offend anybody. Out of 26 or 27 children, only five or six have at least one British parent (and two of them are my boys 🙂 ). The rest are kids with parents from all around the world, which makes it really special in many ways — they often come home telling us about different traditions or interesting facts. But it can also be a bit sad, as every year two or three children move away, often to another country due to work commitments.
We actually know who the ancestors are from family knowledge plus birth/marriage/death registers from the U.K. and Barbados so it’s close enough for us and I certainly wouldn’t consider it a scam!
But going back to the OP and homeschooling, @Princess, you may already have come across a lot of online resources but you can get plenty of workbooks and other texts on iPad/Kindle, which obviously saves a lot of space and effort when you’re moving around. I got GCSE textbooks and practise papers but you can also get SATs material and other electronic resources applicable to Year 6/7 via Amazon.
Thank you, @NorthernLass. I will definitely try to find everything I can to use as online resources. I hope Cat sees the post at some point in case she has any good links to share!
…We’re lucky to have two or three really good schools nearby, so I’m hopeful the transition back won’t be too difficult in case of a school change. Of course, when the time comes, I’ll speak to the boys and explain that there’s a chance they might not return to their original school — just so they’re prepared either way.
Is there a risk they may end up at separate schools?
I had actually thought about starting in Iceland to see the eclipse,
At this stage, I think I’ll need to plan at least two rough itineraries — one heading east and one west — and then weigh up the pros and cons of each before deciding.
Weather for the Total Eclipse 2026
As I said earlier Spain is the best bet
@Princess Obviously everything can change in a year, but just a note to say keep an eye on Bolivia if you are thinking of including on your itinerary.
I’m just back from South America, and though Bolivia was initially on my itinerary (really want to see the salt flats at Uyuni, and La Paz among other places) reports of travel problems meant that I dropped it in the end. I then got chatting to some other travellers in Peru who said they were stuck in multiple road blocks and e.g. a 4h bus journey had ended up taking them 24h.
I think issues have been grumbling along for a while, so perhaps bear it in mind. I’m sad not have gone myself, but having enjoyed my first trip to that part of the world I’ll be back. Absolutely loved Peru and August would be good weather-wise though is peak season and would need to ideally book things in advance which you may not want to do.
South America
Galapagos – there is a report by Cat here. That’s on my list.Chile, as you mentioned, Atacama is beautiful. Bolivia even more so. Uyuni is a must on any bucket list. And El Alto (La Paz) for highest city in the world. Bolivia is also cheap.
For total solar eclipse – I’d prefer Iceland over Spain.
You could start your trip that way then transfer via NA America to South America as Iceland is connected with Icelandair and PLAY (low-cost)
@meta Thank you! I’ll dig out Cat’s report.I had actually thought about starting in Iceland to see the eclipse, then heading on to America or South America. I’d prefer to travel west overall, as the jet lag tends to be easier to manage — but initially I was hesitant about South America since it’ll still be winter, and off cours also because of my preference for Asia. I’d love to include Bolivia, though! My husband has some concerns about safety, so I’m hoping a few stunning photos and maybe a nice hotel or two might help win him over.
At this stage, I think I’ll need to plan at least two rough itineraries — one heading east and one west — and then weigh up the pros and cons of each before deciding.
Iceland is a no go IMHO.
As I said earlier Spain is the best bet.
Iceland is a no go IMHO.
As I said earlier Spain is the best bet.
Thanks for the very helpful link. It’ll be Spain for me.
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