Let’s just get this out in the open at the start:

I really hate how Ariel gives up everything for some guy she just met.

Girl, you are lucky he turned out to be a good person, if a bit dimwitted. You could have ended up with a sociopath.

Otherwise?

“The Little Mermaid” is still one of my favorites. The music is great, first of all. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like the soundtrack to this one.

And I’ll admit, despite the fact that I feel like Ariel gives up everything she loves, and Eric doesn’t really do all that much until he helps her save the day, I have to give her credit for being very, very brave.

Not many people could give up the only life they have ever known in pursuit of something new. And even fewer still would do so without hesitation.

In a way, her bravery has always reminded me of my own family. My grandparents–on both sides–immigrated to the USA from Santa Maria, Acores, back in the late 60s and early 70s. They came to a land where everything, even the language, was strange to them.

When my parents were small, they lived a life very, very similar to the Amish of the United States. So when they came here, it really was quite the shock.

Last week, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a lecture at The Old Colony Historical Society, where Michael Hall discussed his Azorean roots and his journey of familial discovery.

And its made me want to pull a reverse-Ariel.

I’m going back.

Thanks to Mr. Hall, I now have a place to begin. While he is lucky enough to have several generations of ancestors and relatives here in the states, I’ve always felt that my search had come up against the brick wall that is the Atlantic Ocean.

I’m a first generation American, so where could I possibly begin?

I’ve only ever heard vague stories, with kernels of truth hidden inside. Now, I know that there is a website to help folks like me: Cultura dos Acores. They have religious and civil archives for the Acores, some of which date back to the 1600s.

So as if I didn’t already have enough on my plate, I’ve decided to head back to my Atlantica, and I cannot wait to get started.

Even better: I don’t have to go through a dodgy sea witch to do it.