From Cultural Generalization to Genetic Testing to Religion to Citizenship to a Date.
This post is a story about how technology and existing laws are already facilitating a “borderless world.”
Olga Orellana is a fashion executive who currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. She was born and raised in Honduras, studied fashion in Italy at Istituto Marangoni, and moved to New York in 2007-08 to work in fashion with high-end brands including: Karl Lagerfeld, Valentino, etc.
Below is Olga’s timeline of how a genetic test lead to Spanish citizenship.
Olga’s Timeline
Dec 2018 – A French friend buys me a DNA test as a Christmas gift (because he said “I’m too white to be Honduran.”)
2-4 months later – Got DNA results. Found out that I’m originally from Spain and Middle East, more specifically Jewish. At the same time, I learned about the Spanish law specific to Jews from Sephardic origin.
July – September 2019 – Started filing out the application in the Spanish government’s website.
September 2019 – Applied for Jewish certificate and the Rabbi advises I need a genealogy report. I reached out to an expert in Barcelona which confirms my descent and writes a report to the Rabbi. I got a certificate and sent it to the lawyers in Spain.
December 2019 – The lawyers advice I get a certificate approved by the Spanish government. I applied to a new certificate and it’s authorized and confirming that I am indeed of Sephardic Jewish descent.
January 2020 – Starts dating a Spanish guy (with Jewish descent) through the Hinge app. They had met previously, but reconnected through the app.
March 2020 – Apply for an FBI background check. Currently taking Spanish history, culture, and government test.
Olga’s story illustrates how technology can impact our lives in unpredictable and exciting ways!
Photo Credits: Olga Orellana
