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We finished unraveling my ancestral roots, which were firmly planted in the heart of New York City before my family moved to Queens. Now most people refer to this divisions as “counties,” and technically Queens is a county in the State of New York; however, the New York City comprises the equivalent of five counties, creating a new division called a borough. While we weren’t always in the same locations, my ancestors opted to remain along the northwestern corner of Queens. Several sources can confirm that my homeland is the most linguistically and ethnically diverse place in the world — a point of which brings me great pride and has shaped my beliefs and the views I hold. Queens is home to both of New York City’s major airports (LaGuardia and JFK International), the New York Mets baseball team, and the site of the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (the Unisphere is a sight to behold on its own), among other things. It should come as no surprise to anyone that I will always consider myself a native of Queens.

Both sets of biological grandparents made their homes in the neighborhood of College Point, an area made prosperous by Conrad Poppenhusen. In fact, College Point was once referred to as “Little Heidelberg,” and the Five Corners building was a living homage to German architecture. (Sadly, the most recent owners decided to remodel using “Millennial gray.” My sister and I are outraged: she for historic preservation reasons, I for sentimental reasons.) Our little neighborhood loved our German benefactor so much that they have continued operating his original five-story building — the Poppenhusen Institute — which housed the first free Kindergarten in the United States of America. Don’t believe me? You may verify this information with Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries Social Welfare History Project! A monument to this great man still stands along College Point Boulevard.

Much like my ancestors before me, my family ended up leaving our homeland, though. First, my mother took a job out of state, uprooting us shortly after my tenth birthday. Then, my maternal grandparents moved to Florida after my grandfather completed the American dream: get married, have children, work 30 years, and retire. I may have spent less than a quarter of my life there, but I will always consider Queens as home.