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This brings up a question that has long fascinated me.  At what point does someone become "of" a certain place?  Not legally.  Not on paper.  But inside.

I used to know a young lady who was born and raised in Cuba and came to the USA as a young adult.  She had one full set of grandparents from Cuba, and another full set of grandparents who immigrated to Cuba from Asia as adults.  One time, I referred to her as being half-Cuban / half-Asian.  Absolutely not, she said.  She was 100% Cuban.

What happened between her grandparents to her mother to her?  When and how did that internal alchemy happen?

How did my two great-grandparents and three grandparents who immigrated to the USA identify (internally and/or socially)?  Never asked them and it's too late now.

Incidentally, I’ve been keen about living in a “named” house ever since learning that John Lennon’s childhood home was called Mendips. So when we renovated our home a few years back, I convinced my wife it should have a name: The Nest. One day, when my son is grown, we may rename it The Empty Nest. 

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By the way, JB, what respect and power (and any other benefits) did the title confer historically?

And what respect and power (and any other benefits) does the title confer today, even if only on paper?