Listening to the Next Generation >> Chris

I feel that in the Greek culture, family comes before anything. Your family defines who you are. They have a big influence on what you do, how you act. I really love that because family means a lot. Second of all, in general, the culture and the history of Greece, the food, the music, the way of life. Yeah, being Greek is your family, having a large loud family, living by what is considered as a Greek lifestyle. It’s very hard for me to explain… A Greek lifestyle, what does that mean actually? As a general term, [it] depends on your family. You look to your family for advice. I feel like it doesn’t [just] boil down to eating Greek food or listening to Greek music… it’s the way you see life perhaps. Life is always good from a Greek perspective. I feel that it’s a very positive way of thinking, never really looking on the bad parts… just always being relaxed — and being very late.

Got Greek? interviews Chris K. from U. of Texas at Austin

Q: Who in your family is of Greek descent?

A: My father.

Q: As you indicated earlier he came from Greece to the United States.

A: Yes. He is originally from Greece. Actually my grandparents are of Pontian heritage. So both of them were born and raised in what was then Pontos, which is now present-day Turkey and on the Black Sea.

Q: Did they live there, and did they come to the United States with your father?

A: No. They lived in the Pontos until the genocide [referring to Turkish expulsion of Pontian Greeks]. Then they moved to what is now Kazakhstan where my father was born. I believe my grandparents were in their late 30s when they had my father. They did spend a significant amount of time in Russia. But I remember my dad telling me that during that time, the groups of families were very close-knit and always stuck together. They kept the language going, and spoke Greek, as well as Russian. But I feel like they survived off of one another, just because they were so tight-knit. I know they still speak to each other today after all these years. They still keep in contact. In any case, after being in Russia for about six years, my dad’s family moved back to Greece. My father lived there until about 1991 before he moved over here.

Q: What prompted him to come to the United States?

A: My mom.

Q: Tell me about how they met?

A: Well, my mom was a nurse in Saudi Arabia at the time. She had lived there for about five years in Jeddah. This was about 1986, so she would travel around Europe whenever she could.  My mom got to Greece, and all her money was stolen. Somehow her purse was cut open. So she lost all her money, everything, and had to call my family here and get stuff wired. So she was just walking around the downtown Plaka area in Athens, and at that time, my dad was working in a little art shop. She walked in and they met.

Q: They were able to communicate with each other?

A: Yeah. My dad could speak English. He did learn it but with a very heavy accent. I don’t think my mom spoke any Greek then. So they communicated somehow.

Q: So they fell in love. How soon did your father end up coming to the United States and being with your mother?

A: They got married in 1988. Then I was born in 1989 in San Antonio, in the United States.  I know my father was on a traveler’s visa or something. So he couldn’t stay for a long period of time. So he went back to Greece. Then, they both did the paperwork for him to become a resident, a citizen, all that stuff. So in waiting for that, we moved to Greece and we lived there for two years. Then, we moved back to San Antonio. I don’t really know the specifics of it. But I guess my father was allowed to stay for as long as he needed to be. I guess he had permanent residency at the time. Then my sister was born in 1992.

Q: Is your mother originally from Texas? Or did your family end up there?

A: My mom is originally from Texas. Her parents are both from Mexico.  So she’s lived in San Antonio for all of her life. But my grandma and my grandpa, her parents, are from Saltillo, Mexico.

Q: So did you then grow up in a household that had both Greek and Mexican influences?

A: Yes. Definitely.

Q: Tell me a bit about that.

A: It was always just interesting. I would go to my grandma’s and grandpa’s house. They spoke English but they spoke a lot of Spanish. There was a lot of Spanglish [combination of English and Spanish]. So I picked up a lot of things from there. Then whenever we would go to Greece,  my yiayia [gradmother] and pappou [grandfather] didn’t speak any English. Actually, they don’t really speak Greek either. They speak Pontian Greek. As my father puts it, modern Greek speakers can only understand about 35% to 45% of what they’re saying. But the rest of the words are very foreign. They wouldn’t be able to understand. So my dad speaks Pontian Greek to them.  Unfortunately, he never taught it to my sister or I. But we know a couple of words. Whenever we go over there, we’re always with our cousins and they speak modern Greek and they learned English in school as well. So we can always get some messages across. It was always an interesting time when we would go over there as children. It was a lot of charades. I guess we really got good at that because we would always be around them. Always fun times.

Q: How many times have you traveled to Greece?  Besides living there as an infant.

A: This will be a very rough count. The last time we went, it was just my father and I. It was in 2006. Then in 2004, my entire family went. I only went once in high school, and also as a seventh grader. I remember specifically when I was in fourth grade because my mom had to come and talk to the teachers. She told them I might fall asleep in class because of the time changes. And whenever we would go to Greece, we would always miss the first days of school.  Towards the end, I would just skip school and go when I would be awake. But when we were younger, my mom would make us go to school but tell the teachers to keep in mind that we were jet-lagged.

Q: What was that last trip like for you when you when you went with your father? As an adult, to what extent did you feel connected to Greece?

A: I really enjoyed that time. It was just my father and I. A lot of the times, my father would just be off talking to his family, my uncles, all his relatives. It’s not that he would leave me behind, it’s just that he would tell me he wanted me to pick up the Greek. So he would barely speak English to me. But during that time, I would be around my cousins. I think we had a four year age difference. But once we got older, this last time, we would talk about singers, movies. I really enjoyed that just being able to finally communicate with them. I had tried to teach myself Greek before going. So I could get a lot across. Then it was just amazing to realize how large my family is. In the past times we had gone, it was just one big blur. I would see people, and my dad would say, “This is your cousin’s cousin, or this is your cousin, or they’re related to you in some way.” So this last time, I could really understand the extent of how large my family is, how rich our history is.

Q: Did you travel to certain places with your dad on that trip?

A: Usually, we just go to Athens, which is where most of his family is. Most of his brothers and sisters live in the downtown suburb areas of Athens. We also go to Katerini, which is about six hours north. It’s by the sea, by the coast. That is where my grandparents live, and one aunt.  So we always go over there. We usually spend two weeks with family in Athens, and then the last two weeks we stay with my grandparents in Katerini. That’s always interesting because it goes from the modern downtown life in Athens to Katerini, which is a very rural town. It is a tourist town. But where my grandparents live, it’s like a farm. Then the next house is a ways away. It’s always very interesting to go through that shift.

Q: How do you communicate with your grandparents?

A: Basically my dad, or my cousins, have to act as a translator. If I really try, I can get my point across to my grandparents. I’ll wind up making my point one way or another.  It always works out.

Q: When you were growing up in your house, were your parents speaking Greek at all to you, or in Spanish for that matter?

A: Sadly, no. I remember times when my dad tried to teach us Greek. But it never worked out.  He was always busy. We always had schoolwork. With Spanish, we were taught Spanish in school. So that was never really a problem. I’m a bit disappointed. I’m sad that I didn’t get to learn Greek. My grandparents always give my dad up a hard time about not teaching us the language. It’s okay. I know that I’ll learn it someday. I’m learning it now here.

Q: At school?

A: I’m taking Modern Greek. I started in the first semester and am now in the second semester.  So that’s really helped me. I’m probably not going to take it next year. But I feel like I have the base of knowing it, the tenses, and all that lovely grammar stuff. I feel that I could hopefully dedicate a little more time to it, and then really pick it up and use it.

Q: Did your family, in the San Antonio area, take part in the local Greek community to the extent that there is one?

A: Kind of. It was very off and on. My dad is Greek Orthodox. He would go to the services sometimes. But my mom would make him come to church with us because we were raised Catholic because she’s Catholic. In San Antonio, there’s an annual Greek festival. We would usually go, yearly, because my dad had friends in the church that he would talk to. We would go to eat the food, see the dancing, and hear the music. When I was in high school, I found another girl who’s also half-Greek, half-Hispanic like me. She went to the sister school. I went to a Catholic boys school, and she went to a Catholic girls school. She was Greek Orthodox. She told me about how they do the dancing. I was really interested in that. I just went and they taught us the dances. I would go every Saturday and Sunday to practice, and I would just perform. I really love Greek dancing now. There’s nothing like that at the University of Texas. But someday, I could start one or find another one.

Q: In the troupe you were part of at this church, would you go to performances outside of San Antonio? Or was it a very local thing?

A: It was just a local thing. But I know that after I had left and came here, they had been asked to do some other performances in Dallas, I believe, for GOYA, the Greek Orthodox Youth Association. They did something along those lines.

Q: When it comes to using terms for cultural identity, if you do use any terms to describe yourself, are you using the following terms: Greek, Greek American, Mexican, Mexican American, a combination or nothing at all?

A: I do say that I’m half-Greek, half-Mexican American. There’s actually a term “Greexican,” so a lot of people like to call me that. I identify with both cultures, equally, in my opinion. However, when it comes to the SATs, I usually put Mexican American because it’s easier. But I’ve gotten odd looks in the past. I’m also part of the Mexican American culture committee here at the University of Texas. When I came and when I told them my name, they wondered if I was in the right place. I explained that my mom is Mexican American. It has its ups and downs.

Q: Is there any sort of Greek student organization, Hellenic student organization at the University of Texas?

A: Yes, the Panhellenic Student Organization. I’m the publicity chair of that. It’s a very social organization. We usually get together for coffee every other Friday. We just sit around and chat usually in Greek. I go just to listen. I participate when I feel I can. I really enjoy just listening and hearing speakers speak in a natural setting. In class, it’s more of a formal setting. I can understand a bit more slang than formal Greek. I really enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun.

Q: How far along are you in your studies?

A: I’m a sophomore.

Q: Were you part of the club last year as well?

A: Yes.

Q: To what extent do you see your involvement in the club shaping your current feelings towards your Greek heritage?

A: I felt proud that I was doing it. Towards the beginning, I was the only Greek American in the club. I should have realized this but I guess I didn’t. They were all students from Greece, who were studying at the University of Texas. So I got people, who I knew were Greek American, to come to the meetings as well. I was the only Greek American to go to the meetings. So that was interesting. But I’m really glad I’m involved in that. Because I know a lot of people from Greece now. They help me with my speaking, and sometimes my homework. I really enjoy it.

Q: The movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding — have you seen it?

A: Of course.

Q: What’s your take on it?

A: This is not from experience. But I feel it was playing on the very cliché Greek American life: owning a restaurant, having your yiayia [grandmother] stay at your house, and having very Greek names. From my own thoughts, I feel like that’s only in areas that are heavily populated with Greeks and Greek Americans. Like Chicago and New York. It was set in Chicago, I think.

Q: Yes.

A: I feel that it wouldn’t be the same here in Texas or in the center of the United States. There isn’t a heavy Greek presence in this area. I know there is in Houston. But still, I feel it’s not to the extent to how it is in New York or Chicago. But I really like that movie. Everybody always asks me if I did this, or if I’m going to own a restaurant. Or if my sister is going to get spit on when she gets married. All that fun stuff.

Q: And those comments are coming from non-Greek people?

A: Yeah.

Q: What is that like, if you could talk to me more about being in Texas. It might be a different experience for a young person like yourself compared to someone else in the New York City Greek community where there’s a larger community. What does it feel like to have this Greek heritage but be in a place where most of your interactions are with non-Greek people?

A: I have mixed feelings about that. Actually my dad did want to live in New York or Chicago, basically in a place that’s heavily populated with Greeks. But my mom didn’t want to be away from her family. So we came here. I feel that had I lived in a place like New York or Chicago, I probably would have identified more with my Greek heritage. I probably would have gone to Greek school and been a better Greek speaker. I feel things would be very different. I’m really happy where I am. It’s sometimes annoying especially when I see that popular Greek entertainers will only go to New York or Chicago, and they obviously never make it down to Texas. That’s kind of a disappointment. Either way, I think I would have been happy with where I am, how I am.

Q: In terms of relationship choices, and perhaps thinking about having a partner down the road, to what extent do you want your Greek heritage to play a role?

A: It would never be to the effect that the person would have to be Greek. But obviously, if I ever have children or something, I would like that to be at least a presence in my child’s life: to know that he or she is of Greek and as well as of Mexican heritage. I would actually really try to instill both languages. Not intensely. Just try to see if they would like to learn one, or like one more than the other. Just to have them be aware that they are of that heritage. That’s important to know who you are and where you come from and where your family comes from.

Q: As you go through college and beyond, how do you want to see your connection to Greek culture play out?

A: My dream before coming into freshman year was to work at an advertising agency in Greece. Or work at an advertising agency where I could be connected to Greece. So I would be able to use my skills to target Greek segments whether in the United States, or a segment in Greece. My dad would always tell me that having a United States education means a lot in other countries. You’re looked highly upon. As of right now, my goals and my dreams have switched. I still want to work with an advertising agency, but I’ve really fallen in love with the Arabic language and their culture. So hopefully, I’d actually like to work in the Middle East using my knowledge of Arabic as well as my knowledge of English and perhaps even my knowledge of Greek, and see where that would take me. Maybe that would be with an Arabic company wanting to market something in Greece, or even vice verse. I just want to really use my skills in the different languages I know to really to guide me to where I would like to be.

Q: Not only do you have Greek and Mexican influences in your life, now you’re starting to have some Arabic influence in your life. How did you get into wanting to study Arabic?

A: I’ve always loved that language. I thought it was a very beautiful language. The script had always amazed me. To me, it was some sort of code. I always wanted to decipher it, to say the least. Upon coming to the University of Texas, I had learned that it has a very highly regarded Arabic program, one of the leading programs in the nation. University of Texas also gets a very large grant from the United States allowing people to study Arabic for four years and then sends them to Egypt for a year with everything paid for to gain skills. They say when you graduate, if you do Arabic for four years, you’re at a highly advanced level. Because a part from teaching you formal Arabic, they will also teach you the dialects, which is unheard of in other places. The dialects are a lot of slang. But at the University of Texas, they feel that it’s important to fully understand the language and the culture. So I thought it was amazing that they would do that here. So I decided to take just the first semester to see how I liked it. I really loved it and since then, I’ve declared it as a second major. And I plan on taking the second year this summer. So by this upcoming fall, I’ll be a third year student and hopefully I’ll be able to study abroad in the Middle East somewhere.

Q: In terms of this idea of being Greek, what does that mean to you?

A: A part from anything else, I would say two things. It would be family above all. I feel that in the Greek culture, family comes before anything. Your family defines who you are. They have a big influence on what you do, how you act. I really love that because family means a lot. Second of all, in general, the culture and the history of Greece, the food, the music, the way of life. Yeah, being Greek is your family, having a large loud family, living by what is considered as a Greek lifestyle. It’s very hard for me to explain.

Q: What might you mean by Greek lifestyle?

A: A Greek lifestyle, what does that mean actually? As a general term, depends on your family. You look to your family for advice. I feel like it doesn’t boil down to eating Greek food or listening to Greek music. So much as it’s the way you see life perhaps. Life is always good from a Greek perspective. I feel that it’s a very positive way of thinking, never really looking on the bad parts. But just always being relaxed, and being very late. Even during the Panhellenic meetings, it’s always 7 o’clock Greek time, which means 7:30, 7:45. So the people who’ve never been before always end up coming really early and everybody else just begins to arrive. Q: In this idea of loving life, taking it easy, being late- do you see any of those characteristics in your own father or any of your Greek family members? Or anyone you know at the University of Texas? A: Being late, definitely, the Greek club. My father, yes, definitely. I also feel that the Mexican and Greek cultures are very similar with the family and the way of life and also the lateness. There’s also Mexican time. I feel like that when my parents had me, that cancelled out because I can’t stand being late. I have to force myself to leave later for a Panhellenic meeting. Because I really do want to leave early to get there by 7pm, but I know nobody will be there. So I have to force myself to find something else to do for that extra ten minutes before I can leave. But I do see that it’s just a general, positive outlook towards life and how people from Greece seem to have this. I’ve heard the Greeks in the club say that Americans here are very rushed. Whenever they’re walking on campus, they see people scurrying by with their head in a book or going over notes. Whereas they just stroll to class as they please. It’s just very interesting to me to see those differences. I definitely do see those characteristics in the Greeks here and my family and my father.

Q: We’ve covered a lot of different topics. Is there anything that you wanted to talk about in the interview that we didn’t get to? Anything that you wanted to elaborate upon?

A:I do feel that me being a Pontian Greek is different. I feel that it’s very uncommon. I’ve only met one other person who’s of Pontian heritage. But he doesn’t speak the Pontian language. I feel that it’s very different. The language, and the history is quite different as well. My family is not originally from Greece, per se. They’re from Pontos, which at one point was Greece. I’ve also had to ask my dad what to say. Sometimes people ask me where he is originally from. I remember one time at a family gathering here with my mom’s relatives, they just got on the topic of my dad’s life and him as a child. I remember him explaining that he was born in Russia, and then moved to Greece. So someone said “Are you even Greek?” When he was born in Russia, he was raised speaking Russian. So obviously he’s forgotten all that now. He knows Modern Greek and Pontian Greek. But it was just weird. I was like “Dad, what do you want me to say where you’re from?” I can’t say Pontos, because nobody would know what that is. It’s a hassle explaining it to everybody. So a lot of the times, I would just say he’s from Katerini or just Athens because that’s where he lived as well. I feel like I’m a different case in terms of being Greek, quote unquote. I guess I’m not taking into consideration people from other areas. Like people from Crete or the islands. I just feel the Pontian history is very rich. Upon doing Greek dancing, I was really interested in that and did a lot of research about the different types of dances. Up until then, I had only seen the guys in the foustanellas, the skirts, and the puffy shoes or whatever, like the guys guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier [in Athens]. But upon looking into it, I found that there are dances from Crete, from various islands. I found that there are also Pontian dances and they have a completely different costume and how it reflects on that time. A lot of that costume is a war costume and the dances are all war dances. Because of the wars, the past, and how it’s affected them. So I just thought it was very interesting how it shaped how it’s come about.

Q: Chris, I want to thank you for your time.

A: Thank you very much.