Listening to the Next Generation >> Nick

I keep up mostly with major events concerning Greece like: the Macedonia issue, Turkey possibly joining the European Union, and the United States needing Turkey politically. That’s all important to me because that’s political and relevant for me as an American. It’s a different side than most Americans see. I can provide that background when discussions about the Iraq War come up. It comes up with Turkey inevitably. We, the United States, need Turkey and that can help explain why we have to support their initiatives to get into the European Union. But then Cyprus and all those things come into play.

Got Greek? interviews Nick G. from Georgia Institute of Technology

My father is of Greek descent. His parents came from Greece. My grandfather was from Thouria and my grandmother was from Gargaliani. Both towns are in Messinia. My grandfather came over to the United States at the beginning of the 1900s with his oldest brother’s son. There are no clear records of him coming to this country. I think he was about 16 at the time. They settled in the Boston area but eventually moved to Milwaukee with a family friend to work in the tannery industry. In Greece, he had been training to work as a shoe maker. Later he joined the U.S. Navy and became a cook. Once he was discharged from the Navy, he worked as a cook in Chicago and Milwaukee before moving to Marquette, Michigan where he would eventually come to own a restaurant and tavern.  Through friends, he was matched up and eventually would marry my grandmother. Since she did not have relatives in the United States, they had to meet in Cuba to marry and then returned to the U.S. They had six children between 1935 and 1942: my father and five daughters.

Q: Do you know what your grandfather called his business?

A: He changed names a few times. His first fully-owned business was the Marquette Café.  He then sold it and bought a building, which would eventually become the Green Mill Bar. But during prohibition, he changed the name to the Green Mill Café. At 64, he retired and sold the tavern but became bored and bought a refurbished a restaurant called the Dinner Bell and renamed it the Jet Grill.

Q: So your dad dad grew up in a Greek household?

A: Yes. But my grandfather really wanted his children to become Americans. I think it had to do with having five daughters. He couldn’t really marry off five Greek girls very easily. After all, my dad and his sisters were raised in a small town and the Greek community numbered less than 100. So with no one to teach them Greek, they learned very little. When my grandmother was in her 80s, she would mostly speak Greek. We could barely understand her English. So I am sure it was quite an experience growing up in a household were your mother only spoke Greek.

Q: What about your mother’s background, and when your parents got married?

A: My mother is from French-German heritage. I’d say she’s probably third generation. But my father really didn’t experience much trouble marrying a non-Greek. Originally, his first sister wanted to marry a non-Greek, and my grandparents were upset when she didn’t marry a Greek guy. But by the time my father married, waiting until all his sisters were properly married, his mother was delighted that he found a woman to marry. I think it also had to do with that he was 37 at the time. So they didn’t really have any problem with that.  Only one of his sisters married a Greek man.

Q: Then most of your first cousins on your dad’s side are half-Greek?

A: Right.

Q: Talk about growing up with Greek heritage. What do you think back to?

A: I think most of our Greek heritage comes through the church. I grew up in the Greek Orthodox Church and was taught that the Greeks are the greatest. Most of my friends were Greek. My godparents are Greek. I identified with that really. Whereas on my mother’s side, I knew roughly where her ancestors had come from but I couldn’t pinpoint which towns. I only know they came from the Lorraine area in France. I did visit there but didn’t  look up any relatives. We would be far removed, anyway. Whereas in Greece, I have a couple relatives and stay in some contact with them. We are closer with them, so I really identify with that side even though I am only half-Greek. But my relatives tell me I’m Greek. As for my dad’s sisters, I really think they identify with being Greek because they grew up in the church as well. But I don’t know if many of them regularly attend church services because most of them took their husbands’ religion. So most of them, I don’t think go to Orthodox Church. So we’re really the only ones that are all Orthodox on this side.

Q: Is your mother part of the Orthodox church as well?

A: Yes. My parents were originally married in a non-denominational church. Then, a year later, she converted. She was raised Catholic so it wasn’t as big of a transition. But she definitely has taken on a lot of things. She does outreach in the community and things like that.

Q: As you made the transition to college, did you see your connection to your Greek heritage changing at all?

A: Yes. When I got to campus, I found out there was a Hellenic student society. I didn’t think twice not to join it or participate. I actually became the club’s webmaster. I would go to meetings. But most of the members were mostly graduate students. There aren’t that many undergrads that come to Georgia Tech from Greece. Sometimes the meetings would go from English to Greek, and I don’t know very much Greek. It was kind of awkward that way, but it was fine for me. They understood where I was born here, and whether they knew I was half-Greek, wasn’t really a big issue. Now we have a couple more undergraduate students in the organization. So I have a little more connection. It was funny at first, just the dynamic of the group.

Q: Have you ever been to Greece?

A: No. I have never been to Greece. I had the chance to go but it would have only been for a week. I was in Europe at the time. Actually this spring break, I’m going to Constantinople [modern-day Istanbul], which I know isn’t Greece, to visit the Patriarchate. That will be something special concerning my Orthodox side. The trip is part of the OCF, the Orthodox Christian Fellowship program. It’s called Real Break. Essentially we’re going to help restore some church property and also volunteer at a local school. But mostly, I just want to go as I don’t see any other chance that I will be able to go to Turkey. Also depending on how jobs work out after I graduate, my roommate— who’s also of Greek descent— and I hope to visit Greece. I’d like to visit my relatives and visit just other places in Greece.

Q: What do you value from your Greek heritage?

A: We just celebrated Oxi day [Oct. 28^th]. I went around and told friends “Happy Oxi Day” and of course explained to them how the Greeks said no to the Italian troops coming into Greece at the start of World War II and how that represented one of the first Allied victories on land. I also value what Greeks invented culturally and historically. For example, I definitely paid more attention in philosophy class when Greek culture came up. As far as current issues, like Macedonia, my family often discusses it and so does the Hellenic society on campus. And in the living room of the house I share with my roommate—  we have a poster of Alexander the Great, a Greek flag and a flag of the Byzantine Empire. That’s the way our house looks. So when people walk in, that’s what they see.

Q: How do you describe yourself: Greek American, Greek,  American with Greek background, French-German, something else?

A: I think it depends on the audience. Most of the time, I’ll say I’m just Greek. But I’m careful if I’m among other Greeks who were born in America, or Greeks from Greece. Then I say I’m Greek American, just because it gets confusing for them. So they know, for instance, they can’t speak to me in Greek. That’s important so that I can distinguish that to them without being offensive. If they start talking to me in Greek, then I have to explain. But if I say Greek American, they understand that I was not born in Greece. So that really helps.

Q: Have you been able to take classes here in college that are Greek-related?

A: Philosophy is arguably a Greek theme. But other than that, there isn’t really anything offered on campus. I could have taken Greek classes at the neighboring school, which is Georgia State. But that really wasn’t a good option for me.

Q: Do you keep up with current events in Greece?

A: Yes, through the Hellenic society on campus and also through church. I keep up mostly with major events concerning Greece like: the Macedonia issue, Turkey possibly joining the European Union, and the United States needing Turkey politically. That’s all important to me because that’s political and relevant for me as an American. It’s a different side than most Americans see. I can provide that background when discussions about the Iraq War come up. It comes up with Turkey inevitably. We, the United States, need Turkey and that can help explain why we have to support their initiatives to get into the European Union. But then Cyprus and all those things come into play. So it helps to have that background.

Q: How do you view your American and Greek identities?

A: Not knowing the Greek language and having never been there, I definitely identify more with the American side. American isn’t really a type because almost everyone’s family is not originally from America. They always identify with a heritage. So it isn’t really an issue here for you to identify with a heritage. But I think if I went to Greece or somewhere, it would be a little bit different because they would see me as an American. Sometimes that’s a little bit troubling with politics or with what’s going on. I remember my friend getting picked on when he was there because he didn’t know much Greek. He was young and went to school for a while there. They picked on him because he was a little bit different. I think that if I went there, I think I would identify more with being American. I guess that’s the same way with any country. When I  went to France, I studied abroad there. When I told people that I was half-French and half-Greek, they kind of stared at me like it was a weird thing, or maybe I shouldn’t be proud of that. It was kind of a strange mix for them to look at. Most people there are 100% French. I suspect a similar reaction when I go to Greece.

Q: In terms of thinking about future relationships, maybe having a partner later on in life,  does the Greek factor play a role?

A: For ease of marriage, I think so. Greek women are difficult, especially right now.

Q: What do you mean?

A: Just a general attitudes of the Greek American princess, per se. But I think it has more to do with religion. If I end up with someone who’s Greek, she’ll most likely be Orthodox. That really helps. That’s definitely something I look for. It’s not a problem for my family no matter who I marry.

Q: Can you elaborate more on your comment about the “Greek American princess.” Have you had some dealings with women that make you feel this way? What do you mean?

A: When I’ve dated Greek girls, it’s been a big deal at their household. It was a little more serious. I’ve had sit-down talks with fathers before first dates. So that was a little more intense.  As a 17 year old, I wasn’t ready for that kind of talk. As you get older, it’s a little bit easier. But  some people who I know have sheltered homes. That’s more of a Greek thing, especially for women. They aren’t allowed to date until they get older. They have to get a little more freedom from their parents before they are allowed to go out, unlike the traditional American dating scene.

Q: That comes up in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Did you see that movie?

A: Yes.

Q:  What did you think of it?

A: I went to see it with my siblings and we had a great time. We were in a regular movie theater and we were just laughing when nobody else was laughing. I think the movie really helps my generation to explain our culture. A lot of people have seen this movie. A lot of things get referenced to that. It’s just things I see as normal, like roasting a lamb in your backyard. That’s no big deal. But for other people, they just laugh at that. If they’ve seen the movie, they make the connection. So I think it really helped to educate people. Right now, I’m dating a girl who’s Catholic and her family owns that movie. So they can understand a few things.

Q: Going forward, what do you want to hold onto from your Greek heritage?

A: I guess most of our celebrations, which tend to come through church traditions. They are pretty intertwined. But I haven’t really thought about it. I never had a chance to meet my Greek grandfather. But I’ve started digging into things he believed in and things that he did, and I can see a lot in myself. I remember writing an essay about the person you admire most. I put him down even though I had never met him. I thought that was an interesting way to write an essay. That is through history, you can admire somebody and to know somebody without actually meeting them. There were just certain things he did, like taking care of people in the community no matter who they were. He would take them in and help them out. When people came to this country, they had to take care of each other. That’s important to me.

Q: Before we wrap up, is there anything else you would like to share?

A: Just that I saw a lot of things happen in my life because of a Greek network, and I think that’s a good thing. I’m definitely looking for jobs right now, so networking is always good. I’m going through my networks and figuring things out. That’s definitely very helpful. One my professors also happens to be Greek and I go to him for things about classes, just because I know that he will help me. So that’s important to have that network and I know people are likely to help me.

Q: Thank you for the interview.

A: Thank you.