Listening to the Next Generation >> Dan

I would love to go over to Greece after school and play basketball. My dad is actually working on trying to get me dual citizenship now…I would love to play basketball overseas. So that would be the best place to do it. I’m trying to learn Greek now and stuff like that. It’s exciting.

Got Greek? interviews Dan M. from Princeton University

My father is 100% Greek. He was born here, and so were his parents. My grandfather’s parents were from a small village in Greece called Thirahion, in the proximity of Sparta. They later settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts, which is where my dad’s family has been ever since. My mom is not Greek. She’s of Irish and English descent.

Q: Do you know what your great-grandparents did to earn a living when they were in the United States?

A: They bought a bakery. I’ve actually seen where it used to be in Massachusetts. They all lived upstairs, my great-grandfather and his two sisters. There were like 12 of them stacked in a room or two above the bakery. He would bake the bread, and they would all deliver it.

Q: So your grandfather grew up in this bakery business.

A: I think he did that pretty much his whole life. The building is still there now but it’s no longer a bakery. My grandmother still lives in the same house where my father was born… My father’s parents definitely spoke Greek around the house and my dad did know a lot when he was younger. But he doesn’t speak Greek to me.

Q: How did your parents end up meeting?

A: They met in the restaurant business when they were both kind of young. My mom was a waitress. My dad tried out to be a waiter at the same restaurant. That’s how they met. That was in Massachusetts…I was born in Boston and lived there until I was about four. Then we moved out to California to Santa Monica, down near Los Angeles. I lived there until I was in fifth grade, about 10 years old. Then we moved out to New York, Port Washington, which is about 40 minutes outside of New York City. We lived there for just a year. Then we came back to Santa Monica until seventh grade and lived there for two years. Then we moved up to Northern California to Burlingame, which is 10 or 15 minutes outside of San Francisco. Eventually we moved to San Mateo, which is the next city over. We’ve lived there ever since for the past five years now.

Q: While you were living in all these different places, did you have any sort of connection to any Greek communities in those places?

A: In Boston, we definitely did. We were a lot closer to all my family. We were definitely around them a lot. In Los Angeles, not too much. I wasn’t close to the Greek community too much. But in Northern California, definitely. There’s a couple guys I met through school, some other Greek kids. I’ve definitely been way more involved now in the past couple years. In my junior year of high school, I got connected with a couple Greek guys whose sons play basketball. I’ve actually played in some national Greek tournaments. Then I was fortunate enough to go to Greece last summer with a bunch of other Greek American college athletes.

Q: What was that experience like going to Greece to play basketball?

A: That was amazing. There were about 10 of us, a bunch of college basketball players from around the country. We were a really good team. We went over there. Everything was taken care of for us by AHEPA and also the Greek government. We went for around 10 days. We played games against a couple pro-teams, and also the junior national Greek team, whom we beat. We won a couple of the pro-games and lost a couple other games. So it was really a great experience. For the sake of basketball, it was really nice to be able to play some of the top teams over there in Greece and see what European basketball was like. Then even more so, on another level, the experience and seeing the culture there. Being able to live there for 10 days and just experience Greece was amazing.

Q: Had you ever travelled to Greece before that trip?

A: No. That was the first trip. It was just really great. We took a good amount of tours, saw the Acropolis and all that stuff. We went to the Parliament building, met the head director of athletics for the country and saw the Prime Minister speak. It was really amazing.

Q: When you were there, what did you feel?

A: I was so wide-eyed and amazed. I also felt proud. I was learning so much about Greek culture, my ancestry and heritage. The coaches and the chaperones who took us were really amazing. They knew their history so well and were able to tell us so much as far back as ancient Greek history. It was totally an eye-opening experience and it’s totally changed my connection to the Greek culture.

Q: How do you see that connection playing out now after having had that experience?

A: I’ve been trying to order a Rosetta Stone Greek language program. I want to learn the language. I want to go back there, definitely, and just learn more about it. I’ve been trying to take a couple classes here at school like some Greek art classes. I’m going to try to learn the language. It just kind of inspired me to get more in touch with my Greek heritage.

Q: Where you live right now, do you have any objects you associate with your Greek heritage?

A:  have a big Greek flag that I bought this summer in Greece. It’s hanging up on my wall. It’s pretty big, maybe five feet by three feet or something. I’ve got a couple Greek shot glasses. Some of the pro-teams we played gave us pennants with their team name. I have two of those, which are also hanging on my wall.

Q: Growing up, did you talk to your friends who weren’t of Greek descent about your heritage?

A: A little bit. Not as much as if I had stayed closer to my family in Massachusetts. I was baptized Greek Orthodox; and when I was younger, we went to church a pretty good amount and were involved with the community. But as I got older, we didn’t go as much. Just different schedules and stuff like that. We still made time for church, for Easter of course, and the big things. We just didn’t go as regularly. Then I was moving around so much. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I was as involved in the Greek community.

Q: Do you identify with your mom’s side: the English and Irish heritage?

A: Definitely. My mom is Catholic, and I went to a Catholic high school. With the Irish side, we visit her family a lot. Most of her family is also on the East Coast, down in Florida now. She also has an aunt and uncle who actually live 15 minutes away from Princeton. So I see them quite often. I’m definitely equally as proud to be of Irish and English descent, as I am of Greek descent. It’s kind of nice to have a mix. It’s really great to learn about all of them.

Q: So when you are asked about your cultural identity, do you use terms like Greek, Irish, Irish Greek American?

A: I would probably say I’m of Greek and Irish descent. Yeah, Irish Greek American.

Q: My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

A: It’s a really funny movie. Going back to Greece, I saw how people interact with each other there, which has made the movie even funnier for me. When I was over there, I noticed two Greek people who appeared to be screaming at each other and standing like two feet apart. I asked one of the coaches what they were talking about, and he said they were just saying ‘good day and how are you’ — stuff like that. So some of those things in the movie, I was able to see it the other way around and could understand the movie a lot better. I actually met a guy who was very similar to the dad who says that everything good in the world came from Greek culture. Going to Greece and being able to see the culture has made that movie more meaningful for me.

Q: One of the main themes in the movie revolves around the main character marrying someone not of Greek descent. To what degree does the Greek factor play a role in your choice of relationships, and even thinking about a life partner?

A: For me, it hasn’t been big at all. I’ve actually never had a Greek girlfriend. There are some Greek girls who I know here at school. We keep in touch. But all my girlfriends have been of different descents. None of them have been Greek. That doesn’t have any effect. It would be nice, if I go to Greece, it would be nice to find a nice beautiful lady in Greece.

Q: What does being Greek mean to you?

A: The Greek culture is so rich, strong, proud, connected, and tight. I’m very proud to be of Greek descent. The more I learn about it, the more I feel like I’m more connected and the more appreciation I have for being Greek. Just like every other person feels about their culture, it’s who I am. Just down to the essence, it’s what I represent. I’m very proud to be Greek. There’s such a great history and culture going back to ancient Greece. So much to learn about. It’s nice.

Q: Going forward in your life, do you see yourself maintaining a connection to Greek culture?

A: I’m definitely going back to Greece in my life, many times. I would love to go to Greece after school and play basketball. My dad is actually working on trying to get me dual citizenship now. I heard it can take a couple years, and what not. But yeah, it’s totally become a bigger part of my life. I would love to play basketball overseas. So that would be the best place to do it. I’m trying to learn Greek now and stuff like that. It’s exciting.

Q: Thank you for the interview.

A: Definitely.