All Entries in the "INTERVIEWS" Category
Listening to the Next Generation >> Steve
In high school, I really started feeling animosity from other Greek kids about being half Greek. My last name is not Greek, and they would tell me I wasn’t Greek. So that was kind of hard. How can you fit into a group like that if they’re exiling you?
Listening to the Next Generation >> Helen
I think that I associate hospitality with Greek culture, conversation, really taking time to savor things. Like spending a lot of time around the table and time over food.
Listening to the Next Generation >> Anthony
I’m in Astoria probably three to four times a week. That’s the place to be. I grew up there for 14 years of my life. So I always find a way to get there. My grandparents still live there. I like going to the cafes there. It reminds you of Greece in a sense.
Listening to the Next Generation >> Tania
I was in Greece over the summer and I brought my computer with me. It was funny because my cousins all listen to American music, but I listen to Greek music more. We loved each other’s music, so we just sat there one day and took our flash drives and traded music.
Listening to the Next Generation >> Michael
My catchphrase is “GR-AUSTRO-American.” Meaning Greek, Austrian, American. I wouldn’t say they are conflicting identities, but rather three overlapping identities that make me who I am. Because I’ve been educated primarily in the United States, and grew up primarily in this society, I feel more American than I feel anything else.
Listening to the Next Generation >> Georgia
When I came to Georgetown, my dad and I made a deal that I would have to take at least two full years of Greek because they don’t offer it at many universities. So I signed up for Greek and have since taken three years of intensive Greek.
Listening to the Next Generation >> Billy
My relatives in Greece don’t speak a word of English and I speak as good of Greek as a tourist would. So the basic communication we have involves body movements. They ask me if I want to eat, and then point to their mouths and food. Or if I’m thirsty, they gesture to a glass.
Listening to the Next Generation >> Marissa
Being at our house in Greece over the summer actually makes me almost appreciate the things that I have here and also makes me see that I don’t need them. I don’t bring my computer. We don’t really watch TV. It’s really crazy because you think you can’t live without your cell phone.
Listening to the Next Generation >> William
Most of my friends are not familiar with their heritage. If they are, it’s not a driving factor in their life. I and most other Greek Americans I know associate with it very strongly. I think it’s really enhancing to one’s life to be living in America and have a strong ethnic backbone.
Listening to the Next Generation >> Mary Alexa
Just because only one parent is Greek, that doesn’t mean you’re not Greek. People try to tell me that, and I’m like you have no idea what you’re talking about.I go to Greece. I can speak the language now. I know the customs: the food, the music, the dances.
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