A Xeno's View of Greeks and Greece - Part 1: How I Became a Greek American
A Xeno's View of Greeks and Greece - Part 1: How I Became a Greek American
Greeks. Greece. What did I know about these things before marrying a Greek girl? Well, not too much, but probably more than the average American. You see, I have always enjoyed history, as far back as elementary school. I used to look at black-and-white photos of the Acropolis in my Middle School textbook with as much wonder as a 12-year-old boy can muster for 4000 year old granite. I took Philosophy in High School, where I was introduced to the likes of Socrates and Aristotle, with admittedly very little enthusiasm on my part.
I went on to get a Bachelor's Degree in History, with a minor in Geography. My studies gave me more than a little information about Greece, but not much in the way of practical knowledge of the country or its people. I knew a few Greek people as a kid. My mother had an old friend who was Greek, but Sylvia's kids were named Buck and Mandy not your typical Greek names, and we never did anything "Greek" with them. The girl I knew in high school lived just down the street, but I never saw any "signs" that she was Greek. I just thought she had a funny name (Effie). I knew two Greeks in college, though only in passing. But 2 of these 3 people from high school and college ended up at the first Greek wedding I ever attended with my wife, before we were married, showing me very quickly how closely connected the Greek community is.
So I met my bride-to-be at work in 1995. When I first saw her, at the end of 1994, I thought she was Hispanic. Captivatingly beautiful, with dark skin and long dark hair - I was smitten from the get-go. But I had no idea she was Greek. I didn't really know what Greek people were "supposed" to look like. Her name wasn't "typically" Greek, with an "-opoulos" or "-akis" at the end to tip me off. Not until much later, when I actually asked her how to pronounce her last name, did it come up that she was Greek.
I was pretty shy when it came to asking girls out, but I did manage to muster the courage to do just that. And was quickly turned down. More than once. But I kept trying and, finally, she agreed to go on a "date" with me and a bunch of mutual friends to a baseball game. Thus began the relationship that would, 4 years later, lead to our wedding day.
As we continued to date I got to know more about this exotic Greek beauty and her family. But I never got to meet any of these people when I dropped her off at night. I later found out that she was afraid that her overbearing Greek family would scare me away, so she kept me away from them. (She wasn't too far off about 6 months into dating her I was told by her uncle, through one of his sons, that I needed to either marry her or stop seeing her) It was probably several months before I ever set foot in her house, and when I did it was literally for only a few seconds. She would bustle us out before her aunt and uncle, with whom she lived, could "scare" me with their old-world Greek attitudes about a "xeno" dating their niece. That's right, me. The "foreigner". In the country of my birth, with a family tree showing relatives on this continent back to the 17th century, I was being called a "xeno", an outsider, because I was not Greek.
Eventually I was allowed in the door long enough to actually meet the people who lived there. In this part of the family were an aunt and uncle and their 7 children, 3 of whom still lived at home, with 3 others living nearby. Now, I come from a small Methodist family in the suburbs. I have one older brother and two actual cousins. That's it. So to be plunged into the mayhem of a large Greek family was absolutely a shocking experience. The noise, the yelling (which I was told is "just how we talk"), the coddling of boy children and the over-protection of the girls. But she was worth it, and all-in-all, it was fun to become part of such a big family.... Flights to Durban: Your Gateway to a Perfect Holidaying Destination! Weather In Macau A Look at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino Private Airport Transfer Services to Make Your Trip Hassle Free Summer events in dublin 2011 The Most Popular Tourist Attractions in Atlantic City, USA Holidays to India: Take Help of Tour Planners WSI Franchise: Appreciation within a Nation Orange Country Homes 9 Golf Courses that you simply Do Not Want to Miss on your Spanish Holidays Happy Holidays - Make Loving Your Priority Why You May Want to Travel All Inclusive Tour Operator Jobs - Specialty Sectors