If you grew up in Laval, Astoria, Melbourne or any of the neighbourhoods Greek families built far from Greece, you know the feeling. At school you’re the Greek girl. In the village every summer you’re “the one from abroad.” Somewhere in between, you figure out who you are.
Saturday Greek school, forever
Conjugating verbs while your friends watched cartoons. It didn’t feel like a gift at the time. Now it’s how you talk to your yiayia and argue with shopkeepers in Thessaloniki.
The summer pilgrimage
The whole family packed into a rental car, the house that smells like basil and mothballs, the cousins you only see once a year but pick up with instantly. For many of us, that is what “home” means.
Two places, one girl
Life abroad gave us opportunities our parents crossed oceans for. Greece gave us a sense of where we come from. The modern Greek girl doesn’t have to pick one.
“Where are you from?” The honest answer takes three minutes and at least two maps.
Are you part of the diaspora? Tell us your city and what going home means to you. Your story could be in a future issue.