Greek Culture
Efstratios George Papageorgakis. My name comes from an ancient and tranquil Greek island in the middle of the tempestuous Aegean Sea. The roads are worn down with cracks and potholes and the ground is covered in olives and figs; however, these blemishes show deep-rooted relations. I call this place my home because it epitomizes family, community, and security.
Family dinners are my highlight of Greek culture because they allow for bonding and learning. Coming home to the hut where my Yaya and Papou (grandparents) live right as the sun hides behind the sea is the best because I know that it’s time to eat. Evening meals held daily are accompanied with laughter and loud conversations ranging from topics like the country’s relations with Turkey to arguments regarding funny myths (like the fact that you apparently “get sick” when you sleep with damp hair). But family dinners have also taught me to think about others. Currently, millions of Syrian refugees are migrating onto the island where I’m from. Instead of talking about how the increase in population may lead to more poverty and a lower standard of living (due to a shortage of resources), we discuss how their lives have changed and what we can do to help. Although these family dinners in Greece serve as a place to socialize, they have taught me the vital lesson of service and how even in tough personal situations, I should help others and be selfless.
As I walk through the Acropolis Museum viewing marvelous inventions that Greece contributed to engineering, physics, and mathematics, I think about how I can affect the future. Among models of amphitheaters, the Acropolis in the distance, and the ruins of ancient Athens under the glass floor, the Antikythera mechanism catches my attention the most. Deemed the oldest computer in history, I find it fascinating that something invented 2,000 years ago is the foundation for computers today. However, I am transfixed on learning the function of its most basic tools. Only gears, a handle, and some form of an equation were used to create a computer that navigated ships by tracking stars in the sky. The rusty mechanism shows me that looking to the past is the best inspiration for future ideas and that even something simple can have a drastic effect on subsequent generations.
While the artifacts of my culture inspire my future endeavors, stories from previous generations remind me of my direct lineage. My Yaya shows me that our heritage was supposed to end on numerous occasions, but remained. Yaya passionately regaled me with stories of the 300, our ancestors in both World Wars including my Great-Grandfather, and the rebellion of those who fought for freedom against the Ottoman Empire in the 1820s. My 11 million relatives on the small Mediterranean country are the reason why Winston Churchill stated that “Greeks don’t fight like heroes, but heroes fight like Greeks.”
“You can’t give up at anything,” Yaya would say. “It’s in your blood.” It’s true. I haven’t given up on improving my understanding of physics and mathematics by getting thousands of questions wrong, putting others before myself, and making at least five people smile every day through my terrible puns.
Being Greek is a privilege because of what I have learned through the lens of Greek culture. The traditions, the people, and my past history all inspire me to become a person who cares for others, thinks outside the box, and knows when to rise up and fight for something.
Efstratios George Papageorgakis. Although it’s difficult to pronounce (with my friends even calling me Papa Johns) it has a simple meaning: a leader who stands for others and chooses the correct path out of many. I strive to become that person everyday.