It’s funny how I never truly understood how much my cultural heritage, Greek Cypriot, is valued all across America until now. It started to hit me when the introduction and not only of each course I was taking in Baruch College was related to Ancient Greece, not today’s Greece of course (what a shame). I walk into philosophy class and I listen to my professor talk about how the Greeks invented democracy, he quotes the words of Aristotle and Plato and Socrates like words spoken by Gods. Yes I remember my primary school greek teacher going on and on about these great minds and how they influenced people globally, but I was like ‘that’s just greeks being greeks’, proud and loud, like the father from My Big Fat Greek Wedding who said tell me a word and I fill find its origins from Greek- nice movie, but slightly exaggurates behaviors that I won’t deny that greeks have. Then I walk into philosophy class, communications class, art history class and so on, and legendary names of Ancient Greeks are studied, their society is analyzed and their art is on the walls of museums. Then I look at the ‘Greek Life’ at Baruch, and how each sorority or fraternity has a name after a combination of greek letters, which everyone pronounces in annoyingly american accent instead of greek, no offense. I wonder how this greek life idea begun, anybody know?
The other day I went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and not only did I discover an enormous section dedicated to Greece but I also came across a section with Cypriot art, which amazed me because I thought that Cyprus was somewhat insignificant to the global eye. So much, that every time I tell someone I am from Cyprus I immedietly ask them ‘Do you know where that is?’- it has become automatic. Here are some pictures that I took of Cypriot art at the MET.
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During the semester of Fall 2012, I lived in Astoria Queens and honestly I felt like I was in Athens Greece. I can hear conversations in the street in greek, almost every store I pass has a greek name and of course a greek owner, I go to Neptune Diner and I get to eat the meals that my mother and grandmother cooked for me back home. It is not only in Astoria that Greeks have left their mark today; for instance every diner is owned by a Greek which is amazing I think. Furthermore, ever since I moved into Manhattan I’ve noticed a lot of restaurants of greek cuisine such as ‘Taverna’ on 3rd avenue, or ‘Ethos’ further up 3rd avenue.
It is true what they say about immigrants, that they love and appreciate their homeland m0re than the ones living there. I experienced that feeling since it took for me to see that other people other than greeks appreciate our culture and history, in order for me to understand it’s importance and impact on the world. I believe that especially in New York, where there is just an explosion of diversity, everyone gets a sense of home somehow weather it is going to a restaurant of their cuisine, visiting a museum or even meeting someone who comes where you come from. Haven’t you felt that in New York City?
