Assignment 1

A few years ago a movie by the name of My Big Fat Greek Wedding came out. I am sure most of my fellow students have seen this movie. In case you have not, it tells the story of a Greek girl from a very Greek orthodox family. She finds the man she wants to marry, but he is not Greek. In the the past that was just not acceptable because Greeks had to marry Greeks.

I know this because I am Greek. I am the second generation Greek in my family. My grandfather was born there but came over at the young age of 9. He married my grandmother, who also was a Greek. So now you see the problem with the movie and the marrying of the non-Greek guy. At one point in the movie the Greek mother tells her daughter that the man may be the head of the household, but the woman is the neck. And the neck can make the head turn anyway she wants it.

Throughout the years this line has always stuck in my head. I think it reminds me of how strong the Greek women I knew were. This is especially true of my grandmother, Victoria. Everyone calls her "Yaya" though which is Greek for "grandmother." She has always been a driving force in my life and a very strong woman. She was born in 1929 and throughout her long life has lived through a depression, a world war, a cold war, quite a few different Presidential administrations, and many other events. She always worked and through her example I always took it upon myself to work and make no excuses to be lazy.

For the longest time she has been the strongest woman I know. Thats why it was hard to see her get sick. She worked at the cafe my family owns for a long time until she simply could not do it anymore. She lived alone in the house all of us grandchildren grew up in and we thought someone should be here with her. I moved in with her last August just so someone would be here incase she needed anything at night. In November she fell and broke her hip. I went with her to the hospital that night and slept in a chair in her room as they prepped her for surgery. She had her hip replaced and spent the next 31 days in the hospital.

I would like to say I was there everyday but I wasnt. With school and work everyday I got up there as much as I can because I was scared she might not ever come home. It felt empty living in this house without her. But what can I say, the woman is a fighter. She made it home. We now have to have someone here with her 24 hours a day everyday plus I am here too. She has her good days and her bad days but we make it. Most people would laugh at me for being a 23 year old male and living with my 83 year old grandmother. She is one of the strongest people I have ever met. Without a doubt she is one of my favorite people on this earth and she always will be.

Now one thing that I have learned about girls is that they always want the guy they are seeing to meet their mothers. There is nothing wrong with this and I have met many moms in my day. I would be lying if I said Im not nervous anymore when I meet a new one, but I just want to make sure they know I have their daughters best intentions at heart. You can leartn alot about a girl based on her mother and the relationship they share. However, I have always maintained that I would like for the girl I am seeing to meet my grandmother. She holds a special place in my heart and I hope to be as strong as she is. I just turned 23 and am single so I know that I will not be married for sometime. But I do hope my yaya stays alive long enough to meet my future wife. Just as girls want us guys to meet their mothers.