Being a Greek kid in an English school was... interesting. You'd think if you have grown up somewhere you could be able to fit in without any problems and for the most part, you can! But there are certain times in your life when you just realise how Greek you really are and how it is ingrained within you, and school is one of them!
Firstly, we look different. Generally, we are darker and a lot hairier. (Not good news for the girls as their mothers probably won't let them wax when they're so young, and the boys' hairy bodies creep the little girls out!)
Secondly, you are likely to be in a minority in your school. (Obviously some schools might be infested with Greeks but you're still probably a minority overall) That means that you probably know every Greek person in your school and you may even be drawn to be friends with them! You probably take part in cultural days where you get to show off your Greek dancing in your outfits and your mother gets the opportunity to show off her fine cooking by bringing in her dolmates and cakes for the school to try.
If you take your own food into school, it is likely you are encouraged to take in some leftovers from yesterday's meal. Yes, that means turning up the canteen with your mousaka while your friends all have their ham and cheese sandwiches. I remember once taking in some keftedes into school for lunch. I absolutely love them and was so looking forward to eating them.
As I picked one of the dark brown meatballs to munch on, my friend had the cheek to say "Oh my gosh, what is that? Are you eating poo?" Seriously. I will never forget that moment! I mean, really now, how ignorant! Now I have friends begging over to come and get some nice Greek food at my house. Funny how things change!
Finally, you only have a 1 day weekend break from school. That's right, all your friends are buzzing on a Friday because of the 2 days of freedom coming up, and you know that you have to get up early to go to Greek school on Saturday...
But at the end of the day, deep down you are proud to be Greek so it's all worth it!
Firstly, we look different. Generally, we are darker and a lot hairier. (Not good news for the girls as their mothers probably won't let them wax when they're so young, and the boys' hairy bodies creep the little girls out!)
Secondly, you are likely to be in a minority in your school. (Obviously some schools might be infested with Greeks but you're still probably a minority overall) That means that you probably know every Greek person in your school and you may even be drawn to be friends with them! You probably take part in cultural days where you get to show off your Greek dancing in your outfits and your mother gets the opportunity to show off her fine cooking by bringing in her dolmates and cakes for the school to try.
If you take your own food into school, it is likely you are encouraged to take in some leftovers from yesterday's meal. Yes, that means turning up the canteen with your mousaka while your friends all have their ham and cheese sandwiches. I remember once taking in some keftedes into school for lunch. I absolutely love them and was so looking forward to eating them.
Finally, you only have a 1 day weekend break from school. That's right, all your friends are buzzing on a Friday because of the 2 days of freedom coming up, and you know that you have to get up early to go to Greek school on Saturday...
But at the end of the day, deep down you are proud to be Greek so it's all worth it!
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