I look up to my parents greatly. I take extreme pride in my family’s history. My mom is a teacher; because of her work there has always been a strong emphasis on education. Also, my uncle owned an auto parts store, that lets me open my eyes and appreciate cars. Also, my grandfather recently passed away due to cancer. This death opened my eyes to appreciate my grandparents even more.
I have a huge family. The funny thing about my tall and loud Greek relatives is I don’t know half of them. My dad has 31 first cousins and my mom has 15 first cousins. When I go to baptisms or weddings I have strangers come up to me and hug me saying I am your aunt. Even though I don’t know some of my cousins or uncles and aunts it can be a perk. Every time I meet a new relative I think, “Another person’s looking out for me and has my back.”
Talking loud, running late and being obnoxious are typical Greek traits. I am also Greek Orthodox. We believe in the Old Testament and believe in Christianity. My culture and my very supportive family have helped me become a better person. Although I don’t attend church every Sunday or are very religious my parents have taught me and my siblings to be kind and caring people.
One area my parents have no tolerance for is being disrespectful and being dishonest. Even though most Greek Orthodox followers are religious we aren’t. Instead of showing up every Sunday to church we are racing to a baseball or hockey game. My parents know that we are good kids and all that god wants is for us to be good people. My culture is a big part of my life.