The Greek Diaspora

Awaiting flight departures for Athens or Samos, we have frequently been approached by English speaking Greeks who are curious to know not only our ultimate destination, but our place of origin as well.  Their English is tinged with hint of Greek, but the sound is often more Australian or South African than Greek.   I’m noticing it more and more on the Island too, they are members of a group I call the Greek Diaspora.

Greece was plagued with several economic upheavals during the 19th and 20^th Centuries that drove successive waves of young people out of Greece and into more prosperous corners of the globe where temporary workers were needed.  They ended up establishing large expat colonies in places like Australia, South Africa, the U.S., and Canada.  They, and often their children, married other displaced Greeks, prospered, and eventually return to reclaim and restore ancestral homesteads from their poorer relations who stayed behind and fell on even harder times.  Both loved and sometimes resented by their former kinsmen, they seem to live forever with a foot in both cultures.  Some have repatriated, others commute.  They have all been unbelievably kind and helpful to us.

English is a second language for most Europeans, and it is their first choice for communicating with other foreigners when travelling abroad.  Our clothes and manners make us instantly identifiable to Samians as foreigners, but few Americans make it to Samos, so we are often mistaken for Dutch or German.  Greek expats, (repats?-whatever) can usually identify us immediately as Americans, right down to the Southern accent.  They also have few qualms about introducing themselves to us.  They have become our instant friends and have provided us with the informational lifeline necessary to conduct business and navigate social situations here.