Bansal 1

Jas Bansal
Beth Fowler
HON 1000
October 22, 2015
A Greek in America
It pained me to have to wake Thanos every morning at ungodly hours. He was only 13,
in a new country, working all day. I remember when I was his age and began to work. I hated it,
but it was expected that all Greek boys begin working young to help make ends meet.1
Comparing myself to Thanos, I had very little to complain about. We have been in America for
over a year, and not once have I heard Thanos complain. Living in America has been hard on
both of us. We keep reminding ourselves that its worth it, that this is where we need to be to
support our family financially. Most days, its enough for us to get through the day. Others, the
days where we encounter the Italians, Germans, or Bulgarians, it was a struggle.1
Our familys farm wasnt doing great. Most farms in Greece werent. Many of the men came to
America in hopes of becoming economically stable.2 So many people were coming over in fact
that there was a huge effort to organize steamship companies that came directly to America. I
was 23 when I moved to America. The year was 1906. I had just completed my two years of
military service.1 I came home to find that our farm was barely making us any money. I told my
1 Fairchild, Henry P. Greek Immigration to the United States. N.p.: Yale University Press,
1911.

2 Barkan, Elliott R. A Nation Of Peoples: A Sourcebook on America's Multicultural Heritage.

Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.

Bansal 2

parents that I would come to America, start my own business, maybe selling goods.2 My younger
brother, Thanos, only 12 at the time jumped at the opportunity to travel with me. It took some
time, but my parents finally agreed. My two younger sisters insisted on coming, but my parents
wouldnt have it. Thanos and I would go live in America until our farm was doing well. Our
family had enough money saved to get us to America, buy a small home and get our business
started.
When we first arrived in Detroit, I was awestruck. Never before in my life had I seen so
many people in one place, and so many buildings soaring to the sky. We found a small place to
live. Every morning Thanos and I woke up at four in the morning to make all the candy that we
would sell for that day. Mothers recipes were the best. Every morning we would make
something different. It ranged from light, bubble gum pink cotton candy to delectable, rich fudge
bars. At first we would carry all of the candy in little tray over our shoulders. We got the most
business on Monroe Avenue, which was only a few blocks from where we lived. Eventually, we
made enough money to invest in a push cart.1 The cart did wonders for our business. People
began to take us seriously. Sometimes, people would even choose our cart over the Italian candy
shop. The money we sent home was really making a difference.
Our biggest trouble were the other immigrants. The area we lived in was predominantly
German.3 They were slowly moving out of the area, but they always looked down on us. They
held their heads up high and acted as if they were better because they were there first. Many of
them even shunned us. It made no sense to me. The Bulgarians were even worse. There was
already a problem with them back in Europe. Many of the Greek immigrants in Bulgaria didnt
3 "Greektown Historic District." 1999. Accessed October 22, 2015.
http://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/greektown-historic-district .

Bansal 3

want to become citizens. 1 They were just there to earn money and then return home all while
staying faithful to their culture, beliefs and values. When a Greek and Bulgarian were in a room
together you could feel the uneasy tension between them. Even worse than the Bulgarians were
the Italians. We were constantly competing against them in the streets for customers. Multiple
times they threatened Thanos and I. I felt like it came out of a place of jealousy. People have
always said that we Greeks are far more successful than the Italians. Our shops are better kept,
better quality and apparently we carry ourselves in a more respectable way, or so I hear.1
I looked at Thanos again. His breathing had a strange rhythm to it. Two short breaths to
inhale, one long breath to exhale. Our little pull cart business was doing well, really well. We
were making enough money to sustain ourselves here, as well as make sure our family had
enough money. Maybe we could take a day off today. That was a good idea. I flopped back into
bed.
When I woke up again the light was peeking through the curtains. It was a rare occasion
that I was woken up by the sun. When I had the time to, I enjoyed making meals for Thanos and
I. It was a new hobby I had taken up when I moved to America. Living in Greece, we couldnt
afford to cook more than rice, wild greens and bread every day. Meat was saved for special
holidays.1 In America, my options were endless. I decided to make an omelet. As I began to crack
the eggs, I heard Thanos stirring.
Demetri! What time is it?! We overslept, he shouted, falling out of the bed.
Were taking the day off."
Really? Can I please go explore the city? Ive barley seen any of it, the excitement in
Thanos voice was rising.

Bansal 4

Sure, I chucked.
After breakfast, Thanos flew out of the apartment. I wasnt used to having days off. I
decided the coffee shop was a good place to go. The coffee shop was the center of the Greek
immigrants social life.2 On my way to the coffee shop I saw Artemis working at her fathers
flower shop. She was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. She was kind and warm. She
moved with such grace, she flowed like water. Most Greek women stayed back home, but
Artemis mother died so she came here with her father. She would be my reason not to move
back to Greece. I would happily settle down and start a family with her. In fact, I could probably
open a candy with all the money I have saved from candy sales. I always fantasized about my
future with her. It was poisonous, making false hopes for the future. I waved at Artemis. She
waved and smiled. Her smile was one that could instantly lift your mood. Her eyes were telling
me a million things at once. I wanted so badly to go over there and talk to her, ask her how her
day was going, but she was working. I would have to come back after she closed the shop.
The coffee shop wasnt your usual coffee shop. It was filled with girls singing and
dancing. Music filled the entire room.4 I loved it there. I pushed the door open and the smell of
fresh coffee flooded my nose. I sat down at the table right in front of the stage. I was greeted
with smiles and laughter by the other men there. We sat and talked for hours and the enjoyed
beautiful girls matching the beats of the joyful violin. This was the closest thing to Greece I
would get in America.
Demetri! Wheres Demetri?! Demetri Thanos needs you! someone was yelling as the
frantically pushed their way through the shop.
4 Foreign Colonies; Greek. 1939. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Virtual Motor City. Web. 22 Oct.
2015. <http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?id=S-VMC-X-7835%5D7835>.

Bansal 5

Im right here! What happened?! My heart was pounding.

The Italians. Thanos. Hes in the hospital!
I tried to make sense of the situation. Why would they ever hurt Thanos? He was just a
boy. Anger and frustration washed over me. I couldnt focus on those emotions. I needed to make
sure Thanos was okay. I sprinted to the hospital. When I got there, the doctors reassured me that
none of Thanos injuries were fatal. He then explained to me that the Italian boys who hurt my
brother were the sons of a candy shop owner who competed with us for customers. This
infuriated me even more. It still boggled my mind that someone would even want to hurt a child.
Every fiber of my being wanted to get revenge for Thanos. I fought really hard against those
feelings. I wanted to be the better man.
A few months after that, Thanos went back to Greece. It was decided that he would be
more help and safer at the farm. I married Artermis shortly after he left. The Italian boys got
what was coming for them. Their shop was very slow, so they had to close it. I ended up buying
the space and opening my own shop there. It was wonderful. Business was booming. After the
Asia Minor war in 1922 my family was exiled from Greece along with a million other Greeks.2
My family came to live with me. We were happy, genuinely and completely happy. Moving to a
new country, starting from scratch was the most difficult thing Ive ever done. It is also what led
to me being happy now. I struggled with fitting in, and finding my place with all these other
immigrant groups, but once I did, I can easily say America was the best thing that happened to
me.

Bansal 6

Works Cited
Barkan, Elliott R. A Nation Of Peoples: A Sourcebook on America's Multicultural
Heritage. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.
Fairchild, Henry P. Greek Immigration to the United States. N.p.: Yale University Press,
1911.

Bansal 7

"Greektown Historic District." 1999. Accessed October 22, 2015.

http://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/greektown-historic-district .
Foreign Colonies; Greek. 1939. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Virtual Motor City. Web. 22 Oct.
2015. <http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?id=S-VMC-X-7835%5D7835>.