Moving across the country for college has its downsides, even when I’m in sunny Arizona. Adjusting to that long-distance relationship with your family can be difficult, and I have found it especially challenging with my grandma, or “yiayia” as we Greeks like to call it.
It took me a couple months away from home to realize how influential my family is to me. There have been several instances when I wonder how I got so lucky to have such a crazy family… growing up Greek was nothing short of uneventful for me. I could write a book about all the crazy stories, and I probably will.
My yiayia comes off to be a typical looking grandma – abnormally small, uses a lot of hairspray, owns too many sweaters. But the caliber of her greatness exceeds far beyond the norm. For years my friends have always told me that they love my “Greek granny," and being away from her has made me see why.
It doesn’t matter when or the reason, she has food for me, and endless amounts of food at that. Meatballs, green beans, stuffed grape leaves - if it’s authentic, she’ll make it (and don’t get me started on the desserts). The best and slightly most frustrating part about my yiayia is that she’ll never fully understand my food allergies either. She just cooks me food and I’m left to live a little and eat. She doesn’t stress, she just cares for you, and that’s what I miss the most.
Leaving family can be one of the hardest decisions to make when going to school. To be honest, I do feel that guilt of traveling so far away, but I know my yiayia’s love stretches far beyond that. Even at the age of twenty she calls me her doll (I mean after all I was her first granddaughter). My family may be crazy but I’ve always stayed entertained, and being away from them makes me miss that. And for those who are wondering, yes, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is scarily similar to my life. Don’t ask me how the producers did it, but the accuracy is uncanny.
