Yiayia: A Greek grandmother who always knows what's best, has something to say about everything, always has food ready, and is your number one fan. No one will love you as much as Yiayia will. I come from a pretty big Greek family where it is well known that, well, I am Yiayia's favorite. Grant it, living a 30 second drive away and being born the year she retired to have her help raising me could have something to do with it but I like to think its just because she chose me.
Oh boy, is she overprotective.
Whether it's in fifth grade and you find her hiding in the bushes because mom let you walk home for the first time or at 18 going to the grocery store, she will always worry.
Money, money, money!
"Merry Christmas! Here's some money." "Happy name day! Shh, take the money." Birthday, graduation, just stopping in to say hi... "Here's a 20 koukla—don't tell your mother!"
Her not-so-sneaky check ups and judgement.
Whether it's the sneaky way she goes about trying to see for herself if I'm a safe driver and pretends she needs to go shopping or the daily lecture in person or by phone, Yiayia will always end it all with, "I yell you because I love you"
Countless stories from the horio.
Every. Single. Visit. Repeated again and again. You know these stories like the back of your hand.
Yiayia is already dead, even if she’s alive.
If you ever give her a compliment like, “That’s a nice necklace, Yiayia” it is without a doubt answered with, “You can have it when I die"
You’re skinny.
If Yiayia hasn’t seen you in a few days you are definitely going to be told you lost weight and within no time at all she will tell you that you need to eat something. She always aims to please.
You're fat.
But don’t you worry because soon after she’s done feeding you the whole psiyio (fridge), she will tell you how “you need to lose.”
You get more Greek and more Greek.
As you get older, you find yourself understanding Yiayia more and more, and pretty soon you realize that you most likely will become just like her.
“No boyfriend, no problem.”
Wrong! That is just about the biggest problem Yiayia has with you. You can't leave Yiayia's house without a lecture on why you haven’t found anyone yet. It has gotten to the point where she doesn’t even care if they are Greek, and tells me she will not die until I am married.
Not only does she want you to find someone, they need to be up to her standards.
"See how handsome your Papou was? Why you think I marry him?" Or my favorite "ότι πάρεις θα βγάλεις."
"No sex."
We all knew this one was coming, as they say in my "Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" and Yiayia agrees, "Protect your poulaki!"
Oh, the guilt.
You could see Yiayia six out of seven days out of the week and without a doubt she will make you feel guilty for not coming that one day.
Only person she will take a ride from.
Does not matter who is asking if she needs a ride, she will only accept it from me. Also, the only person she will go out for ice cream dates with.
My biggest protector.
There's no way mom can get away with yelling at me in front of Yiayia.
She’s so proud of you.
Whether it's for graduating high school, having the same gap in your teeth as her, or for literally going to the bathroom, Yiayia is always proud.
Never hungry, even if I want to be.
“Are you hungry?”
“No, Yiayia, I just ate”
“Are you sure? I have the blueberry pie.”
She tells everyone you’re the favorite because it’s already known.
At this point everyone already knows, Yiayia lives about two minutes down the street from me and practically raised me. The rest of my cousins don’t stand a chance, sorry, guys.
Never fails to tell me all the bad things she hears on the Greek channel.
If you don’t know ERT and Antenna, do you even visit Yiayia?
And finally, she is the inspiration behind my twitter account @yiayiasfavorite, so toss it a follow.
She’s also Snapchat famous, but don’t tell her or I will get the koutala to my kolo.
