From Greece to America: Finding A Common Ground

       Last week in class, we talked about Ashima's acceptance of American culture at the end of the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. Ashima was able to find a commonplace between her Indian culture, and her embracement of the American culture, where she could practice both without feeling out of place or like she was betraying her heritage. My grandfather, George, experienced something very similar to Ashima during his life, because he moved to America when he was 19 years old.
       My grandfather grew up in a small town, in Sparta, Greece, which consists of dust covered roads and mountainous terrain. His village had a population of about 100, and mostly everyone lived without running water or electricity. When he decided to leave Greece, not only was he traveling to a country halfway across the world, but to New York City. George had rarely been exposed to a city environment, and upon arrival at Ellis Island, he was completely overwhelmed, similar to how Ashima felt in the beginning of the novel. He lived in the city with his brother, Peter, who already new a lot about American culture because he had lived there for many years prior to George's arrival. George and Peter, like Ashima and Ashoke, had a band of Greek friends they would hang around with, however, they both decided to attend college, becoming the first people in their family to accept this American tradition.
       Currently, my grandfather still lives in New York, and celebrates many the Greek culture, like when he makes Greek food or speaks Greek around the house. However, he also is a big fan of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, baseball games, and other things that are unique to the American culture for the most part. He has been able, like Ashima, to find a common ground between his old and new culture, which has made him a very unique individual whom i greatly enjoy spending time with.