Interview with Greek Flagler College student Alexander Gianopulos

      I apologize for taking so long in between posts lately, but here is something a little different.  I interviewed Alexander Gianopulos, a Flagler College student, who has lived in both America and Greece.

      Alex’s relationship to Greece is a little different. He was born in the United States, moved to Greece when he was 7, and is now in the U.S. again for school. His initial impression of America was positive, he wrote, “I always thought America was a clean, organized, low priced country.” He viewed America as a good place to get a job and an education. With this intention he returned to the U.S. to get a college education. Unfortunately, he discovered there were various different social issues within the country. In particular, he recognizes the prevalent alcoholism, homelessness, and unemployment.

        As a Greek in America, he misses his homeland at times but is happy to be here. After he graduates he may go back to Greece or stay here, possibly moving to the west coast or Seattle. Both the culture and language have been hard for him to adjust to, and he would have missed out on many close friendships and experiences in Greece. The actual city he comes from is Thessaloniki, which is the second largest city, but most Americans do not know much about it. Instead, we hear more about the islands and the countries capital, Athens.

      Here Alex feels he stands only due to his height and facial hair, and there are things he wishes we understood about Greece. For starters, he says Greek food is very different from ours and our form of it. Also, he explains, “even though it is considered a religious Christian country, the majority of them have no clue about Christianity and Jesus Christ.” He also would love for his friends here to visit Greece. If someone wants to actually move there, they would have to be financially capable. Greeks who come to America, often times do not want to return because they are afraid they will not be able to get a job. In regards to the American financial situation, he feels the American dream is still possible but only if you have enough money to make it happen. However, he does not think materialism is a way to gain happiness.

      In comparison to Greece, Alex feels the issues in America are similar but they occur on a larger scale because the country is larger. As far as social issues go, he feels sex trafficking and substance abuse are the major issues. In regards to Anti-Semitism the topic my blog was addressing, he has not really seen it in Greece. He explained he believes it exists, but that it is not an issue because there are not that many Jews in his city. The city he is from Thessaloniki used to have a large Jewish population, but after World War II the population has greatly diminished.

      Alex personally has not seen any Anti-Semitism in Greece. He also loves the Jewish people; although, he does not agree with their religion. In terms of sex trafficking and substance abuse, the social issues he feels are most prevalent in Greece, he is affected by them in the sense that he wants to do something about them. He also thinks the issues in Greece do not directly influence Americans. However, he wrote that most likely Americans who have visited Athens have encountered drug addicts.