Language spoken at school: In Greek schools, the language is primarily English but many also have a Greek class. If a child attends public school, the majority of Greek Americans will also attend an after-school Greek class for an hour. In this class, only Greek is spoken.
The family unit in Greece is very strong. Family members are expected to show unconditional support for other family members during illness or during rehabilitation for disabilities. Belief in the Greek Orthodox Church has not led to a belief that G-d is the cause of illness and disability. However when one is very ill, a popular belief is that their faith will help them recover, whether that is because of a belief in G-d or a belief in the power of the brain to help cure one from illness. It is important to understand the differences between health care in Greece and the United States, in order to better understand the client’s perspective. Examples of this include health care cost, length of stay, and limited visiting hours. In Greece, if a family member is hospitalized it is permissible for a close family member to stay the night regardless of age. Additionally, length of stay in Greek hospitals is not as restricted compared to the United States, and health care costs are minimal in comparison. It is essential to take all the above into account when working with Greek American clients, in order to provide a supportive and encouraging atmosphere during rehabilitation. In order to achieve maximum comfort for clients it would be ideal to have a therapist who is the same gender as the client to aid in personal activities such as toileting and dressing.
This following can impact on how Occupational Therapists provide service for Greek clients: In the Greek Orthodox Church, religious services take place on Sundays. Occupational Therapists should keep this in mind when scheduling appointments with their Greek clients and try to accommodate their schedule and religious beliefs. An additional factor to keep in mind with Greek clients is health care cost. Health care in Greece is inexpensive, but in the United States health care is very expensive. A majority of the Greek American population own private businesses. In many cases, this does not allow them to have sufficient health insurance. Without health insurance, obtaining adequate health care is a financial burden. Occasionally, women will take lower income jobs in order to receive the benefits of health insurance. Children are seen as a priority and parents will often do anything they can in order to make sure their children receive adequate health care.
Many Greeks like to go to Greece on an annual basis.
In the Greek Orthodox faith, the biggest holiday is Easter. It is a time for food, feasting, and celebration. One Easter tradition is the "breaking of eggs". Each person takes an egg and challengers attempt to crack each others' eggs. The breaking of the eggs symbolizes Christ breaking from the Tomb. The person whose egg lasts the longest without breaking will have good luck for the rest of the year. There is also a huge Easter feast with salads, seafood, vegetable dishes, rice, breads, cakes, cookies, and wine. The main dish is usually lamb, and it is often the primary food at the center of the table.
In Greek culture, babies born are named after a saint. Each year, they celebrate on both their birthday and their "Name Day". A Name Day is a day that is associated with a particular saint and all those who share that name celebrate on that day.
Orthodox Greek girls are supposed to wear skirts to the knee. While most people no longer do this, it is a tradition. Greek women and girls also must wear skirts to church to show respect.
The Greek Orthodox Church does not allow marriages to take place during the first two weeks of August, the 40 days around Christmas, and the 40 days of Lent around Easter. Greek Orthodox Churches will not perform wedding ceremonies during these times.
Family is particularly close and important for Greeks. Often, Greek parents will purchase a house for their child to help them financially. In addition, children (even as adults) often live at home with their parents until they get married.
If a Greek marries a non-Greek, the non-Greek is expected to convert before the marriage takes place.
(n.d.). (2002-2008). Greek cultural gardens. [Photograph].
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (One of the people we interviewed said that this movie is relatively accurate. However, many of the customs depicted are exaggerated for comic effect).
Age (How old do you think the person is?): Late 40’s
Gender: Female
Occupation: Sculptor
1. What do you consider your culture/nationality? Were you born in the US? If not, how long have you lived here?
I was not born in US, I was born in Greece, but I have been here for 13 years. For the last 10 years I have been living half the year in Greece, and half in US. My nationality is Greek, but I consider my culture to be a universal mix of different cultures because of art, music etc. I absorb different cultures as part of my own. If I had to pick one I would say I identify mainly with Greek culture, but I do not believe in having limits to my culture.
2. What languages do you and your family speak?
My family can speak English well, but to each other we converse in Greek.
3. What aspect of your culture gives you a particular sense of pride or do you enjoy most?
I have a sense of pride in the philosophical aspect of Greek culture. Ancient Greek philosophers are a sense of pride for all Greeks. Americans are much more practical, while famous Greek philosophers contribute to everyday life in Greece.
4. Do you feel there are misconceptions that people have about your nationality? Do you find any to be particularly troublesome?
I do not really feel that there are any misconceptions and if there are they have not presented an obstacle in my life. Some stereotypes are that Greek’s drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. In Greece a restaurant owner will give you a free shot of “raki” an alcoholic beverage to help your digestion.
5. What is your favorite holiday? How do you celebrate it?
My favorite holiday is Easter. In Greece it is connected to outdoor activities it is the biggest celebration we have, which ties back into philosophy because we celebrate the inconceivable and the impractical.
6. What is your impression of healthcare services in the U.S. or in your environment?
In public hospitals in Greece healthcare is free and accessible to everyone, even without insurance. If an emergency happens hospitals are required to treat the patient. Hospitals in Greece open every night- if a small city only one hospital opens at night, only the one that’s for emergencies.
A flaw in the Greek system is that you need to wait; you need to make an appointment a month in advance. In the United States healthcare services are dramatically more expensive then Greek healthcare. However healthcare is more immediately available for non-emergency situations.
7. Have you ever been treated especially well or especially poorly by a healthcare professional (doctor, nurse, etc)?
I have no complaints about healthcare in the United States but have rarely had to go to the Doctor here; I do most of my Doctor’s appointments in Greece.
8. Why do you think people get sick or become disabled? Why do you think some people get better and others do not? Do you feel your thoughts on this are consistent with traditional beliefs within your culture? How so or if not, in what way are they different?
Disabilities are not caused by G-d punishing people, accidents happen and can result in disabilities, or through work related incidents. How sick a person is depends on their environment, for example the water in Greece is much cleaner than the water in Africa, clean drinking water is crucial to a healthy environment. In a very extreme situation, at the end of illness it is natural for a person to turn to faith, believe that faith helps people who are ill but I do not necessarily believe that is because of G-d, I believe it is their own positive thoughts that aid in their recovery.
9. If you had a serious illness or a disability that took a very long time to recover from or adjust to, and involved rehabilitative treatment, how would you and your family deal with this?
The family unit is very strong in Greece and would be very supportive in the case of disability or illness. In Greece if a women goes to jail and has baby she will go to jail with baby to take care of it. This demonstrates how strongly Greek culture emphasizes the importance of family.
10. If you were hospitalized, are there cultural practices or behaviors that you and your family would want to adhere to and that you would want the staff to understand? Can you explain what those are?
When hospitalized for surgery a parent might want to spend the night, In the United States not allowed in US to do that. In Greece my father had a triple bypass and I was allowed to stay the night. In Greece there are churches inside the hospital, and people are allowed to stay in hospitals longer, while in the United States their stay would be restricted due to health insurance. I would want healthcare staff to keep the differences between the United States and Greece in perspective and to understand the importance of my having family members with me throughout my rehabilitation.
11. One aspect of our work might involve helping people re-learn how to do very personal things, like dress themselves after an injury. How would you feel if a therapist in a hospital asked you to do this in a therapy room? Do you think this would be a common reaction for people from your nationality? What would you suggest a therapist do to make you feel more comfortable?
I would feel more comfortable if for activities such as toileting and dressing I was helped by a female therapist. It would be important for my occupational therapist to be profession and private, and to try to establish a personal connection with me so I would not feel I was relying on a stranger.
12. Is there anything else you want to tell me about your beliefs in health, healthcare and disability?
Healthcare in small towns faces the problem of insufficient education. Some traditions are beneficial but others are not. It would be ideal to have an educational session for small towns to educate on which traditional methods of healthcare are beneficial. An example of a traditional treatment is for strep throat to gargle with water mixed with lemon and salt.
Interview #2
Date/Time of Interview:November 18, 2010/
Interview Location:QueensCollege, Flushing, New York
Interviewee’s Initials: KH
Interviewers’ Names: Shaina Giller, Elizabeth Fersht, and Jessica Lebovitz
Cultural Background/Nationality: Greek American
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Occupation: Sociology Professor inQueensCollege
1. What do you consider your culture/nationality? Were you born in theUS? If not, how long have you lived here? K.H considers herself Greek American; she was born in theUS.
2. What languages do you and your family speak?
At home she speaks Greek and English.
3. What aspect of your culture gives you a particular sense of pride or do you enjoy most?
The many accomplishements of Greeks bring pride. The whole world acknowledges that Greece was the birthplace of philiosophy, democracy, and drama.
4. Do you feel there are misconceptions that people have about your nationality? Do you find any to be particularly troublesome?Greeks are not stigmatized like other cultures. However, there is a big stereotype that Greeks are diner owners.
5. What is your favorite holiday? How do you celebrate it?Christmas. K.H gathers with her whole family, which doesn’t happen very often.
6. What is your impression of healthcare services in theU.S.or in your environment?Many Greek Americans do not have health insurance, because they are business owners like diner owners. So the wives get jobs that have insurance. People pay out of pocket for family coverage.
7. Have you ever been treated especially well or especially poorly by a healthcare professional (doctor, nurse, etc)?K.H. has been treated well because she has health insurance.
8. Why do you think people get sick or become disabled? Why do you think some people get better and others do not? Do you feel your thoughts on this are consistent with traditional beliefs within your culture? How so or if not, in what way are they different?Money, people with insurance will take advantage of it and go to the Dr. if they need. Greeks have a decreased rate of illness, mental illness, and others. Greeks try to cater to their health needs, especially for their children.
9. If you had a serious illness or a disability that took a very long time to recover from or adjust to, and involved rehabilitative treatment, how would you and your family deal with this?K.H.’s parents would do anything for her and her sister. They would empty their bank accounts to help their children. Her parents view their children as a priority. Her parents would fully support her in rehab. They would be involved in rehab and treatments.
10. If you were hospitalized, are there cultural practices or behaviors that you and your family would want to adhere to and that you would want the staff to understand? Can you explain what those are?
Nothing too specific, just that they are supposed to take the Doctor’s advice and go with it.
11. One aspect of our work might involve helping people re-learn how to do very personal things, like dress themselves after an injury. How would you feel if a therapist in a hospital asked you to do this in a therapy room? Do you think this would be a common reaction for people from your nationality? What would you suggest a therapist do to make you feel more comfortable?K.H. would just want the O.T to act professionally, otherwise she has no objection. Most Greeks would be okay with it. K.H. would want her O.T to make her think that she can get better. She would want her O.T to giver her drive and motivation. She wants a sense of hope and support, which is really key.
12. Is there anything else you want to tell me about your beliefs in health, healthcare and disability?
K.H. believes that in a perfect world everyone should have health insurance; it is unfair that some people do not have health insurance. Something could be done. Immigrants in particular experience the most discrimination.
Souvlaki - small skewered meat (traditionally lamb, nowadays often pork) and sometimes vegetables. It can be eaten straight off the skewer, served in a pita, or on a plate.
Tyropita - cheese ( feta) in phyllo pastry.
Greek Salad - known in Greece as Horiatiki ("Village Salad"), it consists of a tomatos, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and olive oil. Gyros - fast food. Meat (roasted on turning spit) served with sauce (often tzatziki) and garnishes (tomato, onions) on pita bread.
Pastitsio - a baked pasta dish with a filling of ground meat and a Bechamel sauce top.
Baklava - phyllo pastry layers filled with nuts and covered with syrup
Contemporary Greek cooking widely uses the following ingreditents: olive oil, vegetables and herbs, grains and bread, wine, fish, poultry, rabbit, pork, cheese, aubergine, courgette, and yogurt.
In the community of Astoria there are many cafes and Restaurants, below is a list of a few restaurants as well as a link to a restaurant menu.
Agnanti Meze - 19-06 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105, 718-545-4554
Ovelia Psistaria - 34-01 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103, 718-721-7217
