Yiayia's Journey Part 6
In late 1936, hope bloomed once again in my grandparents' little New Kensington, Pennsylvania
home. Yiayia gave birth to another baby girl. And in another show of respect to
her dear mother, they named her 'Anastasia' - after Yiayia's oldest sister who
died as a baby back in Greece. Though their grief was still fresh from losing
their own baby Damiani, Anastasia brought much needed solace and joy. That joy
multiplied in 1938 with the arrival of my father, Anastasios John Conomos. They named him after my
Papou's father in tribute, but would call him "Tasso" from then on.
So with the family circle now complete, life fell into a routine that still often challenged the immigrant family. Nearing the end of the Great Depression, Papou still labored around the clock at 'The Busy Bee' diner. Yiayia saw to the children, especially little Tasso who hobbled around the house in leg braces. And ultimately, she relied on the pluck she'd honed in that tiny Greek village to see them through.
Family Photo in 1935. Papou and Giagia with my aunts Chrysanthy and baby Anne (Anastasia).
So with the family circle now complete, life fell into a routine that still often challenged the immigrant family. Nearing the end of the Great Depression, Papou still labored around the clock at 'The Busy Bee' diner. Yiayia saw to the children, especially little Tasso who hobbled around the house in leg braces. And ultimately, she relied on the pluck she'd honed in that tiny Greek village to see them through.
Always enterprising, she once encountered an alley cat
toting a fish in its mouth, presumably swiped from a diner nearby. Well in no
time, she wrangled the fish from the cat, threw it on the stove and then served
it for dinner! At their little home, Greek Orthodox icons - a spiritual
guiding light - adorned their walls. American newspapers - a practical learning
tool - covered their table. Perhaps together they symbolized Yiayia's greater
intent: to create a blend of both American and Greek culture, of new and old
country for her family.
And so while she cooked Mediterranean dishes, she spoke
both Greek and broken English at home. And she used every trip to church, the
market or a neighbor's home to study American culture, then share her insights
with the children. But all the while, her heart ached for Greece and the
beloved mother and siblings she'd left behind. Yet as always, "such is the
life" and so she took on her next challenge -- sending the first of her
children to American public school.
First Ward Elemenary School, where the Conomos children received their education.
When it came my father's turn to enter 1st grade at 'Third
Ward School', he would recall Yiayia's zeal for education. In her trademark
Greek accent, she proudly told his teacher, "This is my son Tasso. You can
spank him anytime." Ever determined, Yiayia would see her children receive
the kind of education she never completed in Greece. And that one day little
Chrysanthy, Anne, and Tasso would journey to a big school called
"college" where boundless opportunities surely awaited. But before that dream could come to fruition, the family
would face a new threat. Trouble was brewing overseas. World War II had reached
the shores of Yiayia's beloved Greece. And with dread, Yiayia realized the fate
of her dear mother and siblings would become one of frightening uncertainty.
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