Sorry

When we were first asked to tell our story, I did not know what to say. I was born in France, just like my parents. My great-grandparents and grandfather have a closer link to immigration, but I thought that it was not my story, as I did not immigrate myself. But then, I thought that their immigrations had a big impact on their (hybrid) culture, their view of life and in general, who they are. I thought that as these immigrations influenced the whole family and are completely part of it, it has made who I am. So here is their, and so my, story.  Oh and I forgot: My name is Salomé, I’m seventeen and I live in Marseille 😉

First of all, if you get lost, it is normal. I am tempted to confuse some parts of their story myself. So everything is taking place on the maternal side 🙂

My great-grandfather, Yannis, was born in 1906 in Kalymnos, an island of the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea. At that time, the Dodecanese was part of the Ottoman Empire, so he was born Turkish.

During the Italo-Turkish war, Italy occupied the Dodecanese. This archipelago has been in possession of Rome from 1912 to 1943/1945. So my great-grandfather became Italian, and after the war, Greek.

He continued his studies thanks to his brother who moved to the USA to finance his education. He will become a dentist.

Then, my great-grandfather got married in Kalymnos with my great-grandmother Pétranta, who was born in 1905. She was Greek, born in Brussels of parents from Kalymnos who had immigrated to Belgium. Congrats if you are still following it 😀

My great-grandfather opened a dental office in Patmos, an island near Kalymnos. Then, he joined his wife in Sfax, in Tunisia, where his stepparents who where sponge traders, came from Brussels to settle in Sfax, a port city.

In Sfax, in 1936, my grandfather Dimitri was born of Greek nationality. In 1953, the whole family was naturalized French, as Tunisia was still a French colony. My grandfather pursued his studies in France and passed his baccalaureate in Aix-en-Provence. Then, he studied medicine in Paris, where he became a psychiatrist.

In the mean-time, my great-grandfather moved from Tunisia and settled in Martigues.

I really enjoyed immersing myself again in their story. As I told you, sometimes I confuse parts of it. I think their immigration has brought us so many great things. There had been other great consequences, but I have to say that right now, I am  thinking of music and food. Since I was young (born, actually), I have always known Greek music and food. Tunisia also had its influence on this great food I eat since I was born. To me, a “boeuf bourguignon” is a lot more exotic than a “moussaka” 😀

Everyone has a story to share. We all have stories to tell. Some do not want to say where they come from or tell their story because they are ashamed. I can understand…and I can’t at the same time. Everyone should be proud of where they come from. I think I have always seen it as a chance and we should all embrace our origins.