My yiayia, at the age of seven, and her family left Greece to do to World War ll. This was not the first time my great grandfather had to leave Greece. He came to America alone at the age of 16 to work and earn money for his family back in Greece. This led to him becoming an American citizen. He returned in 1930 to settle in Greece, where he married and had a family, including my grandmother and her brother. When my yiayia was boarding the ship sailing from Thessaloniki, Greece, to New York City on November 26, 1945, her Uncle George, not sure if he would ever see her again, gave her a small cloth greek flag and a chocolate bar. Chocolate was rare at this time in Greece. The tiny, now worn down Greek flag is the few things we have of my yaiyia's life in Greece. Before she left, the Natzi burned down her home, causing her to lose many of her things. This flag is one of the few things that represent the life my yaiyia and my family bravely had to leave behind. It is a piece of Greece she took with her to come to a new and unknown land. This tinny flag represents the new chapter and opportunities of America that set her life on a new track.

– Tess Walker

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant