Words of My Father
October, 1919 – Port of Piraeus, Athens, Greece
Having coffee, a Gypsy read my fortune in my overturned coffee cup. Her prediction was “that I would go on a voyage and go to a foreign land and become very prosperous.” I went back to my room and fell asleep. Boo! Boo! Boo! I was awakened! The steam whistle sounded from a ship that was leaving, I grabbed my belongings and ran down to the Union Hall where the crew roster was being filled. They called out for a Cook and I had just returned from the Black Sea and had my Union Card stamped as a cook. The head of the Galley said I’m going to stamp it because the next guy I get may be worse than you. I was taken on and the trip was to the United States, New York City. I arrived at the docks in Brooklyn just shy of my 18th birthday. Upon arrival I weighed 118 pounds and was 5 feet 8 inches in height. I carried a passenger’s luggage off the boat and made my first .25cents American. Than as they would say I “Jumped Ship.”
Not able to speak a word of English I did find some countrymen and they directed me to a place where I might find work. However, because I had no money I slept in what they called a flop house on Cherry Street. Here, I contacted lice and bed bugs, and had to shave my head. I worked as a dishwasher and learned American style food. I went to night school to learn English and within six months became the editor of the night school newspaper. I also weighed 160 pounds six months after arrival. My teach knew I had been educated because I could speak French and had mathematics to trigonometry. She brought me over to city hall to register have a physical and pay my two dollar head tax to be in the country legally. Two years later I owned the cafeteria on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. All thru the roaring Twenty’s prosperity was everywhere. When I arrived 42nd Street was filled with horse and wagons, by the late twenty’s more and more automobiles were on the streets. Subways and elevated trains, trolley cars were the common mode of transportation. In addition to the Handsome horse drawn cab mainly for the very wealthy. This is a little vignette of the beginnings of an immigrant in America.
Iohannis
Hello and Yassou (greetings)! Last time I told you how I came to America. Now, let me introduce myself and tell you the story of my childhood. My name is Iohannis (John) Psaris, born on November 6, 1902. I am the oldest son of Maria and Antonis (Anthony) Psaris. I have three other siblings, my older sister Athena, younger brother George, and my baby sister Sophia. We grew up in a stucco house and the floor was hardened dirt. Our beds had mattresses made of cloth stuffed with straw and for the most part we went barefooted. This however did not make us poor. We grew up on the side of the hill overlooking the town of Marmari and the bay of Marmari which separates the Island of Evoia from Athens which we could see in the distance. From our patio we could see the island of Petelus which was the Kings retreat island. Marmari was a fishing village and we could see the boats on the water.
My father had traveled to Egypt where many Greeks found prosperity, and while there he learned to graft trees. He came home to Greece to visit his brother George and marriage to Maria Banos was arranged. Prika or dowry was expected from the bride’s parents and a house or property was customary. Being a good provider my father made old olive trees blossom and was known for his ability to have great quantities of olive oil to sell. Donkey was the mode of transportation and for hauling of goods. Wheat, sheep, goats, grapes for eating, wine and vinegar and of course chickens were all part of our work growing up. Returning from the field one day I was really tired and my mother said “get the cat if he brushes against John’s leg he will fall over.” This was something I would never forget.
Entering school seemed much better than going to work in the mountains, and I excelled in class. School for most was only to 12 years of age, but much was compressed in those years. I was chosen to go on to Gymnasium or High School in the capital city of Karistos about 20 km from Marmari. I would walk over the mountain leaving Sunday night, sometimes having to fight off youngsters from the villages I passed thru. My shoes I would carry till I would get to school and then put them on. I enjoyed school and was an avid reader. My worse subject was Ancient Greek. We studied all the ancient Greek poets, play writes, mathematics, geography, French, Latin, history and philosophy. Today it would be called a classical education.
Everyone wanted me to pursue my education and become the town priest. I paid careful attention to how ta priest lived and decided that was not for me. The priest in the town was a highly respected figure but had to rely on the churchgoers for sustenance. This was not for me. On of my teachers in high school asked us to do a paper on “Why people go to church.” Observations were that the men did business and the woman went to show off the best clothing, and had nothing to do with belief. That teacher was gone the next year.
Upon completion of high school it was time to leave home and make my way in life. Before I went to Athens my father said to me “Son, there is nothing here for you, go to a country that has plenty of food.” Under the lapel of my jacket my mother pinned a triangular black cloth with something in it, as a good luck charm to ward off evil and my little sister Sophia wrote me a poem of goodbye.
Upon arriving in Athens I looked up a relative that was a union boss in Piraeus harbor. I brought two chickens as a gift and told him they were from my father. I told him I was looking for work. He provided me with two jobs, I was to clock in at the first one, than go to the second. I would get two paychecks. The first I would split with him. This lasted a couple of months until I landed a job as a cook’s helper aboard a ship. This was my life prior to being a seaman.
As the oldest son it was my obligation to help the whole family and send money home. This I did til my dying day.