Velvento 27 - Dad's School

We took a break from the market to visit the school my dad went to before moving to America. Tsakis, one of dad's best friends in preschool, is now the principal! Dad has fond memories of he and his friends running to and from school, cutting through people's yards and jumping fences - they were wild kids, and I think it rubbed off on me. Tsakis still remembers when dad bragged that he was going to get to "take a ride on the "big bird" to America", and was so excited to get to meet him again after so many years.

We expected a small wooden or stone school building, but it was the complete opposite. I guess when families have 8-12 kids each, even a small town needs a huge school! Dad seemed to remember a lot about his school which was really nice for everyone.



Principal Tsakis pulled out old notebooks and photos, and even the roll book from First Grade. The roll book shows dad's name (he is # 2 on the list). Only his first quarter grades and attendance were filled out, and at the end of the page it shows why - where everyone else's row has 'graduated' written at the end, my dad's has the date that he left school to go to America. 12.15.59. This was a revelation for dad, because he's never been quite sure when he came to America.







When dad left for the US, his parents brought him to the big city to send him off to America. When his mother said goodbye, she told him, "Think of us, remember to say your prayers, and we'll be together again soon". It was the first time he left his village, seen city life, trucks and trains, let alone been on an airplane. Due to bad weather, the plane landed at a different airport than planned, and because he was alone and had no place to stay, the flight attendant took him home for the night. Because he didn't speak the language, he misunderstood the situation and thought this was his new home. She had a son his age, and he was so excited to have a new brother! In his memory, they celebrated his birthday. Since his birthday is in August, when he saw the date in the role book, he realized with surprise that the celebration he had remembered was actually his first American Christmas!