The "Block"
The photo of ‘’the block’’ in Astoria, Queens is something that I find extremely significant to me. This was a block that was located towards Astoria Park, and most of the children within the community either lived on or near this block. I was the person who lived the furthest away which was only three blocks. ‘’The Block’’ was nicknamed this by the children in the community because this was the block where we would hangout on and play street games such as handball, manhunt, ‘’you’re it’’, and ‘’catch one , catch all’’. There was one house with a woman who had three children, Jeffrey, James, and Joe. The house had a stoop which was where all of us would congregate and meetup. The children who would hang out on the block represented the cultural diversity of the neighborhood. There was me of course, my friend stephanie who was Peruvian-American, my friend Kaliope who like me was Puerto Rican and Greek-American, a Russian/Italian-American boy named Mark, and a boy whose family was from Montenegro named Adil. There were also Jackie and another Vincent who were Irish/Italian American, and another boy named Sisileen who was Egyptian-American. The block was where everything went on during my childhood. You would chit chat here, gossip, have picnics on the stoop, play in the street, and when people would argue with one another that would happen here too.
Problems on the block would arise when the neighbors of Margaret (the woman with the three sons) would yell at us for sitting out on the stoop. Even though we were all culturally diverse in the neighborhood all of us were pretty loud mouthed children, therefore, altercations usually between the older boys and the residents would arise. There was a woman named Patty, who would always argue with us, and tell us to go down the block to the park. Til this day I still see her, but, instead of yelling we just wave a friendly hello and chit chat because I guess she realizes now that we were just kids back then. There was also another lady on the block named Madeline who would never argue with us. When playing ‘’you’re it’’ another one of our Queens creations she would actually help us hide in her yard. She still recognizes us and speaks to us on the block today when we see her. My mother is actually her home attendant now, and it helps that the woman knows a familiar face. Also on the block back then would be this woman named Debbie (the mother of Mark). She had the most ridiculous sense of humor and always taught us a valuable lesson. About 10 years ago before the word ‘’mad’’ was misused the word ‘’gay’’ was also misused. The older children would say this word to indicate stupid without knowing what it meant. I had no idea what the word meant at the time. One day Debbie heard the older kids using that word and became infuriated. I remember her yelling first gay meant happy, then homosexual, now it means stupid? She started screaming on the street ‘’ I’m gay , you’re gay, that squirrel, that car, that tree, she is gay, you’re all gay, so drop it!’’ From that day on none of the older children who lived on the block used the word. A final thing I remember on the block is this Croatian woman who lived on the corner. She was sweet, yet she was just so nosy. Therefore we would avoid walking past her house sometimes because she just would not stop speaking. Until this day ‘’the block’’ is something I still pass by on the bus, and occasionally I run into someone who lived/still lives there.
Problems on the block would arise when the neighbors of Margaret (the woman with the three sons) would yell at us for sitting out on the stoop. Even though we were all culturally diverse in the neighborhood all of us were pretty loud mouthed children, therefore, altercations usually between the older boys and the residents would arise. There was a woman named Patty, who would always argue with us, and tell us to go down the block to the park. Til this day I still see her, but, instead of yelling we just wave a friendly hello and chit chat because I guess she realizes now that we were just kids back then. There was also another lady on the block named Madeline who would never argue with us. When playing ‘’you’re it’’ another one of our Queens creations she would actually help us hide in her yard. She still recognizes us and speaks to us on the block today when we see her. My mother is actually her home attendant now, and it helps that the woman knows a familiar face. Also on the block back then would be this woman named Debbie (the mother of Mark). She had the most ridiculous sense of humor and always taught us a valuable lesson. About 10 years ago before the word ‘’mad’’ was misused the word ‘’gay’’ was also misused. The older children would say this word to indicate stupid without knowing what it meant. I had no idea what the word meant at the time. One day Debbie heard the older kids using that word and became infuriated. I remember her yelling first gay meant happy, then homosexual, now it means stupid? She started screaming on the street ‘’ I’m gay , you’re gay, that squirrel, that car, that tree, she is gay, you’re all gay, so drop it!’’ From that day on none of the older children who lived on the block used the word. A final thing I remember on the block is this Croatian woman who lived on the corner. She was sweet, yet she was just so nosy. Therefore we would avoid walking past her house sometimes because she just would not stop speaking. Until this day ‘’the block’’ is something I still pass by on the bus, and occasionally I run into someone who lived/still lives there.
The Immaculate Conception
This church is important to me because when I was younger each Sunday I would be shuffled off to Sunday school which was taught by a range of people who represented the community. This church is where I was baptized, as well as where my first communion, and confirmation were held. My parents were also married here so the church is significant to them as well. When larger religious masses are held they are said in three languages simultaneously which is a really interesting thing to see.
Immaculate Conception Church Astoria/ immacolataconcezione/ inmaculada Concepción. Mass is offered in three languages English, Spanish, and Italian. This church is important to me because I usually attend Italian mass every Sunday. When I think of my community this is one of the first things that I think of. This church goes out of its way to reach out to the community. They've helped my mother find almost every job she has ever had, and we always collect for the poor. The priests represent the community as one is Italian, another is Italian/Irish, another is South Indian, another Colombian, and another filipino. One can see the diversity of the community in the English mass. This church has been something present in the community for a number of years. Astoria is a religiously diverse place, in a ten block radius one can find a Roman Catholic church, a Baptist church, a Bengali mosque, another mixed Egyptian/Tunisian mosque, a Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Several Greek Orthodox churches, a Korean-American church, and several synagogues. The church is one of the oldest religious houses of worship within the area.
The Msgr. his name is Ferrarese is from Southern Italy. He is very calm, and level headed. He is very involved with the youth despite being from a different generation, and being born in a very traditional region of the world. He is not judgemental with us, especially because of how some of us may appear nowadays. He is also up to date on the latest news happening and always is open for discussion on pressing issues. With the tragedy in Sandy Hook he explained how we have to pray for the victims, and also the man who committed the tragedy because he too was suffering. He is also open to discussion on things like this pertaining to what can be done to prevent these tragedies. He always has events set up to give youths something to do such as movies on certain days. This church is also somewhere that I feel comfortable in because in the past 15 years the neighborhood already has endured it’s first waves of gentrification. These people refer to us as ‘’old world’’ when it comes to the Europeans, or ‘’ethnic’’ when it comes to minorities. This is a place where these groups including myself because I belong to both can feel comfortable. Most of the people I see there I either know or my family knows.
The church always reaches out to the community, they also conduct a youth mass because they know some youths within the community just roll their eyes at the ideas of going to church. This mass is a place where the youths are given drums, and instruments as they are told to bang out on the instruments according to how they are feeling. One of my friends Kaetlin who doesn’t really like to go to church attends the youth mass because according to her it is ‘’LIVE, I SEE EVERYBODY FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THERE.’’ I think that this is beneficial to them because they can express how they feel while still being in a house of worship. Also this mass that appeals to them helps build a greater sense of community. According to Kaetlin her friends have a saying ‘’ WE OUT TO THE YOUTH.’’ The church is something historically important to my mother’s family because when her grandmother first came from Greece she had to teach herself English through reading a newspaper. When she later moved to Queens the neighborhood had not near a portion of the Greeks that it does today. Most of them came during the 1960s and 1980s due to political turmoil within the country. When my grandmother saw the church she thought that by sending her daughter to a church with German and Irish kids who spoke English fluently her daughter would have a better life in this country. This was during the time called ‘’the melting pot’’ where Americanization was forced onto whoever was living in the country during the time period. The church did provide help for my grandmother because she was able to learn Greek at home, and English at the church. The church was also not judgemental of her situation. As she grew up she raised my mother catholic, as her mother was originally Greek Orthodox. My parents were also married at this church, and quite a few people who are my age including my friends Daniela, and Dominique also went here with me when I was younger.
Although people may be doubtful of the Catholics, I go there because I know they are reliable people. After the Hurricane Sandy tragedy our church had a large food donation with over 2,000 participants where people brought in items to help the victims during the holiday season, we also advocated in three languages across the church to raise money to help rebuild the homes of Breezy Point, and other areas of the hard hit Rockaways. There is always a food pantry that is open to people in need, and job placement services are available through Sister Bridgette. Sister Brigitte is a woman who works in the monastery which is located around the corner in a separate building from the church. She has been in the community since my mother was a child, and has devoted her life to reaching out to others in the community.
Immaculate Conception Church Astoria/ immacolataconcezione/ inmaculada Concepción. Mass is offered in three languages English, Spanish, and Italian. This church is important to me because I usually attend Italian mass every Sunday. When I think of my community this is one of the first things that I think of. This church goes out of its way to reach out to the community. They've helped my mother find almost every job she has ever had, and we always collect for the poor. The priests represent the community as one is Italian, another is Italian/Irish, another is South Indian, another Colombian, and another filipino. One can see the diversity of the community in the English mass. This church has been something present in the community for a number of years. Astoria is a religiously diverse place, in a ten block radius one can find a Roman Catholic church, a Baptist church, a Bengali mosque, another mixed Egyptian/Tunisian mosque, a Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Several Greek Orthodox churches, a Korean-American church, and several synagogues. The church is one of the oldest religious houses of worship within the area.
The Msgr. his name is Ferrarese is from Southern Italy. He is very calm, and level headed. He is very involved with the youth despite being from a different generation, and being born in a very traditional region of the world. He is not judgemental with us, especially because of how some of us may appear nowadays. He is also up to date on the latest news happening and always is open for discussion on pressing issues. With the tragedy in Sandy Hook he explained how we have to pray for the victims, and also the man who committed the tragedy because he too was suffering. He is also open to discussion on things like this pertaining to what can be done to prevent these tragedies. He always has events set up to give youths something to do such as movies on certain days. This church is also somewhere that I feel comfortable in because in the past 15 years the neighborhood already has endured it’s first waves of gentrification. These people refer to us as ‘’old world’’ when it comes to the Europeans, or ‘’ethnic’’ when it comes to minorities. This is a place where these groups including myself because I belong to both can feel comfortable. Most of the people I see there I either know or my family knows.
The church always reaches out to the community, they also conduct a youth mass because they know some youths within the community just roll their eyes at the ideas of going to church. This mass is a place where the youths are given drums, and instruments as they are told to bang out on the instruments according to how they are feeling. One of my friends Kaetlin who doesn’t really like to go to church attends the youth mass because according to her it is ‘’LIVE, I SEE EVERYBODY FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THERE.’’ I think that this is beneficial to them because they can express how they feel while still being in a house of worship. Also this mass that appeals to them helps build a greater sense of community. According to Kaetlin her friends have a saying ‘’ WE OUT TO THE YOUTH.’’ The church is something historically important to my mother’s family because when her grandmother first came from Greece she had to teach herself English through reading a newspaper. When she later moved to Queens the neighborhood had not near a portion of the Greeks that it does today. Most of them came during the 1960s and 1980s due to political turmoil within the country. When my grandmother saw the church she thought that by sending her daughter to a church with German and Irish kids who spoke English fluently her daughter would have a better life in this country. This was during the time called ‘’the melting pot’’ where Americanization was forced onto whoever was living in the country during the time period. The church did provide help for my grandmother because she was able to learn Greek at home, and English at the church. The church was also not judgemental of her situation. As she grew up she raised my mother catholic, as her mother was originally Greek Orthodox. My parents were also married at this church, and quite a few people who are my age including my friends Daniela, and Dominique also went here with me when I was younger.
Although people may be doubtful of the Catholics, I go there because I know they are reliable people. After the Hurricane Sandy tragedy our church had a large food donation with over 2,000 participants where people brought in items to help the victims during the holiday season, we also advocated in three languages across the church to raise money to help rebuild the homes of Breezy Point, and other areas of the hard hit Rockaways. There is always a food pantry that is open to people in need, and job placement services are available through Sister Bridgette. Sister Brigitte is a woman who works in the monastery which is located around the corner in a separate building from the church. She has been in the community since my mother was a child, and has devoted her life to reaching out to others in the community.
The Astoria Experience
This mural painted by Lady Pink, just a portion represents the cultural diversity within the area. This is where ‘’Little Egypt’’ meets ‘’Little Greece’’ on Steinway street, a major thoroughfare of commercial businesses within the area.
I find diversity important because living in a place like New York City where people today have the ideology that the ‘’melting pot’’ is a blending of different cultures, it was different for my family because of the intermixing that makes me who I am today. When my grandmother was growing up in Manhattan, most of the people around her were either Puerto Rican, monotonous White, or African American, therefore, no one around her could really relate to her situation of being ethnically Greek, and Filipina although she did have many close friends within that community. Growing up on places like ‘’The Block’’, and attending church in my neighborhood connects with this cultural exchange because my grandmother was able to advance in this country because she and the people around her had this commonplace area that even though she was different she would not be judged for this.
I feel that in this neighborhood I am allowed to have a mixed cultural identity because I am allowed to have my Hispanic identity which I feel is strong because of the many other types of Hispanics within the area including many of my friends who are Honduran, Ecuadorean, and Dominican. I am allowed to have my Italian identity because there are a few Italian kids still left in the area, and the older residents in the area many of whom my mom works for keep my cultural identity strong,I go to Italian church and hear stories of the older residents and the tight knit family values they cherish as well as how much respect I have to present to represent my family, I’m allowed to have my Greek identity including the food because of the various restaurants and churches within the area, as well as the large diaspora that lives there. I do not personally care to have my filipino side because even though there are other filipinos within the area they are not mixed. They are more recent immigrants. I do not consider this part of me strong at all, compared to the other ethnicities that make up me because I was not really taught too much of this culture where exactly my great-grandfather was from (if I could ever even find that). I also see that they can be very ethnocentric people, and usually stay within their own. I just do not consider this part of my ethnic background as important as the others. I do not think that such identities are easily accepted in say suburban areas or rural areas because inter-marriage is still not very common within those areas. People will also assume that you are fully one thing.
Although I am a mixed race person I feel like culture is Matriarchal, and therefore within my nuclear household my mother’s culture is more dominant than my father’s. My mother is one half Italian, one quarter Greek, and one quarter filipina. Being raised in Astoria, she grew up with mainly Greeks, Armenians, Italians, and Irish kids. The neighborhood has many European food markets that cater to Europeans and Latin Americans because many of the products overlap. The Italian and Greek cultures were dominant in her household especially since my grandfather was second generation, and my great-grandmother from Greece lived with my mother. This had a large influence on her as her father, and her grandmother were both extremely close to her. Her mother although mixed spoke fluent Greek, and knew how to cook the cuisine very well. Greeks, and various other European-Americans were always over the house during my mother’s childhood, and therefore the traditions stuck with her. Jenifer M. in class asked me ‘’ If you have all these cultural identities which do you feel is predominant in your household?’’
Something interesting about the area are the various groups that have settled there. For e.g. ‘’Little Egypt’’ is adjacent to ‘’Little Greece’’ and it is interesting that many cultural similarities exist within the two such as cuisine, mythology, and cultural values such as the evil eye which can be found throughout the community and represents the propelling of spirits within both cultures. Italians living by Hispanics as both of the groups have endured many hardships concerning appearance and immigration status although in different eras. Sometimes at school I feel as if I am being judged upon how I look because students in this school sometimes judge one another based on their appearance. Some students simply call me ‘’white’’ or they look at me a certain way because most people in this school are one race/ethnicity. I feel when explaining my situation to certain people in this school to people who have grown up in ethnic enclaves such as Washington Heights, especially where they conform to the dominant culture because they are that race: Dominican they cannot understand my situation, they cannot understand my cultural values, they cannot understand the values of the various groups I am, and therefore they do not understand me. Therefore, I feel till this day most comfortable when I’m in my area of Queens.
What is significant about places like ‘’the Block’’, ‘’Immaculate Conception’’ , ‘’The Murals’’, and the restaurants/bakeries I’m familiar with? I believe that Astoria is being cashed in on due to it’s close access to the city because of the N/W trains as well as how ‘’ethnic’’ people may pass it off to be. The neighborhood did not just spring up from the ground and attract all these artists and young urban professionals. I feel that due to my own personal connections with the neighborhood I can recognize what the neighborhood is, and what it is sold to be. If you look on these real estate websites like modern spaces the average rent says $1,400 for a one bedroom apartment. I know for a fact that no one I know or grew up with pays/paid this much for any of the apartments they lived in.
The park did not use to look like a tourist area with green ways, joggers in $100 outfits, and coach strollers. The park was an area where kids, teens, adults, and the elderly would all have their own lively scenes. The kids would scream and play baseball (My friends Kally, Mark, Stephanie, and I) you would see teens hanging out with their cars on shore, and elderly jamming to oldies played by a bandstand in the meadow(people from my grandmothers generation, as well as their kids). These things would go on simultaneously to create the park’s atmosphere. If you were to walk down the park you’ll see people sipping Starbucks or snapping photos on new iPhones, compared to during my mom’s day when people when drive hot rods over on shore, and drink beer instead of Starbucks. On holidays for e.g during the summertime you will see people hanging out this way but, they are people who do not live anywhere near the area and are either Dominican/Puerto Rican. They come from other areas in Queens such as Jackson Heights, and Corona. It is not that people in the neighborhood do not want them there during the summer but, the people that do come do not comport themselves. They litter what would be clean streets, and blast reggaeton. They make some older residents in the neighborhood afraid to come out because these older residents cannot handle this sort of chaos. The scene is very different because unlike my moms day growing up where everyone spoke to anyone, these people tend to be more clicky, and are only surrounded by their own people. You won’t see anyone else but the Hispanics hanging out with them.
I find diversity important because living in a place like New York City where people today have the ideology that the ‘’melting pot’’ is a blending of different cultures, it was different for my family because of the intermixing that makes me who I am today. When my grandmother was growing up in Manhattan, most of the people around her were either Puerto Rican, monotonous White, or African American, therefore, no one around her could really relate to her situation of being ethnically Greek, and Filipina although she did have many close friends within that community. Growing up on places like ‘’The Block’’, and attending church in my neighborhood connects with this cultural exchange because my grandmother was able to advance in this country because she and the people around her had this commonplace area that even though she was different she would not be judged for this.
I feel that in this neighborhood I am allowed to have a mixed cultural identity because I am allowed to have my Hispanic identity which I feel is strong because of the many other types of Hispanics within the area including many of my friends who are Honduran, Ecuadorean, and Dominican. I am allowed to have my Italian identity because there are a few Italian kids still left in the area, and the older residents in the area many of whom my mom works for keep my cultural identity strong,I go to Italian church and hear stories of the older residents and the tight knit family values they cherish as well as how much respect I have to present to represent my family, I’m allowed to have my Greek identity including the food because of the various restaurants and churches within the area, as well as the large diaspora that lives there. I do not personally care to have my filipino side because even though there are other filipinos within the area they are not mixed. They are more recent immigrants. I do not consider this part of me strong at all, compared to the other ethnicities that make up me because I was not really taught too much of this culture where exactly my great-grandfather was from (if I could ever even find that). I also see that they can be very ethnocentric people, and usually stay within their own. I just do not consider this part of my ethnic background as important as the others. I do not think that such identities are easily accepted in say suburban areas or rural areas because inter-marriage is still not very common within those areas. People will also assume that you are fully one thing.
Although I am a mixed race person I feel like culture is Matriarchal, and therefore within my nuclear household my mother’s culture is more dominant than my father’s. My mother is one half Italian, one quarter Greek, and one quarter filipina. Being raised in Astoria, she grew up with mainly Greeks, Armenians, Italians, and Irish kids. The neighborhood has many European food markets that cater to Europeans and Latin Americans because many of the products overlap. The Italian and Greek cultures were dominant in her household especially since my grandfather was second generation, and my great-grandmother from Greece lived with my mother. This had a large influence on her as her father, and her grandmother were both extremely close to her. Her mother although mixed spoke fluent Greek, and knew how to cook the cuisine very well. Greeks, and various other European-Americans were always over the house during my mother’s childhood, and therefore the traditions stuck with her. Jenifer M. in class asked me ‘’ If you have all these cultural identities which do you feel is predominant in your household?’’
Something interesting about the area are the various groups that have settled there. For e.g. ‘’Little Egypt’’ is adjacent to ‘’Little Greece’’ and it is interesting that many cultural similarities exist within the two such as cuisine, mythology, and cultural values such as the evil eye which can be found throughout the community and represents the propelling of spirits within both cultures. Italians living by Hispanics as both of the groups have endured many hardships concerning appearance and immigration status although in different eras. Sometimes at school I feel as if I am being judged upon how I look because students in this school sometimes judge one another based on their appearance. Some students simply call me ‘’white’’ or they look at me a certain way because most people in this school are one race/ethnicity. I feel when explaining my situation to certain people in this school to people who have grown up in ethnic enclaves such as Washington Heights, especially where they conform to the dominant culture because they are that race: Dominican they cannot understand my situation, they cannot understand my cultural values, they cannot understand the values of the various groups I am, and therefore they do not understand me. Therefore, I feel till this day most comfortable when I’m in my area of Queens.
What is significant about places like ‘’the Block’’, ‘’Immaculate Conception’’ , ‘’The Murals’’, and the restaurants/bakeries I’m familiar with? I believe that Astoria is being cashed in on due to it’s close access to the city because of the N/W trains as well as how ‘’ethnic’’ people may pass it off to be. The neighborhood did not just spring up from the ground and attract all these artists and young urban professionals. I feel that due to my own personal connections with the neighborhood I can recognize what the neighborhood is, and what it is sold to be. If you look on these real estate websites like modern spaces the average rent says $1,400 for a one bedroom apartment. I know for a fact that no one I know or grew up with pays/paid this much for any of the apartments they lived in.
The park did not use to look like a tourist area with green ways, joggers in $100 outfits, and coach strollers. The park was an area where kids, teens, adults, and the elderly would all have their own lively scenes. The kids would scream and play baseball (My friends Kally, Mark, Stephanie, and I) you would see teens hanging out with their cars on shore, and elderly jamming to oldies played by a bandstand in the meadow(people from my grandmothers generation, as well as their kids). These things would go on simultaneously to create the park’s atmosphere. If you were to walk down the park you’ll see people sipping Starbucks or snapping photos on new iPhones, compared to during my mom’s day when people when drive hot rods over on shore, and drink beer instead of Starbucks. On holidays for e.g during the summertime you will see people hanging out this way but, they are people who do not live anywhere near the area and are either Dominican/Puerto Rican. They come from other areas in Queens such as Jackson Heights, and Corona. It is not that people in the neighborhood do not want them there during the summer but, the people that do come do not comport themselves. They litter what would be clean streets, and blast reggaeton. They make some older residents in the neighborhood afraid to come out because these older residents cannot handle this sort of chaos. The scene is very different because unlike my moms day growing up where everyone spoke to anyone, these people tend to be more clicky, and are only surrounded by their own people. You won’t see anyone else but the Hispanics hanging out with them.
Towards the Ditmars area which is traditionally Greek, although in recent years Hispanics, Bengali's, and other Europeans particularly Italians, and Croatians can be found here. This mural was painted just before the 2004 Olympics in Athens. A symbol of pride in the area, there was actually a documentary about the man who lived beside the mural
Cafe Di Napoli on 36th avenue is an epitome of common grounds that exist within the neighborhood. This cafe has been here since my mom was a teenager (pre-gentrification), and survives on an avenue filled with art museums, theaters, and large upscale chain restaurants such as Five Napkin, and Starbucks. In the restaurant you can hear Italian, English, and Spanish being spoken simultaneously. The restaurant is simple, all the decorations are Italian cartoons drawn by students at the local school, and the prices are fair. This is one of the places in my neighborhood that I feel is still truly homey.
In New York City today I feel as if people will try to determine your race/ethnicity to determine your role towards them. I also feel people will also treat you differently once they know your ethnic background. In my neighborhood when I go to say Italian mass out of respect for my grandfather I simply tell them I’m half Italian/Puerto Rican, or I’m half Italian/Spaniard because people will judge you based on your cultural background (not that they do) because of how you look or describe yourself. I also do this because it’s easier to explain to people. My situation is different because I never could really grow up with people who were the same ethnicity/race as me because even other mixed kids did not have the same roots as me. When you grow up with these people you do not realize anyone is different from you therefore you do not judge people based on what they are. Greeks walk up to me believing I’m fully Greek, Italians walk up to me believing I’m fully Italian, and Hispanics always try to figure out am I ‘’White’’ or Hispanic. Instead of the ‘’melting pot’’ theory where us as Americans are conforming to the greater white monotonous culture I feel that in this neighborhood you still have mixing without remaining in enclosed ethnic enclaves such as those that are predominantly one race such as the Mexican, Armenian, and Italian neighborhoods that exist in places like Chicago and Los Angeles where people cannot feel comfortable or blend in within different areas. In my neighborhood the areas are porous where the Egyptian areas still have Greeks, or the Greek areas are mixed with Hispanics in between. There is more common ground in this neighborhood than many other neighborhoods in New York City, and other neighborhoods around the country.
In New York City today I feel as if people will try to determine your race/ethnicity to determine your role towards them. I also feel people will also treat you differently once they know your ethnic background. In my neighborhood when I go to say Italian mass out of respect for my grandfather I simply tell them I’m half Italian/Puerto Rican, or I’m half Italian/Spaniard because people will judge you based on your cultural background (not that they do) because of how you look or describe yourself. I also do this because it’s easier to explain to people. My situation is different because I never could really grow up with people who were the same ethnicity/race as me because even other mixed kids did not have the same roots as me. When you grow up with these people you do not realize anyone is different from you therefore you do not judge people based on what they are. Greeks walk up to me believing I’m fully Greek, Italians walk up to me believing I’m fully Italian, and Hispanics always try to figure out am I ‘’White’’ or Hispanic. Instead of the ‘’melting pot’’ theory where us as Americans are conforming to the greater white monotonous culture I feel that in this neighborhood you still have mixing without remaining in enclosed ethnic enclaves such as those that are predominantly one race such as the Mexican, Armenian, and Italian neighborhoods that exist in places like Chicago and Los Angeles where people cannot feel comfortable or blend in within different areas. In my neighborhood the areas are porous where the Egyptian areas still have Greeks, or the Greek areas are mixed with Hispanics in between. There is more common ground in this neighborhood than many other neighborhoods in New York City, and other neighborhoods around the country.