Personal Introduction
My name is Alexandros Giannakitsidis. I am a Senior Finance major that plays for the Siena Men’s Tennis Team. I am an international student from South Africa. My Parents are Jordan Giannakitsidis and Sophia Giannakitsidis. My father is originally from Greece, while my Mother is originally from China. My interests are professional gaming or esports as it is known now. I used to be a semi-professional who would compete at various tournaments, but soon school and my commitment to the tennis team halted my progress and I had to give up one of them. Another interest of mine is powerlifting because my dad would always talk about his various feets of strength when he was younger and to me my dad is my hero. I moved to Florida in 2012 due to progress my tennis ability. I went to IMG Academy, which is a boarding school and I was alone for most of my teenage years. I learned things on my own rather than to rely on my family support structure since they were so far away.
My Heritage
My lineage is confusing and is tough to explain because I really have no background, yet I can identify with so many other nationalities. In one study by Dr Antonis Chaldeos he says that, “Today, although the official data do not provide us with a very accurate picture, the total number of Greeks living in Africa is estimated at 100,000 people, excluding the descendants of mixed marriages who do not have Greek passports and who resided mostly in Ethiopia, Sudan and South Africa” [Greek Im] There are a low percentage of Greek people that have been counted in Africa. This shows that I am already a minority in South Africa. My Chinese heritage is another part of myself that I am proud of. In a study by the migration policy institute we see that, “Most publications indicate that there are now well over 350,000 Chinese in South Africa, while research conducted in 2010 indicates that there may be over 500,000 [Chinese Im]. Based on these studies we can clearly see that I am already a rare mix of nationalities, but the added fact that I was born in South Africa only adds to the confusing element some people have when they hear about my background. Some people even deny that I am telling the truth because it is not possible to look the way I do and come from a background that I do. I understand it is confusing. I have only been adding to many people’s confusion because I have adopted various United States mannerisms over the 8 years I have been calling the U.S my home. Many people in South Africa can tell I am not truly South African because of my accent and tendencies.
In this link you will find a video of my home country. Enjoy! [RSA]
My Family
My Father Jordan Giannakitsidis from Greece. He was born on February 16th, 1942. He was raised in a family of 7. He has a twin brother named George who still lives in Greece. My dad himself was an Immigrant as his father and mother both came from Russia to avoid political turmoil. His family was a simple farming family. Just enough food to eat, but never more than they needed. My dad was adventurous and would often run to his grandma’s house, which back then they didn’t have buses, 2 hours away. My dad did what he wanted and pursued his dreams the way he wanted. Family was always important to him and that no matter what, the parents should work out their problems, so that their kids can live a happy family lifestyle. This is seen with many immigrant families. In a study by Child Trends it says, “Immigrant children are more likely to live in two-parent families and less likely to live in single-parent families, relative to non-immigrant children. Around 68 percent of first-generation and 72 percent of second-generation immigrant children lived in two-parent families in 2017” [Immigrant Children]. We see by this that based on statistics, immigrant families value the family structure they enter a new environment with. The reasons of why this is true are not shown in the study, but may be down to having support from people you know in an unknown land. My dad reached the age of 21 and wanted to go out on his own. His father always liked his adventurous spirit, but wanted to keep him close by. My father was not given the freedom he wanted and decided to make the decision to venture to South Africa and start a new life. He worked vaiours mining jobs until he got the chance to open his own place in 1997, which is also the same year that I was born. He ran his own company, but always made time to come see his family. My father always said, “I want to be rich enough to provide for my family, but I don’t want to be one of those fathers who makes all the money and never sees his kids.” This has been one of the greatest things he has said to me and to this day I don’t forget those words. My dad always stressed education because he came into South Africa not knowing the language. He always said that if he knew the language we would be much better off now and could have retired a lot sooner. My dad has stressed the importance of education with me for many years and I wish to continue his wishes. In a study by Robert Bird it says, “The biggest impact of education on subjective social class comes at the college graduate level, at which point working-class identification drops significantly, with a concomitant rise in identification as upper-middle class. Middle-class identification is surprisingly constant across all levels of education” [What Determines Social Class]. I believe to this day that my father has lived a very full life and still has so much to give to his family. I wish for him to be around for many more years and to see my successes in the future.
My Mother is originally from China. She was born into a family of 3 and is the youngest with her brother and sister being 8-10 years older than her. She was pretty much alone in the house with her parents because her siblings were so much older than her. She always did what she wanted as well and would focus on herself. She didn’t finish college and has some regrets about it to this day. She also stresses the importance of education like my father. She came to South Africa because her brother started a business there and needed some help with the store. She wanted a new adventure and decided to leave the comforts of home and venture into a new country she didn’t know or spoke the language. This is where she met my dad and would go on to have me. She constantly reminded me of the importance of family. In an article by GillespieShields it states, “Children growing up in homes where two parents who have been married continuously are less likely to experience a wide range of problems (academic, social, emotional, cognitive), not only in childhood but later on in adulthood as well” [Two Parent Families] The benefits of having two parent families are wide and many. This is not saying that there are no benefits to have single parent families. All these articles are used to prove the benefits of 2 parents families, but it isn’t the determining factor for a child.
I believe that the family I have is a personal Family. The personal family is just people who we feel related to and who we expect to define us as members of a family. Everyone in my family is blood related and that is how our family is structured. This shows us that the family structure we have in place is a traditional one. In the textbook it says, “This personal family as we experience it in our daily lives sets the boundaries for our most intimate interaction from an early age” (The Family 6). The personal family sets the standards for most of our emotional and intimate interaction with other members of our family. My father and mother always stressed that they would be together for the kids first and love second. Valuing the emotional and psychological stability of the children. In the textbook it states, “Young Children who cannot exhibit appropriate selective attachments or who show excessive familiarity with relative strangers may be diagnosed with a psychological disorder that is usually associated with inadequate emotional or physical care” (The Family 7). I think that having a stable family is one that benefits the child. It allows the child to grow up in a safe environment and apply himself in a supportive and stable environment.
Reference List
(n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2020, from https://wordpress.com/block-editor/page/alexnadorsgiannakitsidissienacollege.school.blog/20
Bird, R., & Newport, F. (2018, December 21). What Determines How Americans Perceive Their Social Class? Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/204497/determines-americans-perceive-social-class.aspx
Chaldeos, A., & University of Johannesburg. (2018, July 8). Modern Greek emigration to Africa. What made them emigrate to Africa and what is the current status of the Greek presence? Retrieved February 1, 2020, from https://seesox.wixsite.com/blog-diasporaproject/single-post/2018/04/30/Modern-Greek-emigration-to-Africa-What-made-them-emigrate-to-Africa-and-what-is-the-current-status-of-the-Greek-presence
Cohen , Philip N. The Family: Diversity, Inequality, and Social Change. 1st ed., W.W. Norton & Company Inc. , 2015.
Name. (2019, August 15). 40 Facts About Two Parent Families: Studies and Statistics. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://gillespieshields.com/40-facts-two-parent-families/
Park, Y. (2019, July 8). Living In Between: The Chinese in South Africa. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/living-between-chinese-south-africa
Alexandros Giannakitsidis 