If you look up the name Jeanine Sophia Papacharalambous on Google or Facebook, you'd see a photo of a girl like the one posted here. You'd see that she has reddish brown hair, brown eyes and a smile from ear to ear.
You'd probably think to yourself, “She looks like a nice person, happy, friendly, young and successful, likely on her way to figuring out what she wants to do with the rest of her life.” Now without going off on a long tangent I'd like to start off by sharing with you who I am in a nutshell. I'm a 22-year-old mermaid by day, rock star by night, lover of all things adventurous, self-proclaimed foodie, investigative documentary enthusiast and let's not forget, I'm Greek.
If you count the letters of my last name you’ll pass the 25 mark and clap out 6 syllables from start to finish. I was raised by my Yiayia (grandma) Pappou (grandpa) supermom and super fob dad - gotta love it.
I was completely immersed into the Greek way of life from the day I was born. From Greek school to Greek dance to Sunday school, I was the kid that had to attend classes seven days a week and couldn’t go out Friday nights because “Sorry Friday’s are for Greek dance.” Greeks from Toronto take their Greek dancing and music very seriously, we take pride in being able to dance the perfect Zembekiko and recite every lyric of Thano Petrelis’ new hit single at the next ‘Ola Kala’ party. Ola Kala events throw the hottest Greek parties in the city. DJ’s play all the top Greek hits and youth from all across Toronto both Greek and non-Greek dance the night away until the morning hours.
Toronto is a city that is full of Greek culture, years ago many immigrants moved to Toronto’s downtown core to begin their lives in Canada. This of course contributed to a large Greek community with over 10 churches, hundreds of restaurants and an entire area dedicated to Greek culture called the Danforth.
Ask any Greek Torontonian and I'm sure they'll have plenty of stories to share about their beloved Greek town. The Danforth is a gathering place for generations young and old. It's a place where people can eat authentic Greek cuisine; grab a frappe from Cafe Frappe with their friends while listening to the latest modern Greek tunes.
Some of the most popular places include Astoria, Messini and Tzatziki - just to name a few. Summer is particularly a great time to visit the Danforth, take advantage of the beautiful weather while enjoying some homemade baklava from the uber popular Serano Bakery.
Every summer each of the churches host their own Greek festivals with live music, activities for the kids, performances by traditional Greek dance groups and of course unlimited access to a variety of traditional foods and pastries.
As one of your Canadian GCT contributors, I look forward to sharing more about what it’s like living in Toronto. Let’s experience the richness of our Greek culture together…OPA!
