JAN. 22, 1965
Greek girl enters mw
Among members of the Freshman Class is shy and quiet Helen Spiropoulos. Just two brief months ago, Helen came from a small farm town in Greece to Des Plaines, unable to speak a word of English.
Before Helen and her mother (who also spoke no English) arrived, her father and her 20 year old brother, Dino, came to the United States to pave way for the rest of their family. Since they could converse in English, adjustments were soon made. Mrs. Spiropoulos and Helen then flew from Greece to this country, stopping in London for seven hours.
Helen attends classes at Maine with her cousin Mary Mantas, who is also a freshman. Mary translates all the lessons into Greek for Helen, and at the same time, Helen is learning English. The Mantas family moved from Greece to the United States 10 years ago.
In Greece the Spiropoulos family owned a farm on the outskirts of Nestanne Tripolie, a town in the Arkadia region of the Pelopnessian Mountains. Besides growing the usual
The people of this country celebrate Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, but these holidays are non-existent in Greece and are new to Helen. In her country the people celebrate the "namedays" of saints and famous people instead of their birthdays. Because Nestanne Tripolie is a small town, there are no television broadcasts or regular movies. Once a month, though, a photographer comes to the town, to show movies. Another interesting difference between the United States and Greece that Helen noticed is dress; women in Greece do not wear slacks.
Since Helen has been here for such a short period of time, she has not yet formed any specific opinions about customs in the United States. She is glad to be here and would not return to Greece because of the greater opportunities in America."