Akira: The Greek

Last week, when I went to get my hair styled, the hairdresser commented that my hair could pass for that of a Greek. Thick, dark, unmanageable, wavy--My heritage can be traced to the western coasts of the Mediterranean, so I suppose it makes sense. The Greeks are my eastern cousins, coast-loving people like those from which I come. We are both olive-skinned, dark-haired, and willowy. We delight in the beauty of nature and smile during our daily rest. We laugh loud, dance often. Pride ourselves in giving until it hurts. We are similar to some degree.

But I wonder, how well do I pass in this country? I am not bothered on the streets--I'm not even looked at twice when I walk alone. Do I blend? Vendors talk to me in Greek and seem a bit taken aback by my English default; do they believe I understand their native words? Who am I to them? How does the dominant culture perceive my appearance? My presence? My language and aura and way of moving through the streets?

I don't feel American. I am of the 77% who disapproves of our current congress and their ensuing decisions. I fight against the oppression of minorities and women and all the "others" who do not "fit" within the approved categories mandated by the tyranny of the majority. I wear my Guy Fawkes mask with pride and, some say, insolence. I bite back. I am American in the sense of the rebellious founding fathers and not the current definition of compliance set down by the words in the NDAA and ACTA and by the old men running this country. I am for the true America--set by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison--and against the current state of affairs.
But I don't feel Greek. I am not from an honor-shame society. I do not know how to tip such delicate scales. I want to work while they siesta. I am bothered by the fervor the cramped city streets and how the racket leaks into the home. The roads confuse me and the drivers enrage me and I don't understand the government one inch. I am foreign here, despite my appearance.

How does this work perceived Akira? Akira defines herself as free. Lost in Greek and uncomfortable in America. Free to decide and wander and be influenced until the dust in my head clears, leading revelation of where I truly belong.