The Journey of George Avgerakis - Emigrated 1913 скачать в хорошем качестве

The Journey of George Avgerakis - Emigrated 1913

The Journey of George Avgerakis - Emigrated 1913 George was born in 1898 in a small village called "Exasteror" some 20 miles from Constantinople. When he was sixteen, he describes how Ottoman military officers came to the coffeehouse to compel the young men of the town into military service.   Historical Context He does not mention the political circumstances which prompted their arrival, although it seems likely that the combination of tmhe two Balkan Wars (the second conflict ending in August, 1913) may have been related. The territorial losses of these defeats, combined with the displacement of Muslim refugees, radicalized the members of the Committee of Union and Progress then in power and intensified a program of national homogenization (Erol 109-13).    Making a Choice Despite having a birth certificate demonstrating that he was 16--well under the minimum age of 21--George was rounded up with many others. Yet, before the boys were marched away, George's grandmother persuaded him to flee. He hid in a nearby house for several days looking for another opportunity. Thus began his journey.    Though I was unable to locate his village, his description of what happens next illustrated that it must have been somewhere along the coast: "And my grandfather had a nephew, he was captain of a sailboat...they sail[ed] from out of our little village to Constantinople every day, bringing grapes."   Taking one of these boats, he arrived in Constantinople and made contact with a network of support based in the Russian embassy.  Arrivals and Departures: Istanbul Once in Constantinople, George was given refuge in what he identifies as St. Stephen monastery while arrangements were made for his passage out of Ottoman territory. He clearly imagines his journey into a broader history of war and diplomacy between nations, anchored by significant points in his personal geography: "And in Constantinople, I don't know, in 1884 or something there was a war between Turkey and Russia. The Russians they reached the outside of Constantinople and when they sign agreement, the Russians they build a monastery. They call it St. Stephen, and that monastery was still there now, I think."     Clarifications and Uncertainties By this, he probably means the Ottoman-Russian war of 1877-8, a moment of large territorial losses for the Ottomans (Quataert 58). This site is perhaps identifiable with the Bulgarian Orthodox church of St. Stephen, since I could not locate a Russian religious site under this name.   Πειραιάς (Piraeus): George Arrives in Greece After leaving the Ottoman Empire, George arrived in the thriving port of Piraeus.   While it is impossible to know what might have happened had George not undertaken his journey, he himself acknowledges a sad truth. When asked "What happened to the boys who fought for the Turks, who went into the Army?" he replies "None of them came back. All got killed, died."    Conditions of Service in WWI During WWI, many Greek Orthodox Christians were forced to serve not at the front, but in the Amele Taburları (Labour Battalions). The brutal conditions of the war years in these battalions were portrayed by famous Greek novelist Dido Sotiriou in her novel "Farewell Anatolia," based on the testimonials of a different young man, Manolis Axiotis. Πάτρα (Patras): George Embarks George obtained a ticket to America from the Russian Embassy, then travelled from Athens to Patras to board his new ship. This was the Martha Washington, which saw regular service on the Trieste-New York line; with her 2,190-person capacity, she delivered many immigrants to Ellis Island. Probably, George was one of the 2,000 of these who travelled in third class.    When George was asked by his interviewer Margo Nash why he chose continue his journey, he discussed his poor prospects in Greece and the many opportunities in America, "the richest country in the world."   The Trieste-New York Service on the Austro-Americana Line The Martha Washington made this journey nine times over the course of 1913, the year George arrived in America, taking one to two months for each sailing. Built in 1908, the ship was stalled in New York from 1914-1917 because of World War One. Unlike George, the Martha Washington was unable to avoid military service, and served as a troop ship after being seized by the US government in 1917. This is reflected in the Ellis Island records, which show an interruption in passengers arriving aboard her at this time. Arrival in America--October 20, 1913 When George arrived in America, he was subject to a medical examination, like most immigrants. With the help of a translator, he was connected with other new arrivals in the country, who gave him temporary places to stay and helped him find his first job, dishwasher at the Bookinhelm hotel on 5th St. He remembers it vividly, if not fondly: "Well, anyway, I worked then four months and I got some money, but I didn't like it, too much indoor, and I used to an outdoor life."