From love to legacy: Dutch grandmother relearns Greek for her grandson

A love story that began on Crete

Reindina never imagined she’d fall in love with a Greek man during a holiday in Crete with her sister. “I had always said I would never get involved with a Greek person on holiday,” she recalls. She’d often heard about holiday romances that never amounted to anything – that’s what she had always thought. But fate had other plans, and what began as a chance encounter blossomed into a deep relationship that would change her life forever.

After periods of writing letters and visits between the Netherlands and Greece, Reindina married her Greek husband in Utrecht’s Orthodox Church. His father, a Greek Orthodox priest, performed the ceremony and later baptised their twin children. The family lived in Athens for a year, then spent two years in Crete, creating a life that seamlessly blended Dutch and Greek cultures before eventually settling in Amsterdam, where her husband worked as a hotel manager.

Building a multicultural family

The early years of their marriage were filled with adventure and cultural discovery. Reindina immersed herself in Greek life, learning the language naturally through daily conversations and necessity. “We spoke a lot of English at the beginning. I couldn’t understand a single word,” she remembers. The first Greek word she learned was “malaka” – heard constantly on the streets and carrying multiple meanings depending on context.

Living in Greece with young children accelerated her language learning. Television programmes, school meetings, and daily life all conducted in Greek created an immersive environment. Her daughter, in particular, picked up the language with remarkable speed, often serving as an unexpected bridge to understanding. “She was speaking incredibly well and quickly with the teacher, and suddenly I thought, ‘Oh yes, okay’ – my daughter had opened the door for me.”

Tragedy and the long silence

Life took a devastating turn when Reindina’s husband fell seriously ill with leukaemia, passing away when their twins were just two and a half years old. Faced with grief and the responsibility of raising two young children alone, Reindina made the difficult decision to return to the Netherlands to be closer to her family during this challenging time.

“I wanted to go back to my family. When you experience something like that, you really want your own people around you,” she explains. This return marked the beginning of a 25-year period during which Greek largely disappeared from her daily life. Her children, who held both Dutch and Greek nationality, gradually lost much of their fluency as they grew up in the Netherlands, far from their Greek roots.

A grandmother’s mission

The arrival of Reindina’s grandson Aris three years ago sparked a renewed sense of purpose. Little Aris represents the continuation of a cultural legacy that Reindina refuses to let fade. “I find it very important that the roots somehow continue,” she says, recognising that her daughter has lost much of her Greek language ability over the years.

Now working part-time as a nurse with special needs patients, Reindina has the time and motivation to reclaim her Greek. Her daughter works full-time, making Reindina the natural choice to nurture Aris’s connection to his Greek heritage. “I have time for this. My daughter has to work. That’s why I started again,” she explains, viewing this as both a personal challenge and a family responsibility.

The journey of rediscovery

Returning to Greek after such a long absence has proven both frustrating and rewarding. Reindina describes her current level as having “gaps” – she can read newspapers and handle basic conversations, but struggles with more complex vocabulary and formal language. “When I read a newspaper or a police report, there are certain words where I think, ‘What was that again?’ I have to read it three times before I understand.”

Currently attending classes at Let’s Learn Greek, Reindina appreciates the structured approach and comprehensive materials. Her goal isn’t perfect grammar but practical communication – especially the ability to speak naturally with other Greek speakers and, most importantly, with her grandson.

Her teacher Maria earns particular praise for her patience and intuitive teaching style. “Maria is very, very good. Very sympathetic. She has a lot of patience, which is really great,” Reindina says, emphasising how crucial it is to find the right teacher who can adapt to different learning styles and backgrounds.

Her advice for new Greek learners reflects both practical wisdom and hard-won experience: start with the alphabet, listen to children’s stories and songs on YouTube, and be prepared for initial difficulty. “At the beginning, it’s not beautiful because you have no idea what you’re dealing with. You have to start like a child. You have to think like that too, otherwise you won’t get there.”