Get to know the newcomers, activists and volunteers we met in Athens, Berlin and London and their unique experiences of refuge, welcome and the digital city.
Apo
Exarcheia, Athens, November 2018
I am a political refugee. I had no expectations when I came here because I had to come here. Turkey wasn't safe for me. I was not certain whether I would be alive or dead at the end, so I had to leave my country. I didn’t think about the future. When I crossed the river on the border, I felt safer. Even when I was arrested by the Greek police, I felt safe, because it’s Europe, it’s Greece. It’s not an easy thing to leave your country and become a refugee.
The only difference between having a residence permit and having a refugee card is in mobility. Now I have a residence permit and I don’t have to worry about extradition. I may only encounter problems when I travel beyond Greece, if Turkey notifies Interpol. When I get my passport, thats when I’ll visit my friends in Europe, in Germany, Belgium, Holland.
Refugees here are like survivors. There is no financial support for them. In recent years, I felt Greek people started looking at me in a negative way. A lot of people are coming and the economic crisis has changed people’s psychology. You need a job, but there is no work. Two years ago, me and my friend Aynour, we decided to set up this stall and started selling this vegetarian kefte. I taught her how to make this secret recipe. It’s difficult in the summer because it’s so hot, but I’m happy with my job. Maybe I can not earn a lot of money, but I make my own plans and I can do other activities because it’s my own business.
I feel good here, like an old person after work. At first, I was sad, because I left my whole family and my friends in Turkey. I felt like a fish out of water. My relatives had said, “you can go to Athens because there are people we know there.” I have some good friends here now and I’m happy about that. The Greeks are just like Turkish people, but there is a small difference. For us, it’s important that when you have an appointment at a certain time, you will be there. For Greek people, it’s not like this, they are always late.
Maybe it’s easier to talk to people who are far away but after, I feel sad. I left my son with his mother in Turkey. He is ten years old now. If you have children, you’ll understand. He’s safe but because of the circumstances, they struggle financially. We divorced only after I came here. It was really hard, being a refugee, then a divorce... I am planning to live in Greece, but I have no certainty as my life and my plans can change. I hope my mother and my son will be able to visit me soon. Just to visit, that’s all. There is no possibility for them to stay here. And I hope I can one day return to Turkey, if the system changes. The whole of Turkey is like a prison now and if I go back to my country, I might get killed.
(loss)
Update June 2020 — During the last year and a half, life for refugees has gotten worse... they were afraid in the past but now they are even more afraid. After being forced to migrate from their countries due to various difficulties and problems, they are now facing psychological, physical and mental pressures in the lands that they were seeing as a place of refuge. This link underlines what I'm describing.
