A sore matter

@thegreekling

2 years ago, if you had asked me what the refugee crisis in Europe meant to me I wouldn't have been able to reply. Today, I would like to speak my mind and address this matter. As a world crisis but also as Greece's crisis. I stood by for 3 years and watched as this all happened. But being a part of a European program I was enlighted and got the opportunity to create an opinion of my own regardless of media. So here it is...

I was always aware of the war that was going on in the middle east and how it impacted everyone concerning it. But as a kid, you are kind of in the dark about most things and don't feel as though it concerns you. In 2015 I became aware that a significant amount of foreign people in big rubber boats were coming across to my island. I have to say I didn't think much of it at first. Over the course of 2 months, more and more people were arriving. I kept hearing adults talk about it and how devastating it was going to be for tourism etc. It all hit me when I went to Mytilini (the capital of the island) one afternoon and was in shock at the sight of hundreds of people walking all the distance I did with the car (65km). I was in tears looking at children and pregnant women stumbling from the tiredness. It pained me that we couldn't pick anyone up as it was against the law and you could get arrested if you did.

That was the first phase of the crisis. That year I took part in a program about volunteering. And at the end of that year, all the students that participated went on a trip around the island to see the camps and organizations that had been set up. We went to 3 different camps and even met some of the refugees that stayed there. The greeks that were in charge of them treated them with respect and provided many facilities. As I visited one camp I met this little girl from Syria who was 6, Kontos. That trip enlightened me as to what was truly going on. 

The biggest problem we had to face was the media. The Media made every attempt to destroyed the island. They perpetrated us as monsters that were harming refugees and immigrants and that was the cause of the tremendous decrease in tourism in 2016. I want to clear out that we as an island did not harm any of those people. We stood together at difficult times and united to help them. I believe that most people were helping in order to speed things up and end the suffering. Now, as a tourist destination that only works 6 months a year and solely on tourism, we can not be blamed for not wanting this. We have jobs and families to look after. Many people acted heroically and the media only managed to say that we were awful people. next was the false accusations of having extreme amounts of refugees and migrants wandering around the village. False. We had a period when we had some passing through the village but they were all in the camps and didn't harm anyone. This was the main reason for the tourism decrease. The tourists that were in my village (Petra) all said that they didn't even notice them, some even wanted to help the situation.

Now, I think that everyone deserves to live in peace and harmony. We should help one another in desperate times. We are all humans. All equal. My only objection is that it's not fair for others to use someone else's problem, for example, the refugee crisis, for other reasons such as economic ones at the expense of other peoples suffering, to get a "free ride across". This is where most people disagree on. In the midst of all this panic, we have thousands more trying to mix in with war refugees in order to cross the borders and today, we only have economic immigrants seeking asylum. Even from Cuba and the Dominican Republic !!

two musicians playing music to lighten up
the atmosphere at one of the camps.

I praise every volunteer who helps in such crisis's and every other citizen who runs to help when they see a floating boat coming across. Sadly though this crisis cost so many people their jobs.

This matter is somewhat taboo here but I really want to enlighten others to not just believe what you see in the media and don't criticize others if you aren't fully aware.

Lastly, I would like to speak about my experience with a little girl who stole my heart was named Kontos and she was 6 years old and had been staying at a refugee camp for 7 months. She was dubbed the "diva" of the camp as she always wore pink and jewelry and had glittery nails. She came up to us when we were at the camp and started dancing with us and giving us crisps. Kindness and friendliness have no race or color or name. As I left the camp I was I tears, not because I had seen something sad, but because I had just met a little girl who was happy and acted as a normal little 6-year-old in a time and space that no little girl should have to be in and no grown-up feels happy in. I still think of her and wonder where she is.

walls were drawn by a few of the refugees.
They are given different tasks to do as they
suffer from boredom and want to feel as
normal as possible and do something in their
time spent there.

I have a lot more to write about... but for now, this is sufficient.

thank you,

Tina x 

The area never changed... its people's perception
of it that did...