Facing the system monster

Topic: Immigration – Bureaucracy – authority abuse (Tijana, 34 y/o)

I am here. In Athens. Exactly where I wanted to be, where my heart wanted to come and stay. It’s been almost two years now and I’ve never regretted decision to leave everything I had in my country and start here from a scratch, hoping that I am the love of his life too. But, I am not. He is not mine either. It never happened, and I am glad it didn’t. If you ask me if it’s an open wound – it’s not. So many amazing things happened in the meantime that I realized I am not here because of him, but because Athens feels like my home. I am surrounded by people who give me constant support and love, which makes me feel I really belong here and that I am not just a migrant from the third world countries. For the system and Greek bureaucracy – yes, I am just a migrant. And that’s one of the rare reasons that made me cry and feel helpless here. I remember how happy I was when I collected all numerous documents required for a short term visa in order to stay here 6 months and participate in an EU program and how enthusiastically I headed to Immigration Department in Piraeus.

Day 1 – 8:30 a.m. – looking for someone who speaks English to tell me if I am at the right place. “You are too late. All numbers are gone. Come tomorrow at 5 in the morning, stand in a line and wait to get a number.”

Day 2 – 5:15 a.m. still no lights in the halls of the building as they work from nine o’clock and it looks really scary. There are only a few people that came earlier and I felt happy since it won’t be necessary to come again this early. I used the chance to look around info boards and there was not a single word in English. Only Greek. How is this possible? Wait!?! I’m in the Immigration department where only Greeks have no need to come and I am expected to know what is written here? There was a guy from Pakistan and a woman from Albania who noticed my anxiety and tried to explain procedures in English and which floor should I wait at. I felt like hugging them and thanked them from my heart.

8:00 a.m. the hall is already crowded with migrants and we are still standing in a line. One man came out of the office and shouted out something in Greek. He raised his hand in which you could see small cards and numbers on them, so everyone started pushing us from the back in order to grab a card. I put all my effort not to fall down and take a card. Two men behind started a fight as they would have to come tomorrow again and wait. Number of cards was limited and there was not enough for all the people that were waiting. The same thing that happened to me a day before.

9 a.m. – 12 p.m. still not my turn and still people who let us come in don’t want to speak English. I tried to ask them something, but they started shouting in Greek. I felt so helpless and tried not to let tears come out as I was in the same position like the other people waiting, but a few of them could speak Greek well. What I could understand, some came just to ask a question, some to book an appointment, and some to submit papers…but the rule was the same for everyone – come at 5 a.m. and wait. At some point a woman who was sitting next to me grabbed me by the hand and took me to one office, explained them why I am there and they booked me an appointment in one month when I should bring all the papers.

Day 3 – one month later – a lot easier now as I came with my Greek friends, my second family, to have them as a support. They were shocked to see how everything was written in Greek.

Most of the Greeks don’t know how the system works for foreigners, especially for people from non-EU countries. What they know is how to show love when they hear I am from Serbia and help as much as they can. That matters much more than bureaucracy. That makes Greece the country I love as my own, leaving bureaucracy behind that is hostile in every country.