I am a Syrian refugee. We fled Syria because of the war and we went to Turkey. It was difficult for me to cross the borders because I had with me my children and one of them was one month old, at that time. From the south of Turkey, we went to Izmir. Then, from Izmir, we crossed the sea with my four children. It was very hard for me because of my children and we spent about 6 hours on the boat. Thus, we arrived in Mytilene, Lesvos. The borders were open and we wanted to go to Germany to my husband. After one week we heard that the borders are closed. For about 1-3 months in the camp (in Mytilene), the whole situation with the children, with the food and safety, was very difficult for me.
Three months after, we came to Skaramagas (Refugee Center). Here as well, we had a difficult situation because for almost six months we couldn’t complete the procedure of registration and we were living in a container. It took us one year to be registered for family reunification. We had the interview on the 23rd of November in 2016. They said ”After six months, you will leave for Germany”. The six months passed and they informed us that we have to wait for more.
I am here alone with my four kids, and my husband is in Germany. All this is too difficult, having four children is a big responsibility. We waited for six months, and eight months later they stamped on the “card”. After that, we had to wait three more months because they had to update our number so to take a ticket to Germany. We were really happy because our children will go to school and will be again with their father. We will be again as one family.
Storyteller’s name: Nour
Interviewer’s name: Anxhela Dani
Country of origin: Syria
Sex: F
Age: 27