Mytilene | Story no2Walking together

I came from Afghanistan to Greece about three years ago when I was 18. I stayed in Moria for 12 months, and then I was sent in a hotel in Thermi and then in Kara-Tepe for 18 months. They sent me to PIKPA for 7 months, then to Athens and after one month I returned here and since then I live in this squat, in this building. They already told me that if I leave PIKPA I would never be able to return to it. So, i returned to Lesbos and now I live in this squat. I have a friend in Athens that knew about this building from before (people used to squat here before us) and he told me to come here, that it is abandoned, to break the lock and go in. I call this space “خانه” “chane” (house in Farsi)... I consider it my house. In this building Syrian, Kurds, Arabs and Afghanis live together.

When I arrived in Greece, I told the services that I am older, an adult. I didn’t tell them that I was a minor because I heard that they had a special place for minors in Moria. I came with my family, my fiancé and her mother. Three months ago they gave me an open card without geographical restrictions. After Lesbos we went to Athens and they both left illegally to go to Belgium. Of course they cannot apply for refugee status in Belgium. I want to go to Belgium too because I don’t have anything to do here, I am a car mechanic, but I cannot work here even if I am willing to do any job. Here I just sleep. I don’t know what to do. If you cannot work, then what is left to do?

I have already given my asylum interview and my application was rejected. Then the services found a free lawyer, but in the next few days he asked 250 euros in order to help me. If I had money I would have chosen my own lawyer. He didn’t even respond to my messages. So, I stopped having any help. I go to the services and tell them that my wife is in Belgium but they don’t seem to take notice.

I returned from Athens because I had nothing to do there, and without any money I couldn’t travel to Belgium. I have no money so I have to wait. I contact my wife every day. She is tired too. She is 19.

From all the places I have stayed, PIKPA and Kara-Tepe were good. PIKPA was a quiet place without much fuss, a safe place. I like places that are not too noisy. I like being alone. I don’t like places where they fight or places that don’t offer some peace. In Athens I went to the Malakasa camp and I talked to the UNHR, but they had no space to offer me. They told me to go to their offices in Athens, which I did and they told me to pass again in 2 months. I had no money, no job, nowhere to stay; I didn’t know anyone that could help me stay there. So what to do in Athens for two months? Here is better than Athens. In Athens it is easier to fall into dangerous situations and I think that Athens is not a good place for me. Here, the conditions are a little bit better. In the building we have water even if it is cold. Here I have some money assistance from the cash card they give us. I get 90 euros per month although it’s not much money. What to buy with 90 Euros? If I go once to Mytilene they finish. Cigarettes, food, shampoo, cleaning ….gone. And Kara-Tepe is beautiful. It is very relaxed, a lot better than Moria. In Moria it is extremely difficult. People fight there all the time, the Arabs with the Afghans, the Afghans with the Arabs, and the Arabs with the Kurds. Outside of Moria is more relaxed. Outside of Moria there are rules. If there is a fight in Kara-Tepe people will be obliged to leave. In Moria there are no rules, in 2016 we had fights every 10 days. In Kara-Tepe it is a lot better than Moria. There is a kitchen so people can cook, there is shower where you can clean yourself, the kids can take lessons, there are spaces for women, there is security, whereas in Moria none of these exist. In this building here we have no rules either yet there are no brawls and fights, everyone is chilled, they sleep, go out and return and people don’t fight although we have no rules, because here you do what you like, because here they are all friends, even if they have different nationalities. Here too we have Afghanis, Arabs, Syrians, and Kurds but nobody is fighting like in Moria. In Moria there is tension: “Are You African? I will kill you!”, “Are you Arab? I’ll kill you” and so on and so on. I don’t like these things. Here there is respect. In Kara-Tepe and in PIKPA is good. Maybe PIKPA is even better, freer, the kitchen is public and you can go whenever you like, it is quieter and more chilled than Kara-Tepe.

I started learning Greek In Kara-Tepe, I like it, I was going to lessons for two months but then I got tired and stopped. I don’t want to continue at the moment, I feel very tired. Some times I might go for a martial arts training or to the gym.