The Afgan refugees with whom we have worked most are remarkable. We came across one women with two tiny children who had traveled mainly on foot the 3,000 miles from Karbul. They are then met by hostile Greek police who make them wait for hours in the open to register. To make matters worse the EU border agency computer system keeps crashing.
Another way in which they have been remarkable is in their willingness to help. They act as translators, they do the work we do in handing out clothing and saying no! They have also helped in my round of emptying bins of rubbish. Were they coming to the UK we would benefit hugely.
Maggie broke her wrist this afternoon and the Afgan young man with whom I have been working was as caring as a son. Maggie is fine but frustrated. My feelings for the Afgan people are even stronger.
It sounds as if you are doing a grand job out there. In my experience most of the Greeks are friendly and welcoming, but Greek Bureaucracy is a different matter. It may well be that the Police were used to a relatively quite life (they only turned on the traffic lights in Mytilene about five years ago!) may themselves be worn down by the events of last year, and have had to cope with the effects of the economic crisis for a number of years. The refugee crisis is a tragedy for the displaced, but is also a tragedy for the Greeks themselves.
ReplyDeleteOn a brighter note have you seen this report? If this is happening it could be a way of addressing the potential ecological disaster the island is facing. http://www.ekathimerini.com/204888/article/ekathimerini/community/refugees-turn-life-vests-into-handbags-on-lesvos
When I was travelling in Afghanistan in 1970 I found the people kind, gentle and always helpful. I could never reconcile in my head the extreme contrast with the vicious and violent acts of other Afghans (under the Taliban) in later years. I would love to go back to Kabul . . . not much chance, I fear.
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