Mare LiberumHello, I'm Shaker, I'm from Syria, I'm 23 years old. I left Syria because of the war and decided to come to Europe to live a better life. I suffered from trying to cross the border between Syria and Turkey, which I succeeded. I even reached the Turkish coast to continue my way to Greece. I tried four times, and the fourth time I succeeded, but I was surprised by the tragic situation here on the island of Samos. I was in the police station for two days and applied for asylum. Then they took us out of the police station. They told us to go and find a place to sleep.
We started looking for some non-governmental organisations to help us. We took small tents, each tent for two people, even it is not enough for one person, but because of the large number of refugees they cannot give a tent to each person. The large number of refugees, the number reached more than 8,000 thousand people, many problems: fires, there is no doctor, the food was very bad, there were no bathrooms or toilets, the surprise was, that it is a country of the European Union, the countries of justice and truth.
So I decided to learn English. I went to a place called Banana House, which is one of the organizations to help refugees who are interested in learning languages, and I started learning so that I can communicate with people - at the same time, I was waiting for the decision of my asylum.
About 6 months after I came to Samos, it got worse because of the Coronavirus. The city and everything got closed, even the asylum offices. I stayed in my tent that I built with my own hands for three months without anything, no study, no entertainment, nothing. I just use my phone all the time to waste some time, and I don't feel but being bored. That's why I'm also tired of my mobile.
After 10 months, they gave me my card and its name is 'Ausweis' ( german: identification batch) so that I can move better. I am still waiting for my decision and it did not come. Then I did my interview and I was surprised that it was about Turkey and not about Syria, my country, and the reason was because of the European Union agreement that Turkey is a safe country for the Syrians, and I kept waiting for my decision until I was surprised by the rejection decision.
After the first lockdown, I went to volunteer with an organisation called Project Armonia, which is now like my second family and to communicate with multiple people and to gain experiences and improve my English until now for a whole year I work with them.
This is what I can talk about if you want to explain everything I want a whole year to explain the tragic situation I went through and the feeling I felt and the life I spent in my tent in winter and summer in the heat and cold.
Some people leave illegally because they have money but if you don't have money then there is no other choice than to wait.
You can't imagine the parting situation between your best friend or your cousin - when everyone leaves and you are left behind alone and after all these things they tell people that they are going to move them to the new Camp, that was built away from normal life far from everything between the mountains and under the sun there is no shadow. And nothing if you want to come to the city, it will take two hours to walk on foot, and the return path is very difficult because it is a mountain.
Now, two years after arriving, my only wish is to get out of this open prison because I'm tired of the daily routine I just want to get out of this island: Now I can't sit in the tent because it's too hot - just use it to sleep and spend all my time with Armonia even on vacation, to pass the time because I can't sit alone I feel like crazy.
