“Mahdi, please come to my office! I want to talk to you for a moment.”, Dimitra said.
“Of course! I’m coming right now”. I was in the kitchen.
When I entered the office, I saw her and George sitting at a desk. There was a mysterious silence, which felt a bit odd. I got a little nervous. They looked a little strange, there was something in their eyes.
I sat on the chair in front of them. Dimitra took a deep breath and looked at me: “We have news that is both good and bad.” I tried to be calm and not anxious, but I was very curious. She continued: “They called us today and informed us that your ticket is ready. You have another 10 days and your flight is on June 9th. There is also more information that… ”.
I wasn’t able to hear the rest. Thousands of thoughts came to my mind that deafened my ears. I did not know if I should be happy or sad.
About two years ago, when I applied for family reunification so that I could join my aunt who lives in Sweden, not a day went by without my wishing to get there as soon as possible. But now everything had changed. I was used to Athens and I no longer felt out of place… Although I was born thousands of miles away, in Iran, I felt I belonged here. After all these years, I had made many friends and I was happy with them. I spent a lot of time with them. We laughed, had fun together, watched movies and supported each other. From that moment on, I would miss them. Not only my friends but all the people I had met: My classmates, my teachers, social workers, the members of every team I was part of, and even the woman who works in the pharmacy in my neighbourhood.
“Mahdi, did you understand what I just said?”.
I replied: “Oh, yes, yes. I did. Oh, I think I should go to my room and…”.
On June 9, 2021, I left my neighborhood, Exarchia, with all its bittersweet memories. Now, I have been living in Sweden for a year. It was hard for me at first. I was very upset and everything appeared colourless. But after a while, I felt better and became happy. This is my new life. I have made new friends, I go to school and I play the violin.
I know there are many children in Greece who are like me and have been waiting for processes like family reunification or relocation for a long time. I decided to write to them here because I know that they read Migratory Birds: You are not alone and everything will be fine. Be optimistic and fight for your dreams! Do not give up! Everything happens at the right time. Life is always flowing and will never stop as long as there is hope in your heart.
Add comment