The streets of Athens
Walking around downtown Athens is a study in contrasts. One street can have burned out buildings and lots of graffiti while 2 blocks over there are Hermes and other luxury stores. There are so many tourists, the super wealthy and the backpackers. The language school where I teach is located in an area of many Somali and other Africans, so there are ethnic grocery stores and hookah (or shisha) bars on the corners.
Last night I went out with Refugees Refuge, one of the many groups that feed the homeless here in Athens. The group meets at the Salvation Army at 5:30 to make sandwiches and hot tea. At 7 we go out to distribute these, walking around some of the parks, the poorer areas, and the places around the metro lines where people sleep at night. Most of the homeless are men because the UN has designated women and children refugees as at higher risk and therefore they get access to support first. Unlike most of my students, these people are from many different countries, including Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Afghanistan, and Greece. The organizers of the feeding operation are on a first name basis with many of the people and know some of their histories. They are sometimes greeted with friendliness and conversation; at other places, food is left for the people who will come after we leave.
I don't know if there are more homeless in Athens than in New York or if it is more dangerous here. I do know that UN camps for refugees are overflowing. Camps built for 3000 people hold over 10,000 and every day more boats arrive at various Greek islands. People are processed there and then sent on to Athens. Some wait for months or years going through the system to try to get asylum in Germany or another European country. Others try to slip across the borders illegally. If a student doesn't show up to English class for a number of days, she may have left Athens and we may never know her status-- legally in another country, illegally attempting to get into another country, or returned to her country of origin.
Last night I went out with Refugees Refuge, one of the many groups that feed the homeless here in Athens. The group meets at the Salvation Army at 5:30 to make sandwiches and hot tea. At 7 we go out to distribute these, walking around some of the parks, the poorer areas, and the places around the metro lines where people sleep at night. Most of the homeless are men because the UN has designated women and children refugees as at higher risk and therefore they get access to support first. Unlike most of my students, these people are from many different countries, including Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Afghanistan, and Greece. The organizers of the feeding operation are on a first name basis with many of the people and know some of their histories. They are sometimes greeted with friendliness and conversation; at other places, food is left for the people who will come after we leave.
I don't know if there are more homeless in Athens than in New York or if it is more dangerous here. I do know that UN camps for refugees are overflowing. Camps built for 3000 people hold over 10,000 and every day more boats arrive at various Greek islands. People are processed there and then sent on to Athens. Some wait for months or years going through the system to try to get asylum in Germany or another European country. Others try to slip across the borders illegally. If a student doesn't show up to English class for a number of days, she may have left Athens and we may never know her status-- legally in another country, illegally attempting to get into another country, or returned to her country of origin.
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