Endings and Beginnings

As we pulled up to camp last Wednesday morning, I was surprised to see about 25 men, women and children along with luggage, all their possessions, waiting at the front gate. I had heard the good news from a few residents just the day before that the travel for their approved relocation or family reunification was finally planned, and they would be leaving Ritsona camp to resettle in Europe and start new lives. I didn’t realize it would happen so quickly though and had to take a moment to mentally prepare myself before exiting the van.

As I surveyed the faces of the residents talking to each other, holding their babies, sitting quietly on their bags, there was a sense of excitement subdued by the apprehension of the unknown.

I hugged and kissed the cheeks of a young woman who regularly came into the Female Friendly Space (FFS). She was almost in a panic asking me if the manager of FFS would be coming to camp soon. It was obviously very important to her to be able to say goodbye in person.

I said a few more goodbyes, noticing that everyone was very nicely dressed. Women wore a little makeup, and kids were sparkling with clean hair and clothes. One of my little favorites was wearing a button-down, collared shirt with shorts and blue sneakers. He looked like he had just walked out of a Gap ad. I knelt down to give him a high five, and he whispered in my ear that he was going to miss his cat.

Some of these families had been stuck in Ritsona for over a year and a half, waiting for a decision on their asylum claims. Greece was supposed to be a short stop on their way to Europe, but the EU-Turkey accord signed in June 2016 essentially shut European borders to refugees. I’ll save my soapbox about that deal for another time; however, the time in Ritsona punctuates the fact that friendships developed between camp residents, between residents and volunteers, and between a boy and his cat.

Saying goodbye has just a tiny bit of bitter with the very happy sweet.