A loving community!
It’s a dark cold night of February. At some neighborhood, in Athens the only thing you can see at this time of the day is the lights from the apartments, since everything else is in deep darkness. Outside it is so quiet that, you can even hear the snowflakes landing softly on the ground. The only person walking through the streets is Naomi and a small dog following her. It has been a really tiring day for her as she was on the streets all morning and afternoon trying to find a job. Since she and her little brother Andy came to Greece from Nigeria the only thing that matters is their survival and even the slightest amount of money would be enough. Thank God in all their bad luck after losing their parents they were lucky to meet Mr. Kostas and Ms. Helen when they first came here.
They have met one day that the old couple was having their walk at the park like every other day. Naomi and little Andy were sleeping on a bench since they had no place to go. When Ms. Helen saw them, she felt terribly sorry and at once she opened her arms for them. Of course her husband had no problem with that since they had no children of their own and they were given the chance to have some company at home.
Naomi at first kindly denied. Despite of her difficult situation she was clever enough to know that there could be some danger. Although, it felt right going with them and her instinct told her it was the right thing to do. Now, 6 months later, her instinct is proven right. But still even if the old couple is happy to host them, Naomi feels that she must carry it on herself and as a result, since that day she hasn’t stop searching for a job. Sadly she still hasn’t found something.
She is walking with the head down fully frustrated. But then she’s thinking that things could have been even worse for her and her brother. Because not only they met Mr. and Ms. Papadakis, but also at the same building that the couple lives there are so many people from other countries, that since the first moment they felt welcome. In fact you could say that this building is so multicultural that reminds of an international convention.
At that thought Naomi laughed…
Within these 6 months they have all become one family. The young couple from Holland that came here to start over, the couple of Mr. and Ms. Sung Li with their 5 children who came here for a better future, the old lady from Germany that came here for vacation and never left since, the crazy American bachelor who madly fell in love with a Greek girl and came here for her, the two Albanian brothers that came here for work. One big happy family! Everyone supporting each other, helping when someone’s in need, making the new members feel welcome or even giving food and money when there’s huge need! Sometimes on Sundays each one cooks a special dish from his or her homeland and then everybody eats together. Oh, how much Naomi loves these Sundays that are like a bright feast for her! How much she enjoys it when Louise teaches her English and Math. How much she likes it when Ms. Marion tells her and Andy stories from Germany at night. At that point she can’t even imagine her life without these people. And the strange thing is that Mr. Kostas and Ms. Helen gave them the most love and help…and not only to them but to anyone who came to stay at the building. And it’s actually kind of funny, considering that most Greek people are looking her in disgust anytime she tries to find a job. She has always thought that racism wouldn’t be a problem in a modern society but she was wrong.
As she walks her phone rings… Half an hour later she’s at the hospital waiting for the doctor to come out from surgery. By her side is everyone from the building trying to calm her down. When she answered the phone and Mr. Kostas told her that Andy has been attacked, she couldn’t believe her ears. It wasn’t possible. Could racism be so malevolent? Who would ever hurt just a little boy because he was of another color or because he couldn’t speak good Greek yet? Well, that was police’s business and they had to find out!
Now everyone waits for the doctor. Everyone is praying for the little boy, no matter if their God is named Jesus, Allah or Buda. They just hope that the boy survives. Ms. Yung Li even tells something like a spell in Chinese which is supposed to cure Andy. And everyone tries to find a pray from his culture or religion that would slightly help.
One month later little Andy finally comes out from hospital. When he arrives home there’s a big surprise. They organized together a party just for him. Because after all no one cares about each one’s origin or beliefs. They are just happy that a member of their big family is healthy again and they want to celebrate it with their own way.
A Babel Party!
Who is knocking at my door? Our Erasmus+ project 