Programme Erasmus + Europe on the move : Migration Biographies
Interviews
A : Yes , he is scared because he didn ’ t study something and he is generally scared about his future . He is also considering the prospect of going out again , to another country , immigrants again , because we have friends in England who tell him that in Greece with the salary of a waiter you do nothing and he regrets not having studied in University . While in England you can make a living with a simple job and a basic salary .
Q : What about BREXIT ?
A : Nobody knows . My cousin now , having made the decision to go , works as a waitress , but it ’ s a different life there .
Q : Maybe because he thinks he ’ ll be better there and help you out as well .
A : My brother is young and he is still immature . He has not studied any English , of course , but I think he will learn it easily . Now of course he regrets not having studied and learning English . But it strikes me that he regretted it so quickly because I know the kids are sorry for their mistakes but shortly after 20 . He realized that he was wrong really soon . Now he is thinking of leaving , at least for temporarily to put some money aside and then maybe come back . I will have graduated from University too and I will be a doctor with a permanent job . I will be able to help too .
Q : Now that you mentioned that , will you have a problem because of your nationality ? Do you have an ID ?
A : Yes , I have a Greek identity . I will normally be appointed in a hospital . What I never found out is whether I could work in military medicine because I was thinking about it . I never found out but there might have been nationality problems to work as a military doctor .
Q : Do you regret now that you did not follow military medicine ?
A : There were some pros , that you are offered accommodation and you don ’ t have to spend money on renting a room . You also have 200 Euros a month , which is a great help to students . Now I am finishing my medical studies for good . I will see what specialties are offered and what waiting period there ’ s in order to find a job . But I will look for a job abroad , maybe England or Germany . England is the one I prefer most because I know the language .
Q : In Germany , however , those of our students who went to work as doctors are very pleased .
A : Yes , in Germany there are very good medical facilities and they need doctors . They consider Greek doctors to be good .
Q : What can stand in the way of making these dreams come true for your future ?
A : Initially , I want to finish my school because now that I have started working it is a little difficult to study at the same time and I know that next year I will not be able to do so . This makes me a little bit stressed , but in the worst case , taking my degree can take no more than six months . There are no more scholarships , I can ’ t get benefits because I am working and I am no longer eligible to financial benefits . It doesn ’ t matter that I ’ m a migrant but it ’ s financial issues and bureaucracy that get in the way . It is a great relief to have a Greek identity , many opportunities can appear as I am a European citizen now . As an Albanian non-member of the European Union , and now with the veto Macron has put to Albania ’ s membership I would have little chance of realizing my plans in Europe .
Q : But this is an internal dispute between France and Europe , I read today at Euronews . There were a lot of harsh statements made and so many sacrifices were made by the people , both Greeks and Albanians , that things should not have been done that way .
A : To be honest Albania is not ready to join the European Union . Q : Why , was Greece ready when she became a member ?
A : It was not , of course , I know all the financial data was fictitious but Albania is in a much worse situation . It supports its drug economy . I ’ ve been to my places and seen some five-storey apartment buildings . Where did the money come from and all that was done ?
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