Many people from China and Russia come to Greece and buy
property. The Greek people can no longer afford it.
It would definitely be easier to go to London because of the
language. But that's not what I wanted. I had a feeling. It was clear
to me that I would go to Berlin. There is always something going on,
like in Athens, it's multiculti, and I like that. The first thing I did was
contact a temporary employment agency in Berlin. They told me
which requirements I must fulfill. To work here as a physical
therapist, I had to learn the language. The understanding with the
patients is very important. Then I took a German course in Athens
for 2 years, and when I received my B2 certificate, I booked my
flight to Berlin. In the first week, I had to organize a lot here. I had to
go to LaGeSo (state office for health and social affairs) for my
professional license, register myself, and negotiate the contract with
the temporary employment agency. Then I went back to Athens until
I was contacted by the temporary employment agency that they
have a job for me. In November 2019, the time had come. It was
very cold, I had great fear and stress, doubts and insecurity. I
arrived alone, did not know the system and the people. There was
also a language barrier, even though I successfully completed my
B2 level. You only study for the exam; you don't practice any
conversations. A conversation with people in everyday life is
something completely different. I was very lonely and was not in my
comfort zone; I had to step out of it to meet new friends.
During that time, I talked to my mom on the phone daily and cried a
lot. My mom helped me very much. In one phone call, she advised
me: "Wait, you did everything for this, you learned the language,
you wanted to learn something new. Have patience! Tell yourself: I
will stay for 1 month and see how it goes. When the month is over,
tell yourself, okay, I will stay another 2 months. You have to set
small goals and not look at the big mountain. It seems too high. And
if it doesn't work, you still have your family, and you can come back
anytime." After I arrived, the biggest challenge was that I couldn't
get a job without registering, and without a job, I couldn't get a
registration. I couldn't afford an apartment without a job, and I
couldn't register myself in a shared apartment. I had no idea how
the bureaucracy here worked, and I did all the official procedures by
myself. German was mostly spoken ruthlessly. I was scared that I
wouldn't understand something important and that questions would
be rejected, as is so often the case.
Later, the stress with the recognition of my professional qualification
came. The temporary employment agency told me that I can work
until the recognition occurs, but for a low wage. After 1 year, I
received a rejection from LaGeSo. My diploma wasn't equivalent to
the training here. In Greece, physical therapy is a 4-year study, and
other colleagues from Greece received recognition for the same
degree. I, on the other hand, was asked to take further courses. I
found that arbitrary and bold.
I commissioned a Greek lawyer whose specialty is labor law and
the recognition of foreign diplomas and objected. The government
office asked for further documents from my university. I had to
organize them from Greece and have them translated. LaGeSo
charged another 500 Euros for the renewed inspection and
processing. The translation, the processing fee, and the expensive
lawyer were all additional costs that I took on myself.
Germany is urgently looking for skilled workers but makes it difficult
for people with good education. Despite all the hurdles, the chances
here are higher than in Greece. There it only works with money and
support. There's always a door that stays closed. That's why so
many young people leave the country. Migrants would not have a
chance in Greece. In my opinion, Greece is beautiful for a vacation,
but if you stay there, you decide that your dreams are going to die.
I still have soo many wishes because here I have the opportunity to
really achieve my new dreams and goals. You can create your
future here; it's not wishful thinking.
I received much appreciation here at work, both from the patients
and the staff. We are a great team. We like to do things together
after work, including training. I get the feeling that I am enough as I
am. This is very important in everyday life. I can see myself as part
of society. Also, the feeling that I am not alone because there are
many people from other countries that are confronted with the same
problems. We can help each other; I like that. After 3 and a half
years now, I can say that I feel very comfortable here.
I miss my friends and my family here as much as the sun and the
ocean. Sometimes I also miss the feeling that the people are
friendly, open, and helpful even though they have so many
problems and don't have money. I also miss the spontaneity with
meeting friends. You always have to make an appointment to meet
friends.
I am very happy to be here, and I feel safe. For example, I can walk
around here as a woman at night all by myself. In Greece, I was
always scared. Here, I am never or rarely afraid. This is an
important point for me.
Very typical here is that everything comes in the mail, lots of paper