My name is Artemis Myrta and I am 24 years old. I am from Fier in southwest Albania. I was in Albania when the civil war of ’97 started. My memories are really few but really not good. The only thing I remember very strongly is the fear that prevailed.
When the war finished, my family and I moved to Chios Island in Greece. It took a long time for us to adapt. I was very difficult for us in the beginning. The most difficult things, especially for my parents, were the language and communication. For my brother and me wasn’t so difficult because we went to school and everyday activities helped us to learn quickly.
My school years were good, but sometimes I encountered a kind of racism. When I finished school, I went to the University. My University was in another city in Greece, called Larissa, so I decided to move there. I studied in the Department of Medical Laboratories. I love reading, so, I finished the university on time. Even I had finished my studies, I stayed in Larissa for 2 more years and I started to work. I started to work because I wanted to help my parents and to be independent. I was difficult, in the beginning, because of the economical crisis in Greece the latest years to find a job.
I made many good friends in University and at work. After that, I found a job in Microbiological clinic in another place of Greece, called Kalamata. At the same time, my parents had moved a year before I move to Kalamata because my dad had a job there.
I believe that all people have the same rights. Το have lived in a country with war makes you more sensitive and strong at the same time. When I saw all these refugees that came to Greece last 2 years, I felt again the same feeling when I came here.