Intent of this Blog - June 1, 2016

I am writing this blog to serve as tool for anyone who needs to disseminate correct and politically impartial information on the refugee crisis in Europe as it unfolds in the summer and fall of 2016.  Of course this migrant stream did not start in 2015,  it has been ongoing for many years and I will discuss the historic background to the present migration events as time permits as well.

This blog can be used, really is meant as a teaching tool. I am writing it to accompany a geostory map which I will construct in the fall of 2016 and beyond. This map will trace some of the steps that refugees used in an interactive manner (text, photos, videos) as the stories were related to me.

I also am looking at the impact that these refugees have (or have had) on the people and areas where they stayed. Rescuers, aides, locals all have been impacted as, of course, the migrants and asylum-seekers themselves. To get to such information I often reverted to informal interviews or discussions in an attempt to get to honest opinions of individuals of all ages and of various countries in Europe.

I am starting my story on Samos, Greece, the island that is closest to Turkey.

View from Kokkari Port on the island of Samos, GR, onto the Turkish mainland mountains

In a different life I was lucky enough to have spent maybe a total of 8-9 weeks on the island during two occasions, once in 1981 and once  in 1983. My friends Chuck and Ruth were the drivers of these longish visits as they happen to live on the island for half a year with the other half year in Nuernberg, Germany, where we were teaching colleagues. Well, Chuck and Ruth still live on the island and their presence has helped me tremendously since--as it turns out--Ruth is quite active in refugee aid.

Ruth's Storefront

I started working on this project the day after I set foot on the island and learned one thing rather quickly: keep emotional distance or you'll lose your sleep.

From Samos I will direct my attention to  Erkrath (close to the Neanderthal), Germany, and maybe also Heidelberg, Germany, where I will volunteer teaching German (or English, if needed) and/or German culture etc. for two months.

Regards,

Barbara Crain
Geographer and Environmental Scientist
Northern Virginia Community College
Loudoun Campus

1. Samos, GR 1.1 Physical Geography / Geology of Samos, Greece -- June 6, 2016

The island of Samos is one of a series of easternmost islands of Greece, located in the eastern portion of the Aegean Sea close to the Turkish mainland (see map below). For this reason these islands serve as major draw for migrants coming from the Turkish mainland. As explained before, I will concentrate on Samos only. Looking at physiogeographic factors I will first explore why most refugees appear at certain spots on Samos island which does NOT coincide with the narrowest route between Samos and Turkey.

Greece and Turkey with the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea (source: Google Earth)

A close-up of the Google Earth image shows the close proximity of the island to Turkish Anatolia, the mainland. The bay formed by Samos and the Turkish mainland is commonly referred to as the Gulf of Kusadasi after the name of the Turkish city.

The island of Samos and the location of Kokkari (source: Google Earth)

The straight between Samos and Turkey, the Samos or Mycale Straight, is, according to several sources, about 1.65 km wide at its narrowest point. This close proximity has its explanation  in the fact that Samos disconnected from Anatolia due to earthquake activity. The latter is a consequence of major local plate movements and collisions as shown in the map below.

From: Long-term evolution of the North Anatolian Fault: new constraints from its eastern termination. 
Retrieved from sp.lyellcollection.org

The Aegean arc or Hellenic Arc is a complex tectonic feature of the Mediterranean Sea which is caused by the African Plate subducting (ASZ on the map) underneath the Aegean Sea Plate. Frequent earthquake and volcanic activity are the consequence.

This map found on Wikipedia illustrates where volcanism and earthquakes can be expected in the Aegean Sea; note that Samos is located north of the active volcanic arc which also includes the famous Santorini island.

By Mikenorton (2010). Tectonic map of the Hellenic arc taken from various sources,
 especially Chamot-Rooke et al. 2005 based on a screenshot from NASA WorldWind software

The area around Samos has seen about nine earthquakes greater than 6 on the Richter scale in the last two hundred years; the last major one occurred in 1904. The map below shows the fault line

extending from Anatolia to the island.

ÖMER FEYZI GÜRER, ERCAN SANGU and MUZAFFER ÖZBURAN (2006). 
Neotectonics of the SW Marmara region. Geological Magazine, Vol. 143, issue 02, 03 2006, pp. 229-241.

The island Samos itself has been classified as a tilted horst (see graph to the left) with its highest elevation in the NW corner and a 1,000 m deep basin (on the graph indicate as 'graben') located on the northwestern side;  a fault runs between the mountainous NW coast and the basin. Stiros et al. interpret the uplifted shorelines found on the island as correlating with Holocene (starting at about 11,700 years ago) earthquake activity; this is further cemented by findings of certain fossils as well as radiocarbon analyses on elevated shore and platform sites indicating a rapid drop in sea level



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Sources:
Stiros, S.C., Laborelb, J., Labrel-Deguenb, F, Papageorgiouc, S., Evind J and Pirazzolie, P.a. (2000). Seismic coastal uplift in a region of subsidence: Holocene raised shorelines of Samos Island, Aegean Sea, Greece. Marine Geology, 170, pp. 41-58.

(2007) Geomorphology and Holocene Uplift of Northwestern Samos. Journal of the Virtual Explorer. Retrieved from http://www.virtualexplorer.com.au/article/2007/180/excursions-on-samos/geomorphology.html

1. Samos, GR 1.2 Physical Geography / Water Circulation and Wind Patterns of the Area -- June 8, 2016

Looking at the map below  the small distance that separates the island of Samos from Turkey, a mere 1.65 km at its closest distance (less than one mile), becomes quite obvious! Thus, the casual onlooker would assume that this is the route that most refugees will take with their boats. To be sure, some refugees have taken the route successfully but anyone who has sailed the area will caution against doing so. It so happens that most refugees appeared at the coasts where the red X's are located. This post is to explain why this is so.

First of all, the green patch on the Turkish side close to Samos is a nature preserve and probably guarded. Of course, this wouldn't deter determined refugees and their smugglers but it would make the job somewhat harder because smuggling people over borders is also illegal in Turkey.

Most important for movement on water with small motors or, worse, non-functioning motors, are the prevailing winds and sea currents.

Sea currents in the Aegean sea are quite complex, a consequence of its highly irregular coastline, complex archepelago and a bottom topography that shows alternating shelves and sills as well as three major semi-isolated deep basins. Like other marginal seas (e.g. the Caribbean)  it combines wind-driven and thermohaline-driven flows as well as eddies. The complicated topography is probably best seen on the following map:

This map shows the bottom topography of the area--deep basins prevail to the west and generally shallower platform topography is located in the eastern portion of the Aegean Sea.  The red arrows show the general circulation.

Source: DONALD B. OLSON, VASSILIKI H. KOURAFALOU, WILLIAM E. JOHNS, GEOFF SAMUELS, AND MILENA VENEZIANI (2006). Aegean Surface Circulation from a Satellite-Tracked Drifter Array. JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY, Vol. 37. pp. 1898-1917. Retrieved at http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/JPO3028.1 .

The Aegean Sea is subdivided into various seas; of interest for our purposes is the Ikario Sea which is located between the islands of Chios in the north and Kos in the south.

The surface circulation is influenced mainly by the annual summer winds and the low surge of salinity arriving from the Black Sea via the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles Strait in the north -see map above for location of the Dardanelles Strait and below for surface flow. Here, the incoming waters hold less salinity than those of the Mediterranean Sea so that the cooler water is on top while warmer but saltier and thus denser water from the Mediterranean Sea enters the Dardanelles underneath this layer. 

Surface currents of the Mediterranean Sea in June

The currents map above clearly shows the cooler water coming from the Dardanelles and the warmer, highly saline water entering the Aegean Sea from the southeast, from Asia Minor. The usually stagnant, deep basins of the Aegean Sea hold highly dense waters which could exchange water through density currents under the right conditions. Overall, the Aegean Sea can be compared to an estuarine basin due to the Dardanelles outflow and the significant annual changes in the thermohaline circulation, even reversals (winter vs summer), of dense water formation.

Major seasonal winds Affecting the Mediterranean Sea
Retrieved from: http://www.mediterranean-yachting.com/winds.htm

Much of the general current circulation is wind-dependent so a short excursion into the winds influencing the Mediterranean Sea is warranted. The winds prevalent in the eastern Aegean Sea is the Meltemi, a Turkish name that has replaced the Greek term Etesian.  Regardless of its name, the wind has its source in the prevalent high (H) and low pressure (T) zones over the Greek and Turkish mainlands, respectively.  

Source: http://www.esys.org/wetter/meltemi.html

The Meltemi usually occurs in the summer months on an irregular basis and is controlled by the SouthAsian monsoon and a local diurnal cycle. The Balkan High (H) is triggered by disturbances from  the Atlantic Ocean inducing strong northerly flow on its way to the Low (T). The Turkish Low comes into existence due to sensible heat accumulating on the Anatolian Plateau which heats up further as the day advances, in turn strengthening the resultant Meltemi winds. At night the Low lessens because of the cooling effect and so do the Meltemi winds. 

Wind chart from 17 Juli 2012 showing the strength of the Meltemi in the Aegean Sea.
Note that the area north of Samos is relatively calm at F5.

Bottom topography of the Ikarian Sea north of Samos

Conclusion:
Currents: Taking all these pieces of information together, one can come to the following conclusion: there is a deep basin  (the geologic graben) west of Samos and north of Ikaria which will most likely cause the water current to alter its usual northward course.  Since the water column is different from the surrounding ones, e.g. denser at the bottom of the basin, eddies are created. North of the western half of the island water reaches to depths up to 1,000 m, decreasing towards the east on the shelf. Usually, the current will flow from the south towards the north but the islands' landmass perpendicular to the wave action will direct the flow through the available channels causing jet-like surges. This is why crossing from the closest point in Turkey to Samos is not advisable; sailboats have often failed in rounding the island here.
Winds: Generally, the prevailing winds on Samos come from the N or NW with strengths of between 2-3 on the Beaufort scale, Meltemi events have greater strengths. Thus the current will be directed  towards the south. I have included a chart to the right which reports today's (June 8, 2016) wind and wave direction. At this point we are experiencing a rather strong Meltemi event and today marks the 3rd day of relatively cool temperatures and high waves during the day. If one compares the wind directions which, for the most part point to the south and the wave direction, one can see some correlations but also some discrepancies.

Wind and wave direction courtesy of windfinder.com.

Below two photos taken to document the Meltemi wind at a high Beaufort strenth (6 and stronger) and a local domesticated animal enjoying the empty table top.

Samos Airport: Windfinder.
https://www.windfinder.com/
windstatistics/samos

Meltemi events are often followed by Sirocco events which are strong dust-bearing winds blowing from the south, the Sahara area. Apart from the fact that people feel sluggish with this very hot wind, lots of dust and small silt particles are deposited everywhere, best visible on dark cars (see photo below). All in all, southern winds are less frequent (see graph) but not uncommon. These winds will cause rather high waves and may also reverse the currents in the Golf of Kusadasi.

Sahara dust after Sirocco and rains

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Sources: 

Ingemi, D (2012). Con ''ingresso dell'anticiclone oceanico si scatenano i venti "Etesii" tra la Grecia e l'Egeo, previste raffiche fina a 60 km/h. Retrieved from: http://www.meteoweb.eu/2012/07/con-lingress-dellanticilone-oceanico-si-scatenano-i-venti-etesii-tra-la-grecia-e-legeo-previste-raffiche-fino-a-60-kmh/144237/#XPzVf2dkfh2otzLf.99

DONALD B. OLSON, VASSILIKI H. KOURAFALOU, WILLIAM E. JOHNS, GEOFF SAMUELS, AND MILENA VENEZIANI (2006). Aegean Surface Circulation from a Satellite-Tracked Drifter Array. JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY, Vol. 37. pp. 1898-1917. Retrieved at http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/JPO3028.1

Valiakos, Ilias (2007). Oceanography of the Aegean. Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor. Retrieved from http://www.ehw.gr/l.aspx?id=10540

Vassilopoulos A., Evelpidou N., Tziritis E., Boglis A. (2006-2008). ManWater: Management of Water Resources and Wetland Protection in Tourism Developing Areas. Wetlands—the Example of Samos Island. INTERREG III – Strand B – ARCHIMED. University of Athens. Available at http://new.ims.forth.gr/water/sites/new.ims.forth.gr.water/files/papers/2008B.pdf

V. ZERVAKIS, D. GEORGOPOULOS, A. P. KARAGEORGISa and A. THEOCHARIS (2004). On the response of the Aegean Sea to climatic variability: a review. Int. J. Climatol. 24: 1845–1858 (2004). Published online Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/joc.1108

1. Samos, GR -- 1.3 Refugees on Samos May/June 2016 -- 1.3.1 MSF - Medecins Sans Frontieres

Interview with Julien - Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) - May 31, 2016

Ruth, a long-time resident of Samos, Greece, drove us from Kokkari to the capital Vathy (or Samos) to talk with Julien, the local leader of 'Medecins Sans Frontieres' (English: 'doctors without borders'). He proved a great resource not only on refugee issues but also on the constraints under which MSF operates. 

Julien

As an organization, MSF provides free medical / humanitarian aid to people who would otherwise not receive such help. Their employees are paid a small salary plus living stipend which is derived from donations;  often they also hire local talent which helps a little with the unemployment problem that Greece has.

MSF has been active on Samos since October 2015. According to UNHCR about 90,000 refugees landed on the island in 2015 (roughly triple the actual population of the island which amounts to 35,000), sometimes more than 1,000 per day, usually coming from the Turkish mainland south of Izmir. They stayed on the island only a short time, counted in days rather than weeks before their onward journey to Athens and to the borders of other countries in the EU. 

This changed on March 21 when the EU decided that Turkey should take in all those immigrants that couldn't get through the borders of fortress Europe. Greece has a huge coastal border --it measures 13,676 km (8,498 mi)(source: Wikipedia) --which is all but impossible to protect from incoming refugees. 

Because of the rough and cold seas in March and of course of the new EU law, the refugee stream dropped dramatically but didn't stop. It increased with the better weather conditions. So, for example this week (the week of May 31, 2016) there were 7 people from Iran, the day before 47 from all over Asia Minor but a lot from Pakistan, and the day before 20 people. 

According to Julien, initially, i.e. last year, there were 47 people on the MSF team consisting of doctors, nurses, social workers and translators for the most important languages of Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu. Since fewer refugees came, the MSF team decreased to its present size of 20 people. 

Refugees in Detention Centers
Ever since the new EU law took effect, the refugees are housed in the existing detention center behind bars, a so-called HOT SPOT. All the Greek islands  that take in refugees primarily from Turkey have now such hot spots. In these centers  refugees are supposed to wait for their registration papers, their asylum papers. After 25 days they are allowed to leave the camp. The number of 25 days appears to be arbitrary, nobody really knows why this particular number has been picked by the authorities.  Definitely the papers demonstrating asylum status won't be ready by then. 

The detention center has been conceived for about 280 people, Julien estimates that about 950 - 1,000 people are living there and the number is increasing. Even though the Greek authorities are supposed to send refugees back to Turkey, this is clearly not happening as the swelling numbers in the detention center seem to indicate. 

The detention above Samos city

Ruth and I decided to visit the detention center to see what there was to see. As one can see on the photo below the center is fenced-in and most people seem to be inside the center. Miraculously, some kids had slipped through the hole in the fence (everyone seems to know about the hole!) and were playing outside and Ruth's dog created quite some excitement.

Ruth with her dog causing some excitement

The portion of the detention center that is visible there is the older area consisting of real houses; to the left of the gate on the photo we could see a lot of tents. I took some good close-up photos of the detention center but unfortunately the guards on duty ordered me to delete them all. These are the only ones I kept. They also called the police who then escorted us down the mountain to the police station. Because of the dog we waited outside the police station while they checked our papers; then we were free to go.

MSF and the Idea of Detention Centers One wonders how legal such detention is; MSF sees it as a violation against human rights. To this effect MSF has crafted an open letter to Europe which pleads for Europeans to not turn their backs to the crisis and to not return the refugees to the country of last transit (Turkey). 

MSF suspended all activities INSIDE the detention centers because the conditions no longer existed in which to deliver politically impartial and independent humanitarian aid. For a (worthwhile) discussion on what MSF stands for and what the French organization considers politically impartial, independent humanitarian aid read this article from the Smithsonian Magazine from April 2013.
MSF stayed on Samos and they operate under clearly defined conditions. Thus, additional space for about 250 people has been made available in empty hotels for people with medical problems.

The conditions in the detention center are bad as can be imagined when more than three times as many people live together than originally planned. There is an acute lack of fresh water and for the longest time there were only 11 sinks to wash clothes in according to long-time volunteers inside the camp. This sink situation has changed to the better, however, but fresh water problem remains a concern.

Most refugees are healthy upon arrival; they generally need to be treated against Hypothermia, later also against scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency which was prevalent during WWII (disease symptoms are bleeding gums and bruising due to week blood vessels). For a discussion on scurvy occurrence in the developed world, read this article from the Netherlands. According to UNHCR,  outbreaks of scurvy have increased in frequency during the last decade among refugees in camps that are dependent on food aid. 

Infectious diseases are, of course, a concern when so many people live so closely together but at least in the Samos Hot Spot such diseases have not broken out yet. Julien emphasized several times the great need for mental health care which MsF is not able to meet. Particularly people from war-torn countries experienced unimaginable traumas which culminated in the journey across the Mediterranean Sea and ended with the prospect of NO HOPE. These are the most vulnerable people who would also get no help at all if sent back to a Turkish camp.

So, it should not come as a surprise that after the initial relief to be among the survivors on Greek and thus EU soil, camp residents get impatient wondering when and what the next step will be. Or whether there will be a next step. 

According to Julien some agressive overtures occurred in the detention center with the result that some 30 trouble-makerswere taken by the Greek police to Turkey in the first week of June 2016. In that same week a fire broke out not only in the Samos detention center but also in those of the other islands close to Turkey, Lesbos and Chios (see map).  One wonders whether these fires were part of a plan executed by some refugees-- an assumption on the part of observers since most of them seem to have a smartphone or a tablet.

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Sources: 

Gugliotta, G (2013). The Big Dilemma Facing Doctors Without Borders. Smithsonian Magazin, April 2013. Retrieved on 6/4/ from  http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-big-dilemma-facing-doctors-without-borders-4946758/#QRKBpiGSoYSPg0BQ.99

Rian A.A. Wijkmans, Koen Talsma (1/2016). Modern Scurvy. J Surg Case Rep. 2016 Jan; 2016(1): rjv168. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4707387/

WHO/NHD 99.11  Scurvy and its prevention and control in major emergencies. Retrieved on 6/3/2016 at http://www.unhcr.org/4cbef0599.pdf 

1. Samos, GR -- 1.3 Refugees on Samos May/June 2016 -- 1.3.2 Other Volunteer Organisations

There are several volunteer groups active on Samos and each of the groups (most of them NGOs) have their own tasks; they work independently of each other but cooperation occurs. UNCHR--the UN refugee agency--MSF, Friendly Humans, Samos Volunteers and others.

'Samos Volunteers' representtives

Ruth and I interviewed representatives of a volunteer group of the name 'Samos Volunteers', Bachanard from Romania and his female counterpart from Spain (see photo).

Active volunteers of 'Samos Volunteers', August 2016
Source: Samos Volunteers Facebook profile photo

The group is neither an NGO nor dependent on any government but a collective of independent volunteers. They rely on direct donations and keep material donations in a warehouse. Bachanard's stay here on Samos is sponsored by an NGO in the UK, other volunteers pay on their own. 'Samos Volunteers' started in October 2015 before any of the NGO's appeared and operate in the closed camp with the full support of local authorities. The group has a presence on Facebook which helps them recruit volunteers, physical donations, and monetary donations. Volunteers pay their own way while on the island.

They say that many major international aid organisations have withdrawn their activities in political protest against the detention center policy leaving them as one of the only groups covering the practical needs of the refugees. They regularly distribute non-food items such as clothes, hygiene products, tents, sleeping bags and blankets but also crutches and strollers.

Inside the warehouse--boxes waiting for unpacking

An American volunteer gets order into chaos

Hygiene bags sorted by gender and age

Physical donations are collected in a warehouse which happens to be located a km or so above the detention center. Here, short-term volunteers generally sort items from boxes into bags.

Recently the group has set up activities in the camp to counter the incredible boredom that comes with inactivity and daily waiting for everything. They started with language and recreational classes (music, math) for children and adults which are taught by volunteer teachers from the refugee community. Other activities followed in July and August; for example the Scottish company Cricket Scotland donated cricket gear which helped primarily Pakistani refugees get engaged. Other recent activities include kite flying, paint projects on walls, as well as swimming lessons for children in a local pool (source: Samos Volunteers Facebook). In all these activities the volunteers act as organizers looking for suitable space, setting up schedules and providing needed resources whereas refugees provide the content.

Together with a partner volunteer group Friendly Humans they also run an evening cafe inside the camp where tea and coffee are served and games are played. This is to provide a much needed social space within the military-run detention camp; a humanizing effort.

Voluntourism
Samos Volunteers recruits volunteers who spend their vacation time on the island as volunteers. People come for one to four or five weeks on their own dime, often also bring physical donations as well and then leave again. According to the Guardian (11/14/2010) this is dubbed 'voluntourism', one of the fastest-growing sectors of tourism. According to the article and also some locals that I talked to such voluntourism is not without its problems even though it should help somewhat in alleviating the economic pressure felt by the overall decreased tourism activity. According to a rather insightful opinion piece by Chalalet and Jones greater general awareness through critical reflection on individual prejudices and preferences as well as deeper engagement with the refugees themselves would be helpful.

Samos Volunteers differentiates in its job allocations between shorter-term (up to three weeks) and long-term volunteers; the former generally do not get access to the refugees which in view of the above-said is a wise decision. Long-term volunteers get to distribute needed items within the camp and can thus interact with the refugees directly.

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Sources:

Birrel, I. (11/14/2010). Before you pay to volunteer abroad, think of the harm you might do. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/nov/14/orphans-cambodia-aids-holidays-madonna

Chalalet, S.A., Jones, C. (7/26/2016). Volunteers and Refugees on Samos. https://samoschronicles.wordpress.com/

Samos Volunteers (August 2016). Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/samosvolunteers/

1. Samos, GR 1.4 The Voices of Refugees - Their Stories

Baraa Telling her Story

The story of 21-year old Baraa

Baraa is a married woman and her story starts with her wedding. She showed us pictures of herself in her white wedding gown (a real Syrian Bride), and other professionally done photos of her wedding- a wedding that lacked a groom. The groom was in Germany, unable to join her because of his refugee status. Theirs was an arranged marriage, of sorts. His mom showed his photo to her mom who, in turn, showed it to Baraa wondering whether she'd be interested. She wasn't. But he liked her photo so he contacted her via social media just wanting to talk. She finally agreed to talk to him on a daily basis for one month. At the end of these four weeks he asked her whether she'd want to marry him now. She declined and so their relationship ended. However, she started to miss him badly, and a week later she contacted him and thus wedding plans unfolded.

Copyright © 1998-2016 :: nationsonline.org
Source of map elements: UN cartographic sections
Arrows entered by Barbara Crain

Because the wait time takes two years for family to be united coupled with the deteriorating, scary circumstances in Damascus, Syria, she decided to join her husband in Germany and started her journey in  February 2016.  Alone!  Within Syria she traveled in an organized group from Damascus to Aleppo via Hims and Hamah.  In every city she stayed in a safe house. The last part of the journey they walked across the mountains for 12 hours to cross into Turkey. Once there, the organized group unraveled and it became quite dangerous and difficult for a pretty woman to safely navigate through this underground system.  In Turkey she started out in Antakya, the Turkish city nearest Syria's western border.  From there she traveled to Izmir where she lived in a hotel alone for four weeks. She spent another month in Istanbul-also in a hotel-and then traveled to Izmir where she spent  two more weeks. She had contact to a smuggler who organized trips across the sea to Greece. 

In effect she tried six times to cross the sea but it was very difficult to avoid Turkish authorities. The smugglers would collect people in a house, drive them in a van for roughly two hours, and then herded them on a long and difficult walk in the dark to a clandestine beach. At the beach they had to be very, very quiet while they waited for the boat--it didn't always come.

The smugglers would only collect the money once a boat was provided. Baraa set out twice by boat to Greece, thus she had to pay twice, in her case $500 two times. The smuggler would provide the raft-like boat and determine someone to be the captain at the motor because the smuggler would remain behind. They would all walk in the water up to their knees, get onto the boat, sit in sardine-like fashion and be as quiet as they could possibly be. The smuggler would point towards Greece and then the journey would begin, usually at 3 or 4 am.

The first boat that carried Baraa and others was intercepted by the Turkish coast guard; they all were taken back to Izmir and were made to stay at the police station for two days.  The second time she and others set out for Greece they ran out of gas. Baraa ended up calling her husband in Berlin, Germany, from the boat and he managed to have a helicopter look for them on the water. Once they were spotted, a Greek coastguard boat came and rescued them. Altogether, they spent 9 cold hours on the boat, wearing wet clothes, in mid-April 2016.

She did have her first meeting with her husband on Samos island. He came to the detention center and she was allowed to spend a week, their honeymoon week, in a hotel. Before that she shared a tent with another woman in the detention center; they all had to sleep on the floor, the blankets they were given didn't keep out the cold, and the food lines were long. One day a fight broke out between people of different nationalities and rocks were thrown; one such rock hit her tent and injured her leg. Thus Baraa's husband decided that she should go to a hotel with another woman; this would be Zaina.

The story of 19-year old Zaina and her family

Zaina grew up around the city of Hamah in a family of four--parents, a 2-year older brother and herself. The family has, in effect, double refugee status sinze Zaina's grandfather came to Syria from Palestinian camp to marry his Syrian bride.

The major reason they decided to leave Syria were the ongoing fights between the military and the rebels in her town, many people lost their houses. it wasn't safe anywhere anymore, not even at home. Thus the family decided to leave for Dubai, UAE, in 2014, to stay with an aunt. Here, Zaina finished high school and her brother worked and studied.

Source: Google maps

In March 2016, they were told abruptly to leave Dubai; they were given a week. Since going back to Syria was not an option they applied for visas in Turkey which all of them except Zaina's mother received in time. So they flew to Istanbul having to leave their mother behind. All in all, they spent six weeks in Istanbul and another week in Izmir.

They tried to get onto a boat for Greece four times. Each time they were led through watery and sandy areas for hours in the dark, this was followed usually by standing in the water, trying to not make a sound. All the time they had their bags on their backs. The last time they went, they reached a place to sit and their guide left them there. Then they waited from 3 or 4 am till 7 am in the cold. Finally one of them made a fire to keep the children warm. 

But then the boat came so they walked into the water towards the boats. They were on the sea for three hours till an EU boat spotted them. Zaina explained that they had previously spotted another refugee boat  which had run out of gas so they sent the EU boat to rescue them. Zaina and her family's boat was then intercepted by Greek patrol who were rather rough with them--it was freezing on that boat also, no blankets. But on shore, volunteers brought water and biscuits for the children.

The family applied for asylum and had already an interview. They spent 15 days in jail-like conditions when they couldn't leave the detention center. But then one refugee made a hole in the fence and they could go downtown and eat different food. Zaina ended up moving with Baraa to a room in Kokkari while her father and brother stayed in the camp where they shared a room in one of the newer containers. They reported living there was all right.

Zaina speaks good English and thus was able to serve as translator for Baraa. I also met their father and brother who frequently visit her; Kokkari is about 7 km away from the dentention center in Vathy.


----- UPDATE ------

Cafe signage
The owners are as nice as this sounds.

Three months later, in mid-September 2016, I met both young women at the same spot where I initially interviewed them in June. The spot is a cafe the owners of which have taken the women under their wings. Thus I am also making sure to frequent this particular cafe as often as possible. Business is slow, very slow on Samos this year. 

Both women learn German from Ruth; they meet twice a week and have been doing so for the last three months usually meeting in the cafe at the seaside. Baraa is learning German in preparation for her 'family reunion' with her husband in Berlin; Zaina is learning the language because she thinks it is an important language to know and maybe she'll be able to use it one day. And in any event, she thinks, it is a good idea to keep one's mind busy. 

In order to not have a negative impact on the cafe's business the trio moved to another establishment that closed down early. Here, the owners left them a table complete with a nice table cloth.

Nothing has changed as to the status of the young ladies.