Crossing Europe’s doorstep
Migration; always an act of pursuing a better future than the one offered to you, and most often an evil necessity when leaving your war-torn homeland for another country, so as to search for a life in peace. Choosing to live under your own beliefs or love somebody that others may not approve, can also generate a need of leaving “home”. For whatever the reason, the only certainty is that exile, leaving home, will mark your life forever.
From the beginning of our history on this planet, migratory waves have shaped our world into what we know today. At the moment, we are experiencing the largest migratory wave in Europe after World War II. Over one million refugees and migrants coming from war-torn and poor countries arrived in Europe in 2015. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), from the total of 1,005,504 arrivals in six European Union countries (Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Malta and Cyprus) by the 21st of December,, the vast majority (816 752) arrived in Greece by sea However, 3,695 people have drowned in the Aegean Sea in their attempt to reach Europe.
For those who made it to the shore, the quest for a better future doesn’t stop here. They have to travel to Athens with a ferry and continue their journey with a bus to Idomeni village, in the northern part of Greece, in order to reach and cross the Greek-Macedonian border. Other countries will follow, with the final destination being central Europe and countries like Germany, Sweden and the U.K. With the “migration route” becoming more and more hard to follow due to the closed borders, the question remains… Will they find the future they are looking for?
