SJSU Refugee Report - Study Abroad Italy & Greece - Summer 2018

Staying Afloat: Three Countries to Freedom
June 22, Victoria Square, Athens

By Ria Aguirre, Paige Frierson, Dannah Magbanua and Jessica Ledesma

A young mother in Athens’ Victoria Square was eager to share her story. The encounter is a full-circle moment, as Victoria Square is the first place she went when she arrived in Athens as a refugee nearly three years ago.

Marzia Yosoufi is a 24-year-old woman from Afghanistan. She, like countless others, wished to leave the war zone her country has become.

Her journey spans across several countries. It begins in Iran where she lived for about a year. From there, Yosoufi—who was newly pregnant with her second son at the time— traveled with her husband, her toddler son plus her pregnant mother and father through Turkey. The group trekked for hours through mountains and valleys with the police at their heels, completely dependent upon a smuggler’s directions. Just as they advanced, the group was caught by Turkish police and returned to the Iranian border.

“My mother was pregnant, and it was very difficult. I was newly pregnant. My older son was very little at the time. He was out of energy from walking so much,” Yosoufi said. .

There was no option but to begin the course all over again. This time, they took an even more arduous route under the guidance of the smuggler. The family moved with added caution, being dropped off at random locations, strangers’ houses and waiting on word of the next move. The crossing through Turkey took over a month.

With freedom on the horizon, Yosoufi’s family reluctantly boarded a small inflatable boat about 12 meters long. It was expected to fit up to 80 people. They were loaded on with other refugees, none of whom knew how to operate the vessel. As they drifted into open water, the choppy waves became too much for the raft to handle. It tore and so the passengers sat half-submerged in the sea. After hours of aimless floating, a Greek boat rescued the passengers and brought them to the shores of Lesvos.

They stayed the night at a camp on the island before being registered and brought to a camp in Athens. After a year and a half, the family planned to head toward Macedonia, but was rejected: “We went to get tickets to get on the bus to head towards the Macedonian border but the person who was checking our documents said the border is closed to Afghans,” says Yosoufi.

Two and a half years later, the family is still in Athens. They continue with a new chapter of the same journey. Yosoufi and her family endure the unfit living conditions provided by the government. They live in a home with two other families, each family with just one room. Even so, Yosoufi attempts to look forward. She attends a three-hour English class every day.

Perhaps the most painful part of her journey is over, yet there’s more work to do. Yosoufi still doesn’t have legal documentation for Greece. She interviewed for her papers a year and a half ago but hasn’t heard from the government since.

Photo: At just 24 years old, Marzia Yosoufi has experienced enough hardship to last a lifetime. She and her family smuggled themselves through three countries with an unwavering will to escape Afghanistan’s conflict zone. After months of traveling, dealing with setbacks--and a pregnancy during the migration--she’s finally reached a safe place but her journey to freedom continues.

Women's Social Justice Street Art in Athens

Photo Essay by: Kathryn Truong, Geena Gonzalez and Kunal Mehta

Victoria Square - June 25, 3018
By Geena Gonzales

He feels safe here, and that is all that matters. There is no war going on, he is not being shot at, and he is not in prison – so he’s safe.

His original home is in Syria, where his family still lives. He was studying mathematics at a university, before he was arrested and thrown into prison.

After getting out, he made the decision to get away from the politics, the conflict, and the uncertainty. He had a life to live, and it was not going to happen in Syria.

He made it to the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesvos, which was not much of an improvement – in fact, it is a former prison. Eventually he was processed, got his refugee papers, and he was able to leave the overcrowded camp for Athens.

Today he spends his time in Victoria Square, passing time by talking with other refugees and playing soccer. He is still not living the ideal life – he has no job, no major income, and he cannot speak the local language – but he acts as if he is content.

He gets to play football with his friends on the street and was rooting for Brazil in the World Cup. And he has taken the time to climb the local mountains to see the views, snapping photos with a video camera.

But he seemingly has no attachment to his material possessions. We commented that his shoes looked nice, and before we could say anything else, he had taken them off his feet and offered them to us.

Unlike the most of the others we talked to in Italy, he’s a true refugee – forced to leave his country to save his life, rather than a migrant traveling for search of a better life. He has no plans to leave Greece, but he also has no dream destination like many migrants would. He just wants to be somewhere that is safe.

He would not even mind going back to Syria – if only to flaunt his official papers in the face of those who imprisoned him (he used much more explicit language to describe what he would actually do). But other countries that he believes are culpable in the Syrian conflict, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are on his blacklist of places to never visit.

He walks around with a backpack on his back, a soccer ball at his feet, and a smile on his face. He is safe.

* He asked that his name not be published.

Photo Caption: SJSU student Geena Gonzales received this green bracelet as a gift from the Syrian refugee after hearing his story. The bracelet was an offer of friendship. Although he did not have much, he still wanted Gonzales to have something to remember him by.

Our three weeks in Italy and Greece have come to an end, but students continue to post their stories. More to come!

This story is part of our travel series, where students post about interesting sites, sounds and tastes they come across while covering the refugee crisis in Italy and Greece.

Corleone’s Perfect Substitute

By Carlos Martinez

Hidden in the Sicilian mountains is the beautiful commune of Savoca in Messina, which is also known as the “citta d’arte,”or city of art.

The small commune has more than 1,700 inhabitants. But aside from the town center, Savoca feels deserted.

Savoca seems frozen in time, trapped in the early-mid 20th century.

Despite its reclusiveness, millions of movie fans were vicariously transported to this Sicilian town in 1972 by The Godfather, a premier American crime film.

Bar Vitelli was where Michael Corleone and his partners fantasized over Apollonia, whom they had just met in the previous scene.

Michael and Apollonia later get married and had the ceremony at the church of Santa Lucia in Savoca.

That authentic old-school feel that made it a perfect location to be used in the film The Godfather is present to this day.

“Savoca was more exotic,” said Catania native Simone Biglieri. “Corleone was too developed it wasn’t suitable to show as an old-school Sicily.”

Biglieri, 43, runs a chauffeur/tour guide service and has witnessed the impact The Godfather trilogy has had on Sicily.

“It spread the notion that Sicily equals mafia,” Biglieri said.

The Godfather merchandise is widely on display in most Sicilian town. T-shirts, mugs and any other souvenir relating to the film are omnipresent in touristic areas.

According to Biglieri, Sicilians have mixed reviews and feelings towards the iconic films.

For those that have had unpleasant run-ins with the mafia, the films are a reminder of the power that these crime syndicates have..
“It is embarrassing for some,” Biglieri said. “To them the films glorify and praise that lifestyle.”

While others like Biglieri who fortunately have avoided such encounters, feel free to enjoy the film like the rest of the world.

Forty-six years after its release The Godfather’s importance and influence remains a steady presence as new generations of movie lovers continue to be in awe of the film.

For this reason Savoca has and will continue to have a steady stream of tourist eager to take pictures of the two famous locales.

Bar Vitelli makes the most of its cinematic past by filling its walls with photographs of the actors and having a wide variety of merchandise near the pay counter.

Saint Lucia’s church has also maximized on its fame by charging one euro as an entry fee.

The money generated from tourism and crowdfunding efforts are used for the project “save the soul of Savoca”.

This project is aimed at restoring other churches and buildings that have been worn out due to lack of maintenance.

This story is part of our travel series, where students post about interesting sites, sounds and tastes they come across while covering the refugee crisis in Italy and Greece.

Sicilian Pistachios

By Kunal Mehta, Geena Gonzales and Kathryn Truong

Pizza, pasta, paninis, gelato, cookies and cake. All of these dishes have one thing in common- Sicilians love to put pistachios in them.

The pistachio has become a staple in Sicilian cuisine and can be found in shops across the island, as well as in almost every dish on the menu.

Pistachios can add more flavor and texture to gelato, basil pestos, liquors and creamy spreads.

Not only are pistachios a tasty treat for many Italians, but they are also one of the most important economic resources of the Bronte village on Mount Etna.

The east Sicilian village is responsible for harvesting about 80 percent of the region’s pistachio production. These nuts are also known as the “Bronte pistachios.”

In Bronte, eating and planting pistachios is also village tradition. Everyone helps out, and the practice is passed down generations of families.

Harvesting of the pistachio tree takes place every two years during late August and through September. It is a long and tedious practice, but the villagers of Bronte still hand prune every pistachio.

During the in-between years when harvesting does not take place, farmers diligently maintain and protect the pistachio trees. These trees do not get irrigated which results in a more intense and flavorful pistachio.

Bronte pistachios account for less than one percent of worldwide production, which makes them expensive at times. Some customers consider the cost of pistachios to be similar to that of fine jewelry.

The first pistachio is believed to have been introduced to Sicilian agriculture back in ancient times by Arab rulers. With the combination of the Middle Eastern plants and the fertile, volcanic lava soil on Mount Etna, the Bronte pistachios flourished and have continued to grow there for centuries.

Other locations where pistachios are grown, like Iran, Turkey, Asia, India and California, do not have the same type of soil that Mount Etna produces. This is why many people attribute the nut’s flavorfulness and uniqueness to the volcanic lava soil it is grown in.

The Bronte pistachio remains unparalleled with its natural flavor, aroma, and bright green color. The nut has a tasty balance of sweet and salty that can make any dish unique.

Meet Joseph

By Kunal Mehta, Geena Gonzales and Kathryn Truong

We met Joseph, a 17-year-old refugee from Sierra Leone.

By his own account, Joseph was a slave. He “worked” for a man who did not pay him. He was just given food and occasionally clothing but only when an article of clothing broke or tore was he given a replacement. He did all the work but reaped none of the benefits.

Joseph ran away, traveled 150 kilometers on foot, and then worked odd jobs to get rides to cover the rest of the distance. He said that while crossing the African desert, some of his friends were bitten by animals and died. He now resides in a center in Italy with other unaccompanied minor male refugees,trying to live a typical teenage life.

He unsuccessfully tried out for the nearby club soccer team but was happy for his three friends who made it. Since they are not adults yet, the boys are required to go to school and a house-mother who runs the center cares for them.

Joseph’s English is better than his Italian these days. He listens to American music and likes Selena Gomez, but he doesn’t care much for Taylor Swift.

Just when you think he might be a normal teenager, you notice the pain in his voice. Joseph looked at us if we were crazy when we asked him if he ever skipped school. He quickly said he was not going to waste any opportunity given to him, especially school.

Since he will be an adult soon, Joseph told us he wanted to be a painter. At first we thought he wanted to follow in the footsteps of famous Italian painters like Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo, but he meant something else entirely.

Joseph wants to paint buildings, like a general contractor might. He started to explain to us the different types of stucco and how he would paint them.

We asked if Joseph had any higher aspirations or a dream job, to which he had a simple response,“I will take any job that I can get.”

He credits God with keeping an eye out for him and is a devout Christian. He attends church every Sunday and even joked that it is just him and “old people.”

But Joseph said that he knows he cannot expect God to provide everything for him – he needs to continue to work hard and take advantage of what’s given to him. He has his official refugee papers, which should make it easier for him to stay in the country and get a job.

Despite all the help and support he has received in Italy, for which he said he is extremely grateful, he wants to eventually go somewhere else. You see, when we first introduced ourselves and told him we were from California, his face lit up, and he immediately exclaimed, “America! The best country on Earth!”

Inside the migrant youth home, residents color in the countries that they used to call home before arriving in Italy.