VOICES From Migrations | Doreida Burda's story

“VOICES From Migrations” is a project co-funded by the European Union exploring untold migration. Doreida Burda is from Albania, and she moved to Greece in 2005. This is her history:

Doreida Burda | VOICES From Migrations

“I came to Greece twenty years ago, full of hope and excitement. I left Albania with a group of friends to study at Perrotis College in Thessaloniki. It was a big step, my first time living abroad. At Perrotis, life felt safe: the campus was full of students from all over the world, and I never felt different there. But when I left college after five years, reality hit me hard. 

Outside that protective environment, people saw me differently. When I went to job interviews, and they asked where I was from, I could feel a shift in their tone. A simple ‘Oh, yes…’ was enough to tell me I might not be accepted. 

My dream was to work in marketing, but during my first month, I couldn’t find any opportunities. Out of necessity, I took a job washing dishes. I stayed there for seven months before I got pregnant and had to stop working. 

Since then, I have never been able to return to formal employment. Instead, I’ve been trying to create something for myself. I started a small business from home: I made homemade candles while continuing to hope for a job connected to my studies.

Life as a migrant has been complicated. My children were born here, but for the first twelve years of their lives, they weren’t recognised as Greek citizens. It was painful to see them grow up in the only home they’ve ever known and still be treated as outsiders. 

Over time, I found a sense of belonging. It started in the simplest of places, for example, the playground. Meeting other parents and building relationships made me slowly begin to feel accepted. 

I want people across Europe to understand what it means to be a refugee or migrant. Behind every document, every border, there is a story like mine that is full of hope, struggle, and the deep desire to be seen and accepted.”

Interview by: Melanie Azetmüller, Jonathan Bender, Simone Cerino, Mariam Mertzami, Agnieszka Tujko, and Bence Sándor

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.