VOICES From Migrations | Marinela Likollari's story

“VOICES From Migrations” is a project co-funded by the European Union exploring untold migration stories. Marinela Likollari moved from Albania to Greece in 2010. This is her story:

Marinela Likollari | VOICES From Migrations

“My name is Marinela, I was born in Albania, and I moved to Greece in 2010 to stay with my husband and start a family. We have 13-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son. 

When I was growing up in Albania, my father had a drinking problem. He was not able to provide for us, so we never had our own home. We were always on the move, renting different houses. Sometimes, not having our own home made me feel hopeless. 

I met the man I’d marry as a young adult. He was already living in Greece, but he came back to Albania (where he was originally from) to find a partner. After we got married, he went back to Greece, as he was a legal resident there. Meanwhile, I had to stay three more years in Albania, waiting to receive my legal documents to be able to enter Greece.

Moving to a new country wasn’t easy. The most challenging barrier was the language. I was a housewife back then, so I learned Greek from TV channels and from my two children. My husband was working 8-10 hours every day to provide for us. It was a struggle to find a job for myself, because people only need housekeepers seasonally, and it is usually non-registered work, so my main goal was to raise my children properly. Nowadays, I find work where I can, but it’s not a stable source of income.

For me, my husband is the most supportive person in my life, but finding an Albanian community in Thessaloniki also helped a lot in feeling welcome. I really love going on walks in the city and having coffee with my friends there.

All things considered, I am very thankful that I can live together with my family. My dream is to have my own little house and to see my kids thrive in life.”

Interviewed by: Levente Sándor, Zalán Hajdu, Daniella Szep, Markela Cocoli, and Kinga Boross

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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.