He was waiting for us early in the morning at the door of our clinic, with a downcast look and a worried expression on his face. Like when we had met him for the first time, when he arrived on Lesvos following the path of migration. But as we approached him, his eyes filled with light and joy. “I’m leaving” he told us.
M. spent a lot of time living in RIC of Lesvos, so much so that it seems like a lifetime. Since our first meeting he was silent and frightened. With great difficulty he was able to tell our social service everything he had experienced up to that moment. He no longer expected anything better for his future. The torture he had survived in his country, his decision to leave, and the difficult journey to reach Lesvos. How many others have gone through the same, but without reaching their destination? What will happen the next day? Where will his family be? M. was overwhelmed by questions that had no easy answers while he was unable to cope with the new circumstances of his life.
The psychosocial support he received from our team was an ongoing effort to enable him to talk, to find ways to cope and to help him with the bureaucratic procedures. Every day, with perseverance, until the hope for a better tomorrow became visible again.
“I’m leaving” he said again, and in the corner of his eyes one could sense a melancholy. Because every time we take a step we leave something behind. Bad and good memories but also human relationships that might include care, protection and solidarity.
Today M. is a strong man who can smile again. Having the necessary documents, he will be able to continue his journey, hoping that one day he will meet his family again.
