RES.: And for what reasons did you decide to emigrate
to Canada?
S.Ζ.: Even I don’t know… why I decided to come to
Canada. Because at the time, there was the wave that everyone was leaving and
coming over to… outside overseas, others to Australia, others whatever. Here
and there. And we had… eeh… we had… not like we were jealous, like we wanted
to leave, like there was a wave which Greece was pushing towards overseas. All
the people. Not Greece. Greece never pushed you to leave. If you wanted you
stayed. Because myself specifically, I had made in Greece somewhere, some
inquiry then to leave for abroad and they told me that we’re not responsible.
If you want to leave for abroad, we’re not sending you away. But it was an
instigation. One… was leaving, I should go as well. As for myself, my sister
had come over here as well and… I didn’t want to because I had a good job. I
had, I was a hairdresser in Athens and I was working, I had learned and I was
working and I didn’t want to leave, but because my sister was here. “Come,
come, come, come” and… she encouraged me and I came here. But I had taken the
decision to leave and if I didn’t… leave to come here, I’d go to Australia.
RES.: Aah!
S.Ζ.: I was so driven, to leave. Yes. But I came here.
Afterwards, afterwards came… after Australia my sister came here and she
brought me here.
RES.: And you’re talking about this movement which was
present in Greece, so how did you see this movement? You saw it… they had
various advertisements or from…?
S.Ζ.: Not advertisements. Every… every time a ship was
departing, let’s say, and it was coming and going to Australia, you were
hearing the people in the mornings, in the, in the houses… and they were
shouting. Eeh… the… in the bus some… you were hearing shouts and cries. And
one day I tell my mother “Mother” I say “somebody died”. She tells me “Nobody
died, my child nobody. It’s the wave. It’s the Greeks who’re leaving. They’re
saying farewell to the homeland… and going to other places”.
RES.: I understand.
S.Ζ.: “It’s the wave!” And I… stayed. And at the time I
hadn’t… I hadn’t started thinking about overseas and I say “And why are they
leaving?” Because they are forced by… the poverty, then after the war. You
know. Various things. And… we were compelled to come here. What can we do?
