My name is Maria-Irene and I’m 16 years old. I spent the first 15 years of my life in Ithaca, Greece. My story is perhaps not unusual, but I would like to share it anyway. Two years ago my father and brother left Ithaca and came to Australia; my mother and I followed soon after in October 2014. Our parents wanted to provide us with a better education and lifestyle in order to create a brighter future – not only for my brother and me, but also for themselves, given how difficult it is to survive in Greece nowadays. However, my brother has since gone back to Greece to finish his military service, so my family is separated again.

At first I was excited about this big change in my life. I learned many new things, and gained new experiences and knowledge from the different cultures and traditions I was exposed to. I was, for the first time, a citizen in a huge city full of things to be explored. I was out of school for four months, though. In February I started year 10 in high school, but was afraid of this new beginning. All my classmates and teachers were unfamiliar to me, as I was to them. I was forced to adjust to my new life – what other choice did I have? I had to overcome that big step, just as I did with my family when we came to Australia.

They told me I would easily make new friends, and that I would adjust to my new school life in just a few weeks, but it didn’t happen exactly like that. It’s really hard to make friends at my age. People don’t always accept you for who you are, but often for what you have or what you can show them. I miss my home, my friends, and my relatives back in Greece, and it’s really hard when you are a child of this age to change your life so drastically. I have mixed feelings; sometimes I’m happy that I’m here, but the most of the time I feel like I don’t belong in this country. I speak to my friends in Ithaca every day but it’s not the same, I feel completely alone without them.

The worst feeling is when I look at the sky and realise how far away I am from home. Many people go to Greece on holiday, and I wish I could do that too. I always cry when I see pictures from the Greek islands. They’re so beautiful, and you can’t find this beauty anywhere else in the world – especially like my island, Ithaca. Australia is beautiful and I have respect for this country, but there is no place like home.

I believe that everything happens for a reason, so in the end, this big change to my life will provide me with something good. It just requires a little time, patience, and hope for the best. Besides, with no rain you can’t see the rainbow. Many people have taken the same step, and starting it is always difficult for everyone. I will try to work towards a future in which I will be able to go home every year, and I know that my feelings will remain unchanged, not only for Ithaca but also my friends – because the real friendships are the ones that last forever.