There are many Greek Australians who came for a while, others who just couldn’t hack it but there are also a large group of Greek Australians who came here and found a place to call home. They feel happy and content and have no intention to return to Greece. At least for now.
Manolis, Anna, Eleftheria, Antonis and Irene do not know each other, but they share a common destiny.
They all left the life they knew in Greece and came to Australia, in search for a better future. Regardless of what their original plan was, this country won them over so much, that they are not considering returning to Greece, permanently.
These are their stories:
Manolis and Anna Mangoulias
“Greece is in our hearts, but Australia is our home”
Manolis and Anna Mangoulias arrived in Melbourne from the beautiful island of Kalymnos around seven and a half years ago, as they wanted to give their children a life with more and better opportunities than the ones they had on their beautiful island.
“Before we left we owned a small hotel, a seafood tavern and two souvlaki restaurants. Kalymnos is beautiful, but beauty does not feed you,” Mr Mangoulias told Neos Kosmos.
They are both children of former migrants, and so they grew up in Greece listening to their parents’ stories about faraway Darwin. Places in Australia took on magical dimensions in their imagination, especially in the case of Manolis.
“I always wanted to come and live in Australia, and the crisis gave me the reason I was waiting for,” he said.
It was not the same for Anna. Though she had Australian citizenship she did not migrate by choice.
“I don’t believe that we chose to come to Australia. The truth is that we were forced to come here due to the conditions and the mistakes of Greek politicians,” she said.
“Our plan was to look for any destination in Australia that would allow as to stand on our feet,” Mr Mangoulias said, while unfolding every aspect of his family’s experience since arriving in Australia.
READ MORE: Coming soon: The “untold story” of Aussie Greeks – Oh, and it’s set in the 90s
“We were lucky because my sister lived in Melbourne and she helped us take our first steps. We stayed with her and she showed us how the system works and generally how to make a good start with things. A few months later we rented a place and three and half years ago we bought our own house.
“From the moment we decided to migrate, I had said, that if I didn’t succeed in Melbourne, I would travel to all the states until I found the place I could settle. In the end that wasn’t necessary. I kept one of my souvlaki restaurants exactly as it was, ready to go, just in case we had to return. I found a job immediately in a tiling company where I worked until it closed a few months ago. But I have another job in another company now and I am doing well.
“Of course, I had to do other jobs on the side, to supplement my income. In one of them I experienced my worst moment in Australia. I will not go into details, but I was fired when I tried to give some advice to my boss. My intentions were good, but that did not matter to him. It was a bitter experience, but also another lesson in life.
“What we miss here most, is family, Anna’s parents, her siblings, our relatives. I also miss the sun, the life in Greece, the fun. Anna hasn’t been back at all and she misses her parents very much. But through her work in the aged care sector she tries to find solace. We wouldn’t change what we have created here for anything, as we can’t forget all the negative aspects of the system back home. In Greece, even before I started my businesses, the government was my enemy, not my supporter. There were always obstacles. Now our future is connected with Australia. Our children have fully adapted, seeing all the opportunities this country has to offer them and they do not want to go back. Australia is not our homeland but it is the country that welcomed us, providing us with so many things. It is our home.”
Eleftheria Marinou
“Australia helped me live with dignity”
Eleftheria Marinou and her husband, Stratos, left Mytilene for Sydney in October 2013. They didn’t have connections or any family in Australia. All they knew was that they had three months to decide if it was worth settling in this new country.
With little knowledge of the English language and without knowing what awaited them, they decided to leave their three children with their grandmother in Mytilene, until they could prepare for their children’s arrival.
“It was a bit crazy, getting on a plane to Australia when we had no one there. In Mytilene, my husband had his own company,” Ms Marinou told Neos Kosmos.
“He was a builder, and I looked after our three small children. When things got tough, my husband proposed that we go to Germany, but it wasn’t a choice I was happy with. He also thought of leaving for a job in Syria, alone, as they were offering very good money, but it was also very dangerous and I could not accept that. I did not want the family to separate. Wherever we decided go, we would go together.
“And so, we decided to try Australia. We were lucky. God looks out for us. We met good people along our way.
“We arrived on 1 October 2013, and on the 2nd my husband went to work. He had an acquaintance from his village here who had spoken to his boss and he was asked him to go in for a trial straight away. To this day, he works for the same company.
“I will never forget my first impressions. We arrived at night so it was too dark to see much, so when I woke up in the morning I went outside to explore. There were houses, grass, and it was quiet. I felt like I was in village. It was nothing like what I had expected. I had lived in Athens for 10 years, and I expected that Sydney would also be a city full of apartment buildings, with noise and traffic. No one had described to me what life was like in Australia. That it is simpler and you do not live with so much stress. I was also impressed by how kind people seemed to be, without even knowing you. A week later I told my husband ‘We are not leaving here. Find a way for us to stay’.
READ MORE: “Greece, how we miss you!” say Greek Australians, remembering their last summer trip to the homeland
“And thank God everything worked out just fine.
“Stratos had little knowledge of the language, so at first, he faced some difficulties at work, but he persevered, he never gave up, and now he has a very good position and the respect that he deserves.
“For the first three months I didn’t work as I was running around to get my student visa so that we could stay in the country. Later I worked in kitchens and today I have my own cleaning business.
“One year after our arrival, we brought our children. In Greece, our children were deprived of many things, so when they finally came here, we made sure we offered them what they did not have there. Simple things, like their own personal space, their own rooms. We could also take them to indoor playgrounds, or Amusement Parks, things they had not experienced in Greece.
“In Greece life is still very difficult. My mother is there, and my sister, who would love to migrate with her family, but the lockdown has halted their plans. I’m a little angry with Greece.
“I feel that Greece forced us to leave, in a way. We were not given a chance to stand on our feet. I never wanted to leave Greece. I was crying all the way here on the plane. I came as a favour to my husband believing that things would be the same as in Greece and we would return.
“But my children do not want to return to Greece and neither do we.
“What I miss from home is St Taxiarhis. If I return I would like to visit the monastery. He is the saint protecting us, and we believe in him.
“What else is there to miss from Greece? We have beaches here too, and the parks here are incomparable. I also feel that my children are safer here. I sometimes see posts on Facebook, pictures of my son’s friends partying with a bottle of vodka in hand. They are 17-18 years old. If he was in Greece he would be doing the same with his friends. Life here revolves mostly around family, and we still have some control over what they are exposed to.
“Sometimes I am misunderstood. Many newly-arrived migrants from Greece tell me that I have forsaken my country. I love my homeland and no one can change that. That is where I grew up, where I had my first dreams, but I never thought that Greece would force me out. Not Greece, but those who run the country. Here, I feel respected. I am supported and allowed to live without begging. In Greece, I faced so many difficulties trying to feed my children. No one was interested in how I was raising my three children. Greece never gave me the opportunity to raise my children with dignity.”
Irene-Maria Kritikou
“I feel that I belong here”
Nearly ten years have passed from the time that Irene Kritikou and her family migrated from the small island of Salamina to Melbourne. She had just turned 15, and though she was excited about starting a new and better life in Australia, she went through many phases, before she adapted, settled, and found contentment in everything this new country had to offer her.
“My dad was born in Sydney and migrated to Greece with his parents and his sister when he was still in Primary school. When things got quite bad at home we decided to come here as it was quite easy for us, since my father already had the Australian citizenship.
“When we decided to start a new life in Australia, I was super excited. I thought it’d be easy and fun. Mostly because we had gotten to a stage where we barely had any food to eat or shoes to wear. I hated seeing in my parents’ eyes how miserable and helpless they felt, not being able to provide my little sister and I with the basics.
“But when we got here, it was really tough for me. I couldn’t speak English and I wanted to go back home. There was a lot of stress, a lot of pressure, and I had to repeat a year in high school because of the language.
“I also found it very challenging to form friendships. I felt like people here were so very different, or perhaps as you grow older it becomes harder to make friends.
“Also I found the whole setup of life here so completely different. I came from a small village to a big city like Melbourne and I didn’t know where to start. I was surprised by the huge shopping centres everywhere, and I must admit that I did have a bit of a multicultural shock when I first arrived. But now, this is what I love most about Australia.
“I think I started to settle when I got my driving license and gained a bit more freedom.
READ MORE: There is no place like home
“At the moment I have a better sense of belonging here. I’ve got a few qualifications. I am 24, I work in a prison, as a case manager-custody officer, so at my age I have opportunities ahead of me, and things that show me a bright future in Australia. I have done a criminology degree and now I am studying Psychology. I have two jobs. I feel that if I took the risk and returned, there wouldn’t be many things I could do. I also haven’t lived in Greece as an adult, so I lack the foundations to explore opportunities in the job market. And I hear from my family back home that everyone is struggling.
“My parents are happy here. My sister was 3 when we left and she would love to go back but at the moment she is only 13 years old.
I miss some of my relatives I was very close to. I miss Christmas, as for some reason I do not feel the Christmas spirit and its warmth here. I also really miss the simple and plain life in a small island, the summer and the drives to the beach. The list can go on and on, however these are some of the things I miss most, and I often get emotional when I think of them.
“I went back for a holiday in 2018. I had an amazing time with my relatives and childhood friend. But a visit is different from trying to make a living. It also saddened me to see so many people struggling and businesses closing. I felt grateful to be living in a country that can provide and look after me. Of course, nothing can replace that feeling of belonging when you are there, and there’s always something missing in my heart. But I am settled. I am happy that I have opportunities to achieve my goals.
“I would love to retire in Greece if I’m on honest, but who knows where I’ll be then, and what I’ll be doing?”
Antonis Kotsovolis
“Australia gave me everything I asked for”
They say that luck favours the brave and Antonis Kotsovolis will not deny this. At the age of 25, he made the journey from Athens to Melbourne with a student visa, a mobile phone and a laptop. Within two and a half years, he got permanent residency and now he is waiting for his Australian citizenship.
For the adventurous young man, there are no limits when exploring his dreams.
“I arrived in Australia on 6 October, 2016. I came with a degree in chemical engineering, my army documents, exactly $1,955 in my pocket, and without knowing anyone here. I accidentally met a classmate from primary school and he found me a hostel in the city where I stayed for two nights and that is where my adventures began,” Mr Kotsovolis told Neos Kosmos.
READ MORE: Australia and Greece on a mission for sustainability
“Looking back, I feel like everything was meant to be. I think I was very lucky because things went well. Everyday life was terribly difficult, but in the end, everything turned out exactly as I had planned. Before I even came here I knew I would make it. I do not know if it was instinct or just determination, however, my main goal was to obtain permanent residency. What I needed to discover was the path that would lead me to it.
“The issue with student visas is not to forget your goal, and not to deviate from your priorities. I searched and found the right visa that would give me the opportunity to become a permanent resident, and then devoted myself to fulfilling the conditions required to obtain it.
“With endless hours of work, and effort, I managed to get it after two and half years. Of course, not everything was rosy along the way. I felt like I was navigating a dark map which only illuminated as I discovered each step.
“During my first week I cried every day. I had never felt more lonely in my life. I was among four million people and I felt that no one saw me. It was incredible and scary. However, fortune smiled again and within seven days of setting foot in Melbourne I found a job and a home.
“My first job was as a waiter in a restaurant and I stayed there until recently, and at the same time I did other jobs. Some of my most beautiful moments was when my degree was recognised here – which was a very difficult process – when I rented my first home and, of course, when I became a permanent resident of Australia.
“From Greece, I miss the food. I did not know how to cook, but even if I knew I did not have the time, so I looked for a job in a restaurant so I could have a daily hot meal. I do not miss the frantic life of Athens because I had experienced it. The way of life here may be completely different, but I am happy since I found what I wanted. As I have said many times, I came with a purpose.
“I am not thinking of going back to Greece. I applied for the citizenship in January. About six months ago I found a job in my field and now I am aiming to buy a home. When I think about the last five years, I honestly say I would not do it again. But, it’s nice to start from scratch and I’m proud that I did it.”