When you land on the Greek islands, the last thing you expect is to be surrounded by thousands of people living in cardboard boxes and tents. However, that's just what I saw when I landed in Lesvos, Greece - a small island of 85,000 that has almost 20,000 refugees, now living on the streets, "stuck" on its island. Syrian doctors, lawyers, teachers are amongst those now homeless. I stop to speak with some of the men and women trying to find shelter from the sweltering sun, and gasp at the sight and smell of human feces on the street. The Greek island of Lesvos all but refuses to install any portable toilets or permanent sanitation options, afraid that the refugees will then become permanent too. Hence, there is no option for these Syrians except to urinate and defecate in surrounding parks and hills. I imagine myself in their situation for a moment. If I was born in the "wrong" country, this could have been me too. The words of those I speak to strike me. When I ask a 13 year old refugee I meet what his goals is, he says, "most people in Syria don't have a dream, they just don't want people to shoot them anymore." I remember my days studying Arabic in Syria in 2006; and how so many Syrian people had helped me, an American student, in my times of need. Now, these same people need our help. With their homes and cities demolished, most of the Syrians I see hear have escaped war and spent their life savings to pay unsavory Turkish traffickers to send them to Europe. They are given a false sense of security with fake life vests, and lose most of the few possessions they have left at sea - where their rubber rafts are over-loaded and often capsize. Many refugees are told they are landing in Athens and will be warmly received by Europeans, especially after Angela Merkel of Germany "invited" them to come. A very generous offer indeed - but unfortunately, she didn't think about "how" they will get to Germany- relying on traffickers, xenophobic border police, and opportunistic business people to somehow make the 3000 mile journey. The anxious refugees do not land in Athens; instead, those on Lesvos arrive to the north of the island, where there is a strong "Golden Dawn" presence (a neo-Nazi group) that uses knives and other intimidation tactics to usher them out. One can imagine how the story continues... This is particularly sad situation when one considers Syria's historical "open border" policy that welcomed many refugees into Syrian homes. Syria was in fact home to many refugees from Greece, escaping attack from the Ottomans near the time of WWI. Unfortunately, this fact has been quickly forgotten... Refugees are so excited to see Europe - a land that represents peace and freedom to them - that some jump off their rubber rafts and literally break a bone. But soon, they quickly discover that they not on welcoming territory and nowhere near Athens. In fact, they will need to embark on a 50 mile walk to be "processed" at the island's capital before taking a ferry to Athens. It is illegal for these refugees to hire a taxi (if they have the funds). And thus the refugees embark on a 50 mile walk in over 100 degree (F) weather, without a map or the ability to read and write Greek. While many refugees anticipated that their arrival on European soil would be the end of a long journey escaping war, they do not realize it is not even the beginning. Most of these refugees will spend about ten days on this island alone, depleting the last of any financial resources they have living on the streets and urinating in hills. It is illegal for them to stay in hotels. The police beat many of them unprovoked, an atrocity I witnessed with my own eyes. By the time the refugees finish their long walk to the island's capital, they and their children look weak and thirsty. The women and men look helpless as they try to make sense of the chaos. Each day the rules of where and how to be "processed" are changed - with little information conveyed to the refugees. They are psychologically broken down, yet they retain an inspiring will to survive despite new found destitution and humiliation. It's remarkable. This despite the fact that the journey will only get worse as they journey through Hungary and Serbia, who have displayed increasing levels of brutality against refugees. One young man I spoke to from Syria said "My city is being bombed every day. My home is gone. Many of my relatives are dead. But if I knew it would be like this in Europe, I would have stayed in Syria and taken my chances." His story could have been your story, or my story, if we were born in the wrong place at the wrong time. In fact, this is the story of many of our ancestors and forefathers who survived because there was a country willing to host them, my mother included. As we hand out water and food to some of them, their faces light up with beaming smiles. Expressions of thankfulness which will remain etched in our memories - it is not the water or food itself that touches them but it's the hope that there may be someone out there who still cares and that may even be willing to welcome them during their struggle to find a new life. I believe it's our duty as Americans, as children of people escaping war, poverty, and persecution to help the over 4 million Syrian refugees now - by opening our borders, our wallets, and most of all, our hearts. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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