Wings of Migration

ngs of

i W ratio g

Wings of Migration A collection of articles and images realised within the project Erasmus+ ”European Patterns – Migration of Birds and People”, by students from Romania (Children’s Palace Bacau), Germany (Bremen), Croatia (Metković) and Poland (Utska).

3 Editor Coordinator of The Magazine ”Wings of Migration”: LAURA HUIBAN, Coordinating Teacher of The Journalism Club from Children’s Palace Bacau Project Editorial Team ”Wings of Migration”, students of Journalism Club from Children’s Palace Bacau: ROMINA NEAGU IULIANA RĂCHITĂ PAULA GALIȘ DENISA DOGARU CLAUDIU NEGRU LARISA MORARU COSMIN AVĂDĂNI MARIO SLĂVEANU VLAD PINTILIE SABINA - IONELA BURCĂ PAUL PĂTLĂGICĂ IOANA BITIRE Facebook Pages: Journalism Club from Children’s Palace Bacau: https://www.facebook.com/ CerculdeJurnalismBacau/ scan the QR code

Children’s Palace Bacau: https://www.facebook.com/ pcbacaubc/ scan the QR code

Web Page Adress Children’s Palace Bacau: https://www.facebook.com/ pcbacaubc/ scan the QR code

Coordinators of Romanian Essays: NELA DUMEA, LAURA HUIBAN. Coordinators of Romanian Logos/Drawings: NELA DUMEA, LAURA HUIBAN, ELENA-LĂCRĂMIOARA SEREA. ”European Patterns – Migration of Birds and People” Erasmus+ Project Partners:

Project web address:

https://erasmus.sp3-ustka.pl/index.php

GERMANY (Wilhelm-Kaisen-Oberschule, Bremen) - International Coordinator: MARC DE MILLAS, PETRA NIEHARDT CROATIA (Srednja škola Metković). Coordinator: PETAR NICOLIĆ

scan the QR code 2018-1-DE03-KA229-047476_6 2018 - 2020 ETwinning Title of the Project: “It`s only Swalows that ﬂy South”.

UNITED KINDOM (The Academy at Shotton Hall, Peterlee). Coordinator: IAN KELL. POLAND (Szkoła Podstawowa nr 3, Utska). Coordinator: KATARZYNA KOSTRUBIEC. ROMANIA (Children’s Palace Bacau) Coordinator: NELA DUMEA TURKEY (Konak Kahramanlar Mustafa Öğütveren Ortaokulu, Izmir). Coordinator: SEVGI ÇOBAN.

The Black Eyes

A better life It happened two years ago when I went to France with my family for summer holidays. We were just resting by the pool in our hotel when we heard the sirens. I wanted to see what was going on, so I dressed up quickly and went outside. There were police. At first, I thought something really bad happened but after a couple of minutes I found out that they caught a van filled with immigrant children from Syria. They looked bad, like they haven’t eaten or drank for days. I felt bad for them. I saw that police took the children and drove away with them. They probably deported them back to Syria. I thought about those kids a lot after that. Because their parents sent them to France because they just wanted a better life for them which they couldn’t give them in Syria. I think that the government of France is in charge of those kind of things and should have helped those kids instead of just sending them back.

Last year I was in Bulgaria in holiday. At the hotel I was lucky to met Kristian. He’s a Bulgarian boy and he’s 16 years old. We spent all the six days together. He told me I was the first Romanian girl he met. He told me about the traditions, the regions and I have learnt him some Romanian words. Next year we will see again, I can’t wait. We are still in touch. I think I will have the opportunity to meet during this project a lot of people like him. Alexandra Chiper, 15 years old, Member of Ecology Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

Lorena Brkić

Germany Thoughts on Migration My family has migrated to Germany 12 years ago. Although I live in Germany, home means to me the country where I was born: Portugal. I fly there every summer. There are sunny beaches, which are full of tourists. It is peaceful, child-friendly, and safe in Portugal. All the people there are friendly and I am very sad whenever I must leave my homeland at the end of the summer, but I feel great when I think about the next summer holidays in Portugal. Isabell, 14

Kasachstan is the country where I was born but the country where I feel at home is Germany. All the members of my family live here, except for my aunt. My home should be safe, bright, peaceful and full of people. I feel at home with my family because they are with me in good and in bad times. Friends are important, too, because without friends you are nothing. To feel at home I need my family around me, my PC, my play-station, and a neighbourhood like the one I have now in Bremen. Anton, 15

My family has been in Germany since 1978. But if you ask me where I feel at home it is Turkey, the country my family comes from. The weather is sunny and I get my favourite food. I love the food in Turkey because it is wonderful and everybody loves it, even the German people. But my family also means home to me as they help me when I am sad. I hate the school in Turkey because the teachers hit the kids there. That is why I am glad I can go to school in Germany. Ugur, 14

Polish stories Migration - learning new things, extending knowledge I have spent most of my life away from the Polish border. I lived most of my life in England. At first it wasn’t easy to communicate with people considering I didn’t know English so well, but after a couple of months I had made lots of friends and met lots of people, learned about their cultures and their lives. I didn’t have a problem to settle in because I was a very open person. I loved spending time with others and learning new things. I went back to Poland after a couple of years and I am very happy that I lived in England because I have learned English so well that its helping me progress in my sports career and it’s also easy to meet new people and make new friends. The people in England were so kind that it changed my way of looking at life. I am more open to people than I was before. English will also be very helpful not only with my sports career but also my everyday life and I hope I keep extending my knowledge.

Now how do I feel about immigrants? I feel that there is nothing bad about them they are normal people like us and they also deserve to live their lives like others. I actually think that it’s good that they come to other countries because we learn about new cultures, try new food that lots of people would probably love. We also learn new things from them, for example there might be a foreigner who might be very experienced for example in programing , mechanics, building, making food or farming and they can pass the knowledge to us so there are lots of benefits from this. I hope that foreigners use their times in other countries like me, learn the language and use it to extend their careers and knowledge. Jakub Ratajczak

Poem on migration Aziz

Clemens

Ceyda

Ceyda/Sharon

Refugees are immigrants who are strangers and come to our country

Refugees are people who are homesick and have to escape persecution

Children shouldn’t be hungry and something should be done about hunger

Turkey is a really beautiful country and has a long history

My sister’s choiceinspiration for me From my point of vue, migration represents one of the most important topics that should be debated in our country and not only. Many people leave our country either for economic reasons or to study at the best universities in the world. For example, my sister emigrated to France three years ago in order to finish her studies. She received a scholarship at Economical University in Romania to study a year in France and she accepted without even thinking. She was so attracted to the life of France that she wanted to finish her studies there. She is now in the master’s year and has proposed to stay there, nor does she think about going back to Romania. She told me that there are much better conditions than those from Romania, although it is difficult to stay among foreigners. It was hard for me to get along with the idea that my sister is gone overseas, but I thought about what is good for her and about her evolution to career. I also want to study at a college in France because I am open to new experiences and I think that France offers me more opportunities for a successful career. After I consider I have fulfilled my dreams I will return to my home country with my sister. Andra - Maria Todircă, 17 years old, Member of Ecology Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

A normal life Migration became the most popular subject these days. Not only in Croatia. People are escaping either from war or hunger. They are trying to find better conditions for themselves. Young people are trying to find Better opportunities for job, home and better future for their kids. Some people are running from home because their country is in war zone. I never actually met any of those people, but I read about them every day, Most of them are just trying to cross the border to reach their destination. Some of them are nice while others are rude and mean. They are breaking in other people homes, stealing their gadgets and food. Some of them even throw away the food that was given to them and leave the mess behind themselves. But, 90 % of people just want to escape unstable countries and find a normal life. We should separate them from those who think that violence is the key to everything. Lucija

Polish stories Erasmus+: Migrations of Birds and People Today, there is probably no longer a man in Poland who wouldn’t meet with emigration. People leave for a variety of reasons, but there is always a drop that spills over the spell, forcing them to leave the country. More and more people are emigrating because of the political situation in the world. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with this, however, when a country is flooded with a wave of people sticking to their own traditions, there is a problem. I believe that a person who decides to emigrate should choose a country with a culture that he/she is able to live with as his/her own, whose citizen he/she would like to become I believe that emigration should be the beginning of a new life. Abandoning old habits and adopting new traditions. Dominika Zając

Erasmus+: Migracje Ptaków i Ludzi Prawdopodobnie nie ma już w Polsce człowieka, który nie spotkałby się z emigracją. Ludzie wyjeżdżają z różnych powodów, ale zawsze jest kropla, która przelewa czarę, zmuszając ich do opuszczenia kraju. Coraz więcej ludzi emigruje z powodu sytuacji politycznej na świecie. Moim zdaniem nie ma w tym nic złego, jednak gdy kraj zalewa fala ludzi lepiących się do własnych tradycji, pojawia się problem. Uważam, że osoba, która zdecyduje się na emigrację, powinna wybrać kraj o kulturze, z którą jest w stanie żyć jako z włąsną, którego obywatelem chce się stać. Uważam, że emigracja powinna być początkiem nowego życia. Odejście od dawnych nawyków i przyjęcie nowych tradycji. Dominika Zając

My personal experience with migration Usually people leave their country because of the job, but sometimes they move forever. I don’t like that because their children and the next generations stay there throughout their whole life and they don’t know anything about Croatian culture and language. I have a family member in Germany and in Australia. They come here for summer holidays and they like the sea, the nature etc. Their grandchildren, my cousins, don’t speak Croatian language but their parents would say that they are Croats, but I think they aren’t. I don’t take that as a bad thing, they miss our country and they feel bad for leaving it, so they are comforting themselves with claiming they are

Croats. They want to come back, but they are used to their life in Australia and they have better life opportunities. I like that people are fighting for better future. Maybe one day I will do exactly the same thing. We don’t know what the future brings. Lucija Kordic

Migration as a prisoner My grandfather was born in 1914. He lived in Romania until his 20 years old. In 1944 he left to fight with the Russian army being lieutenant. When was returned the armies against the Germans, on August 23 - 1944, my grandfather had the bad luck to fall prisoner in the hands of the Russians. After a while, he was employed by Russian army for three years, during which he had many troubles that marked him and and

that talked about with bitterness. When they let him to go back in Romania, he founded a family with my grandma. Was also employed by the army, this time Romanian army and achieved to be General Lieutenant.

Poem on migration

Meanwhile, my father was born. When he turned 4 years old, the family moved to Russia. The reason was the severity of communism in Romania, compared to Russia and the career opportunities offered by the Russian army (also the Russian army offered the General Lieutenant rank). He lived in Saint Petersburg many years. Since 1989, when the communist regime in Romania was overthrown, my grandfather decided to return to the country. My father was then 20 years old. Claudiu - Marian Ciocan, 14 years old, Member of Ecology Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

Aziz

Clemens

Ceyda

Ceyda/Sharon

refugees are immigrants who are strangers and come to our country

refugees are people who are homesick and have to escape persecution

Children shouldn’t be hungry and something should be done about hunger

Turkey is a really beautiful country and has a long history

Polish stories Origin Story of Pavel

Dwuletnia ryba Paweł od początku swojego życia mieszka w Morzu Bałtyckim. Ma wielu przyjaciół, a mimo to jest smutny. Wszyscy pytają go „Dlaczego nie możesz być szczęśliwy?” Paweł miał swój sekret, od zawsze chciał opuścić morze… Paweł miał dobrego kolegę – Olka. Ufał mu, więc poprosił go o pomoc w wyznaczeniu trasy i przygotowaniu wyprawy. Podróż zbliżała się wielkimi krokami. Paweł przygotowywał zapasy gdy Olek oznajmił mu że nie może z nim wyjechać – lubił swoje życie w Bałtyku. Ryba mimo smutku postanowiła wyruszyć. Po dwóch dniach Pawłowi zaczęła doskwierać samotność, gdy nagle zauważył plażę. Uradowany wyskoczył z wody mimo ostrzeżeń i zaczął się dusić. Próbował, próbował aż w końcu przed śmiercią udało mu się! Stał się pierwszą oddychającą rybą! Wtem pojawił się drugi problem, Paweł nie miał nóg, był jednak szczęściarzem. Na plaży bawiły się dzieci. Jedno z nich postanowiło pomóc dziwacznej rybie. Od tego momentu już nigdy nie zaznał samotności. Teraz Paweł prowadzi szczęśliwe i ciekawe życie wśród swoich polskich przyjaciół. Błażej Łepkowski - Origin Story of Pavel

Antonia Lungu

Pavel is two years old fish. He lives in big water tank-Baltic Sea. He had a lot of friends, but he was sad. Everyone asked him: ”Pavel, why aren’t you happy?” Pavel had a little secret. He always had a dream to leave the sea. He possessed a best friend – Olek. He was the first who Pavel asked for assistance. Olek helped him in determining the patch. The journey was approaching, Pavel made eatables. In a travel day Olek withdrew, because he liked life in the sea. Pavel despite the sadness set off. After two days he felt lonely. Suddenly Pavel saw a beach. He was very happy and despite of the warning he left the sea. When he did it, he began to choke. He tried and tried and just before the death he made it! He became the first breathing fish, then the second problem appeared – he didn’t have any legs. Pavel was lucky, on the beach children were playing. One of them noticed bizarre fish and decide to help it. From that moment he has never been lonely. Now Pavel has some good friends and interesting life in Poland.

Początek Historii Pawła

Migration In a crowded airport Parents are holding the tiny hands of their children And they hug them for the last time No way this doesn’t hurt

The third place Wiktoria de Lubicz-Szeliska

In the empty, cold train station Hearts break in thousands of pieces Because they are leaving on different ways Even if the tears drown them.

Running in better countries To earn a better life Dreaming with their eyes open Thinking that they are at home

Denisa-Emilia Dogaru, 12th grade, 17 years old, Theoretical College “Henri Coandă“ Bacău, Member of Journalism Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

Max

Jassir

This is Jafra he is out of Africa and likes Germany

War is not the solution for people who have different opinions

Never lose your hope in people because they can help you

My Thoughts on Migration People aren’t paid well and that is why they leave Croatia for good. My sister’s fiancée lived and worked in Germany. Lot of my neighbours are looking for better job opportunities in Germany and Austria. They are not aware that they must work hard to get better salary. These days in Croatia we are having immigrants from Syria where living conditions are not as good as in Europe. Some people treat them like they are criminals, but I think they are mostly normal people in search of better life conditions and opportunities for their kids. Cvijana Cvitanović, 3.j

Poem on migration

Rayan/Emre Newcomer feels prejudice but nobody cares refugees or foreigners are innocents Rayan/Emre Alien I’m one of them I’m an Englishman in New York Rayan/Emre Slavery No escape You get abused And nobody helps you Hopelessness Seyla

The pink suitcase Friday, 15 April 2018; Victor, a seven years old child it’s alone on his room floor. Around him, a lot of colored pencils and a white paper sheet like a challenge. He writes another letter for his mother. She’s away in Germany from 5 years for a better job. He ends the letter and opens a pink suitcase. It is in the room corner. Victor put carefully the letter beside of the toy bear and around of his mother framed portrait witch are in the suitcase. Closed the suitcase and glued a label: for my mother. He brings hardly away the suitcase to the front of the house. He released for few moments and after that he’s starting with a heavy hand on the way. His dad follow from the shadow his son actions. Miruna -Ştefania Porubiu, 15 years old, Member of Ecology Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

Homeland Can be Attacked by terrorists Therefore accept refugees in Germany Virginia/Jessica Refugees don’t flee from their own home countries without good reason Virginia/Jessica Citizens Mustn’t be Discriminated for not Living in their own Country Ilayda/Perin Alone it’s hard to fight with the system of the world

Ilayda/Perin War Many people Lose their lives They all want to Escape Ilayda/Perin Help We all Need some help Sometimes. You have to help. Ricardo Family Leaves you Because youdon’t Talk with them a Lot Ricardo My mum once migrated to Germany because her life was hard Ricardo I’am Ricardo I can speak Polish, it’s my mum’s language

Polish stories Emigrants Nowadays the economic, social and political situation force people to go abroad. People emigrate to improve living conditions or for the sake of their safety. I am rather a tolerant person so people from other countries do not bother me at all. When emigrants come to new places they often open restaurants with their traditional food, cafes with special drinks. In that way we can get to know their traditions and culture. In my opinion, emigrants should respect the laws of the country they arrive in and we, as citizens of the country, should be tolerant to their cultural dissimilarity. More over our duty is to respect their national customs. On the other way there are many people who come to other countries and they have bad intentions. They pose a thret,

for example put bombes, kill innocent people. Inspite of my tolerant I wouldn’t like to be a victim of terrorist attack. It isn’t important for me who lives next door, but I would like to be safety in his/ her company. Weronika Gruszczyńska

Jassir/Orkun Freedom is important we all want to be happy and free Jassir/Orkun Never judge anybody just by looking always think of the back story Emre D. My parents also have a migration background but I was born in Germany

People like us I personally never seen an immigrant from the Middle East, but I heard some stories that they are crossing the border these days. They want to enter EU. From my point of view immigrants are people like us, running away from poor life conditions and trying to find their place under the sun. Ana

The Perfect Paradise

I don’t know if you know about it, but people like birds roam the world. Storks put in a huge effort to go to Africa – it’s a miracle!

They are looking for a shelter and a safe home, because they don’t wish such distant travels to anyone. People emigrate from our country, looking for a perfect paradise for themselves.

ration in g i m f o y r o The hist like this: s i y l i m a f my ad to leave le child, she h

tt m was still a li y. She When my mu from German as w a m d n ra G other my y Grandpa’s m m t Poland because u b a p d an ry my gr t he didn’t wanted to mar a marriage. Bu to o n id sa d an randma. didn’t like her any with my G m er G to t en dw listen to her an le had the time. Peop at d ar h ry ve ot. was ey would get sh Life in Poland th r o . .m p 8 houses by s to get to be in their . They had card d o fo f o t lo a e raw meat she often ate They didn’t hav at th e m ld to mum w about my food with. My y. It is all I kno gr n u h so as w because she . family ’s history Ricardo

Aleksandra Kopcinska

The strongest attraction One day of summer I walked to the park by myself. I heard someone who was behind me. When I returned, I was amazed when I saw Alex, an old friend of mine who moved in England. He was my classmate. We have a lot of memories together. Like then when we went to theatre and we start to cry at a sad scene. I was excited to have returned to Romania for as long he was absent.

We sat down on a bench and began to tell us what had happened to us since we last saw each other. I realized that I was very much missed by the moments spent together. He told me that his family decided to return in Romania

because they missed their native country. I was very happy when I heard this, because I really wanted to get back to the old habits we had. We stayed together all day and we talked. These were the most beautiful moments I had. No matter what time you spend in another country, the heart will always be in the place where you were born and the thoughts will always be to the friends you have lost. Ştefania Danu, 15 years old, Member of Ecology Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

Today many people from Croatia migrate to other countries because they believe life is better somewhere else. They might be right, but Croatia is a young country that needs development and successful people with many experience which are crucial for development of one country and building the route of success. I personally don’t have much experience with traveling outside of Croatia, except from traveling to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. I think the point of traveling and migrating is actually to learn something new to yourself, like new culture, new language, new way of thinking, to expand your information and intellectual skills, and then to share new skills and information with people from your birth country. I believe that one day I will probably leave my country for some time and I want to educate myself on a different level than

I educated myself in Croatia. The reason why I would like to be a part of this project is because I would love to be a part of someones life inside of other country, to see his hobbies, his way of thinking, his spectrums of life and compare it to myself and to my closest friends and see what are the differences that make culture special and that make a life inside of their country maybe better than ours. Not many people realize how much they can contribute to their birth country just for coming back to it. They can develop young people and teach them how to live a quality life instead of teaching them all the other irrelevant things that won’t help them live a happy life. People should come back to Croatia to make Croatia a strong country with good people who will lead it happily with pride. From my point of view people who left Croatia don’t realize that Croatia gave them opportunity for a good life, they were born in Croatia, they were raised in Croatia, they educated themselves in Croatia, they have built themselves in Croatia and they think they don’t owe anything to Croatia. I think if everyone is born in a specific place on the planet to do something that will improve that exact place. If education has some holes we need to seek a way of filling those holes. Maybe it’s the best way to seek for the answers inside of other countries but come back and be a man who will change your birth place for a better place for your successors who won’t have a chance to live a life in other countries.

I think these Erasmus+ projects are really intelligent way of educating young people who maybe want to live their lives in other countries but I think that also we all should be aware that we can live that exact same happy life in our beautiful Croatia if we really want to, if we are ready to make some changes. There is saying why do we have to die to go to heaven if we can bring heaven to earth, why do we have to go to other countries to have a happy life, if we can have it in our birth country, in Croatia. Jurica Talajić 3.j

TEARS FOR FUTURE I’m standing on the country border, As psithurism could be Looking back at my past. heard, I see a little girl running She is happy, I can tell; The little girl grows up. Her smile is orphic and laugh through soft grass. Now she’s comming ineffable. back from school, She then lays on the ground Saddly walking through and looks at the sky, the dark. Showing her mother the ethernal view of the night. As she sits on the cold stairs, Her lips sluggishly moves, She whispers ‘’my future will die here.’’ I can’t see her now, it’s only As the tears escape her me on this quiet ground. beautiful eyes, Crossing the border and Authority laughs with the entering my future; evilest sound. A warm tear slips from my eye. I crossed the line. Only leaving one tear and my past on the Croatian ground. Antea Plecas

Poem on migration Kilian

Abi

Alien is not a word a refugeewho is hopeless

Homeland is for for me where I grew up and feel at home

Life is not about bread or money, it is about heart

We don’tneed any false friends because we have our family

Monster You reloading a revolver to solve your problem. But then you realize that you’re full of lies, because of which someone dies. You wash your hands from the mess you don’t want to possess. You duel your enemies that don’t really exist. You sink into oblivion cuz the memory of you can no longer live on. Insanity comes along only to sing you a song. About the hero that you recently heard of. You can barely hear voices because they blend with the noises. The following days are repleted with yells and pleas for deaths. People only want this suffering to end. Your mother’s eyes are filled with agony which remind you the poor quality of human loyalty. You look into a mirror. On your face, there is no vigor. Your pupils are deep and reveal your lack of sleep. You do whatever you can to not see those nightmares ever again. You’re overtaken by uncertainty while surrounded by society. You can’t forget your sins and the guilt you feel only makes it harder. Yu clam up in yourself further. ”Everything ends” Say your frends. And you can see them wonder: How did they come to know such a monster? Wiktoria Różycka

My friend yellow skin On a cold autumn day I went to the park to walk, just me and my thoughts. I sit down on a bench and looked around. A girl comes to sit beside me. She looks like a Chinese. After a few minutes of silence I said “Hi”. She answered me and smiled. We started talking about everything. I felt that I could tell her many personal feelings even if I knew her just a few minutes before. She told me that she was an emigrant and she would go back to China in a few days. She told me she likes more in Romania, that she feels comfortable here and doesn`t want to leave our country. I was suddenly saddened when I heard that. Time had passed and she has to go in China. We said goodbye and we promised to keep in touch by social media. Because I forget to say I become Facebook friend during the bench staying. I felt that this friendship can be forever. Just so! We still writing even two years has gone. And we know everything about each other. It doesn’t always matter the country we are part of, matter the thoughts and the actions we make. Ioana Pavel, 15 years old, Member of Ecology Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

Acrostichon Ceyda F reedom makes your future L ife without emigrants is like life without colours I mmigrant or emigrant - a question of perspective G eneral expectations H ope is a butterfly: don’t cut its wings T rust in the future Kilian F flight from your home country is sad L ife is meaningless without family I s slavery good? G ood or bad, who decides? H ate, rape, crime - it’s real. T otal ignorance of problems is stupid.

The main topic Migration has been an interesting and important topic lately. Whenever we watch news the main topic is migration. I don’t have a lot of experience with migration. Yes, I live in a village and I often see immigrants crossing the border. They want to find better life in European Union. I think that they are in a very bad position. People are like birds – birds have freedom and I think that people should be free and have freedom anywhere on Earth. I think that we are all the same. We should seek for peace for all the people out there. Mihaela

Seyla/Abi M other country is lost. I mmigration is survival training. G oing to school. R ight. A ttacked. T alk like everybody else. I mmigrant. O r just human? N one. Seyla/Abi F reedom was taken away. O r we just came here. R efugees or just people? E nergy is all we have. I mmigrants - that is what you call us. G eneral kindness can’t be expected. N ever give up! E verywhere present R efusal and prejudices. Petra R ight or wrong, it’s my country! E uropean Unity - utopia? F reedom of body and mind U niversal problems - individual victims G eneral anxiety E xpectations too high E scape - from prejudices - impossible?

Ceyda M igration is not a reason for discrimination. I mmigrants are humans, too. G row up and play is what a child has to do. R acism needs no reason. A liens want to hope, too. T to escape is to survive. I mmigration is practised humanity. O ffering safety is normal. N obody emigrates just for the fun of it.

Migratory birds The word „migration” has always given my soul the feeling of sadness and melancholy and I always asked my mother when I was young ,,Why do birds migrate?’, ,,Don’t they like these places?” or ,,Is it better in other countries?” and more questions like these that were sparking my curiosity and my mom always found a good answer for my curiosities. It happens the same in our lives: one of the most important persons of our family or friends must migrate for a good reason.

Iuliana Roman

I choose to speak about my brother, which is an important part of my soul, just like the rest of my family members. He chose to move to a far away city, for a better paid and stable job and he can’t return home more than once or twice a year, but even then the time is quite limited. Of course the advanced technology helps us communicate through various social media sites, but nothing and no one can take his place at our dinner table and the experiences and feelings of joy or sadness can’t be shared through social media. He lived a few months in England, but he did not couldn’t bare the distance and he came back home. Now he lives in another city from Romania, away from us, but he has, at least, close to him his girlfriend with whom he shares the same fate: they are only two young people who are looking for their purpose in life, with a bunch of dreams in their minds. The city he went to is Arad, and to get there,

it took him 12 hours of driving. My mother was worried all the time until he confirmed he arrived well and safe. I’m sure that for him the days pass very slow, away from the places where he has spent his life for so many years, and of course it was quite difficult for him to accommodate to new places and with strangers who surround him.

But there are also advantages, because through migration they discover new places, people with different mentalities and even persons with whom they can bound tight friendships. However, no matter how good it is, migration means that somewhere, in a distant city, a heart breaks in two, sometimes. Author: Iuliana Daniela Răchită, 17 years old, Member of Journalism Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

Translators: Ioana Bitire (18 years old) & Iuliana Daniela Răchită, Members of Journalism Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

Polish stories Story about migration I don’t know why I am writing this. Maybe I want someone to listen to my story? To know that someone like me ever existed? Or maybe I’m just low-level coward who does not want to die forgotten? There is a little truth in both theories. I’ll tell you my story, all sooth. Why? Because I’ve got so many stories I can’t even keep then straight. I’ll start from the beginning. I was born in northwest Afghanistan near city called ‘Gaza’, as the youngest of 4 children. I had two older brothers and a sister. Yeah… I had… but I’ll tell you about it later. In my primary school I was a very naughty child, I’d even say I was a little gangster, making people wonder ”Do all white boys are so rude?”. Oh, I haven’t told you I’m white? Well, now you know. We lived there for years as a happy family. But then… then the war begun. The hunger came to our village when I was seventeen. My parents decided to leave Afghanistan and travel to Turkey, through the Iran. Long travel, I know, but it was our only chance to live like a normal family. Not long after we crossed the border something near us exploded. I felt adrenaline run in my veins. My dad impulsively jerked the wheel, making us swerve. Unfortunately it was enough to make us went off the road. Our car fell of the cliff, that was a few yards of the road. When I snapped up I realized that everyone was dead except for me and my barely breathing brother.

My heart was torn into pieces. When my world stopped spinning I got up and as fast as I could rushed to his side. He had a big gash wound on the back of his head. I was intending to say something, but I heard a noise behind me. I turned and saw a man with beard. He caught me and I tried to fight him, but it was no use. Then the other man has shot my brother. I shouted his

name, was the best friend I’ve ever had. He was from Rhodesia, was two years older and he used to call me ”Mokiwa” which means ‘white boy in Africa’. He’s chosen this name though I had nothing to do with hot continent. But it seemed

name completely unaware of tears sliding down my cheeks. I was never that terrified in my whole life. I was never that helpless, broken and extinct. I’ve never felt such wrath. The man that held me swung his gun and hit me in the head. Everything went black. The first thing I was aware of when I woke up, was a headache… and something wet and warm on my face. My eyes snapped open and I saw a big brown dog licking my face. I sat up and looked around. It was dark but I could see light going through the cracks in the wall. I heard footsteps. A tall, black man came out the shadows. From that moment on Ntambo, cuz it was his

to fit to him so I didn’t complain. He explained me that we were on the area of some sort of terrorist organization. People that were in charge here wanted to make from us terrorists. I couldn’t let that happen. Our last hope was to try to escape. There was a dog, loyal to Ntambo because he fed him frequently. I thought we could use it to our gateway. We started to plan. We hoped to get

to the convoy that arrives once for two weeks, and then travel to Turkey. Months passed as we collected intels and guns. I managed to steal Colt 1911 and 3 magazines to it. Ntambo already had nine under his pillow but he risked and got a few

not do it. I hid under a desk and Ntambo in a cupboard. Through the gap in the corner I saw commander-in-chief and governor enter the room. When the commander sat behind the desk I was sitting under, I was sure me and Ntambo were dead. My heart was beating somewhere at a height of Adam’s apple but I kept silent. The commander did not see me. I eavesdropped their conversation. After a

magazines as well. We also hid some food under our beds and in our lockets. We were almost ready. We just needed uniforms. We break into the main office where they had been kept. Quickly we found our sizes and rushed to the door. Just as I was about to press the door-handle Ntambo stopped me. ”Listen.”, he said. I heard footsteps. First we wanted to run to the window but we realized we’ll

moment I realized that the convoy will not come, nor will food. I was stunned. Our only chance to escape vanished. Then I realized something that frightened me even more. Famine. If no one delivers the food to more than 300 people they will start mutiny or fight to get something to eat. At that moment I knew that me and Ntambo won’t escape fast, this place will become our grave. We remained hidden until the two men left the room, it was something about half an hour. Then we ran to our tent. We decided to wait till nightfall and then try to flee. We collected our things, found a dog and then started to slink among the buildings and tents. It was a hard task, a

lot of guards were wandering near camp. We succeed to avoid them but as we were to hide among the nearby trees someone saw us. He began shouting and then all people in the camp woke up at the sound of shots and yells. I ran as fast as I could, the dog beside me. I didn’t see Ntambo though. I stopped only when I slumped and tripped over. I realized how tired I was. My lungs felt like on fire, as well as my legs. Ntambo’s dog sat beside me although I did not see Ntambo himself. Uncertainty and fear began to overtake me. Quickly I ripped walkie-talkie off my belt and started calling Ntambo. ”Ntambo it’s Nikolaj. Where are you? Over.” I inquired but no one responded me. ”Ntambo say something.” This time someone answered. ”Mokiwa, I am in some cave but I don’t know how to get out of here. Mokiwa someone is following me. NO!” All I heard later were shouts and terrifying scream… my friend’s scream. And then mine. He was dead because of me, because I hadn’t wait for him, because I ran forward like a coward. Next day I was walking through the backcountry. The dog was walking beside me and whimpering quietly. I named him ‘Naara’ which means ‘cry’ in Pashto. We made our way to Turkey. Naara is my dog now, as well as my best friend. We traveled very long. We crossed valleys, desert, rivers, even mountains. I became a thief because I’ve stolen food. I became a hunter because I learnt how to shoot. I became a murder because I was trying to protect myself and Naara. But we prevailed, and that’s all that matters. Wiktoria Różycka -

Acrostichon Rayan F ly L ocals I mmigration G o and hide H opeful T o miss your home land

Jassir/Orkun/Emre F reedom O rganise an escape R run for your life E migration I mmigrants G ood future? N o racism E migrants R ights that are fundamental Jessica F oreigner L ocals I immigrant G reat chance H ardship T rafficking

Jassir/Orkun/Emre F ly L long I mmigrant G ate H elicopter T o escape war

Ilayda/Perin F ly away L ong wait I mmigration procedure G ate 13 H elicopter T o escape from war Jassir/Orkun/Emre M oney I mmigrant G lobal citizen R efugee A lien T o be safe I mmigration O rganise a place to live N o discrimination Ricardo

Ceyla/Abi

Ricardo

F lying like birds L lying in the sun I magine a world without all that G row up like a bird H igh in the sky T hen I can do what I like

F amily means L iving together I nternational airport G reat opportunity H igh in the hotel T he time of our life

F ly Or R run E verything Is G ood N ever make E nemies R eally, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it!

Migration - As a necessity not as a wish A few years ago, on the place where now is the Valea Uzului Dam from Bacau County, Romania, my grandparents built their house. It was a village with happy families. The village was moved against their desire during the communist time because the authorities were planning to build the dam in that area. Because water level increase very much it was a necessity to move that settlement. It was very hard the move of the people who lives there because is hard to live the houses were you are born and grew up. Some people just built their houses, and authorities tear them down. To start a new life from scratch is very hard. You need a job and a house… They don’t have that, so those who care for families have had to migrate to other countries to ensure the future of their children. To say goodbye to your child knowing that you probably will not see him soon, it’s more than hard. Some parents came back and others did not yet. Everyone choose how to live their own life. Teodora Pintilie, 13 years old, Member of Ecology Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

We create our happiness, no matter where we live. My cousin migrated to Norway. She has a bigger salary and better conditions. I personally wouldn’t like to migrate to another country even if there is better than here. One of the main reasons is that I love Croatia and the weather here is amazing because most of the days it is sunny and warm. The second reason is that I am happy here and I would do anything to stay here because I think

that anyone can succeed if they are motivated and motivation keeps them going on and on and if you find a job that you love, salary is not the only important thing. If you are heading for a better job you can find it in another country but if you’re heading for the job that you love you can find it even here in Croatia because we create our happiness no matter where we live. Josipa

The Importance of Migration Migration. Such a harsh word for those in the oppressed countries, where they were born, but from where they are forced to leave, almost daily, in another country whose language maybe they don’t even know and from where they might be banished. Personally, I wouldn’t really like to go to another country, to move there, to build a future there, but, on the other hand, I would like to. Especially, I would like to study in France, but I do not know for sure, because I think I may be expelled, because of the reputation that some Romanians have in other countries. However, this country attracts me in a way, it has something that keeps calling me to it. I was there a few days, in an exchange of experience, and it was nice, I made many friends. I have relatives who have left for Italy and I think that some of them found it quite easy to get comfortable and start working there. My aunt almost moved there. Her son, who grew up in Italy, now almost finished school there. I talked to him about what he wants to do in the future and he told me, I quote, “I would like to go back to Romania, to stay in my house, in my bed, to find a job, as a bartender, and maybe I will stay to live here.” I told him it’s not that easy here, because we don’t have much resources anymore and the country is almost ruined. He told me he didn’t care, that this wouldn’t stop him, yet that it hurts knowing he would leave his friends he made over time. My conclusion is that “migration” is somehow a way of escaping from a precarious environment, but once you’re left it is good not to forget the roots you come from. Larisa Moraru, 17 years old, Member of Journalism Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

The Migration Well, to talk about migration we must know what migration is. The migration is when you’are disappointed about your country’s political issues and you want to move out abroad to live a better life. A migration situation can be a holiday, for one day, one week, a month or a year. Migration it is, if you want to call it like that, an unlimited word in it’s sense. But let’s talk about the case when you need to move out to basically not die of starvation. There are good things and bad things about migration. The good thing is that your life will implicitly get better after migration. Some people reading this will say it’s an illusion, a race for money. It’s not all about money. The people, the infrastructure and the services are also important factors that influences the migration. The bad thing about migration is that, when you migrate, you leave your family behind, most of the time. In the first months of a migration situation you will miss your parents and siblings. It’s hard. But it’s normal. We all would react like this. The migration is good or bad, it depends on your personality and lifestyle. Mario Slăveanu, 13 years old, Member of Journalism Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

Why me? In this article i would like to tell you my own story. The migration experience has had a negative impact on my life. Both of my parents are Romanian, but I am born in Italy, where they went to work. When I was nine years old my parents decided to move back to Romania. At that time i have finished the fourth grade. This news broke me, I was asking my self all kinds of questions and nobody wasn’t giving me any answers. On June 26, 2012, I arrived in Romania, i did not know anything about this country, and i did not know anyone, except a few acquaintances. I was so sad, I was crying, I was trying to integrate, but all the kids were laughing at my accent, the way I was doing things and the way I dressed.

feelings, departures, all these unexpected and unwanted changes were far too difficult for me, too difficult to bear. In a few months my parents’ divorce has become reality, my father left for America and got lost.

After a fairly short period, my mom told me that she and my father would get divorced and my dad will leave to America. Everything shocked me, I felt like my entire world was crashing. All these

so much and I wanted to see him again, at any cost. Finally, the long awaited moment had arrived. On my way to Los Angeles, I was thinking of moving to my father, but, at the same time, I was thinking of my mother and her suffering. And it was very hard for me. Even though I was very attached to my father, I couldn’t leave my mother and

For three years I never saw my father, then, suddenly, I got a phone call. It was my father, who proposed me I pay him a visit. I immediately accepted, I was missing him

my brother. I was in Los Angeles, at the airport, waiting for my father, and, when I finally saw him again, I burst into tears. That mini-vacation made me think and realize that my father moved away a lot and that he had restored his life with another woman.

I went back to Romania, I started to adjust, slowly. I suffered a lot and although almost two years have passed since my last visit with my father, and almost four years since my last vacation in my native country, I find it very hard and I miss it. People’s migration can often be painful, as well as mine. I wish all people could live in their native country, where to enjoy a decent life next to their families, and not to suffer from the departure and loss of loved ones. Sabina - Ionela Burcă, 16 years old, Member of Journalism Club from Children’s Palace Bacau

g t i i

n i g W so f ra

n o