Settling In Through Support and Personal Agency

Estre describes how the support of her employer, social networks, and her own openness helped her settle into life in Germany. At the same time, she makes clear that belonging does not emerge through institutional support alone, but is actively built through everyday relationships and personal initiative.

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Professional Mobility and Family Decisions

Caring for family across borders Seeking opportunities Setting off and leaving behind

A professional opportunity leads Estre and her family from Spain to Germany. Her story shows how international mobility is shaped not only by career opportunities, but also by economic circumstances and shared family decisions.

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Work, Family, and Community Engagement

Building communities and supporting each other Creating a home Facing discrimination and marginalization Negotiating belonging and identity Working double

In her adult life, she focuses on her career, family and community involvement. Anastasia juggles responsibilities at work, in raising her children, and within the Greek community.

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Perspectives and Belonging: Work, Networks, Future

Building communities and supporting each other Creating a home Negotiating belonging and identity Standing up for human rights and workers’ rights

Over time, new opportunities emerge through studies, work, and social networks. At the same time, her connection to Greece remains strong and continues to shape her sense of belonging.

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Arrival and Adjustment: Language, Studies, Everyday Life

Dealing with challenges in a new environment Seeking opportunities

The first years in Germany are marked by a new beginning: learning the language, finding orientation within the academic system, and navigating everyday life in a new environment. Challenges and uncertainties accompany this process.

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Decision and Departure: Migration in Times of Crisis

Navigating life decisions Seeking opportunities Setting off and leaving behind

Against the backdrop of the economic crisis in Greece, Maria Papadopoulou faces a fundamental decision after completing her studies: to stay or to leave. Migration appears as a way to escape uncertainty and to seek new opportunities.

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When the time comes to get on the plane, with all these feelings in your luggage, to leave your old life behind, the language you grew up with, in which you communicated, to leave your place of refuge, your safe place. It was not easy. We cried. A lot. But we told ourselves that it was for our own good. And for our parents, because the house was suddenly empty. It is an icon that we all in the family know, this is my icon. It was given to me when I was very little. And wherever I go, I take it with me. On the back, there is also a beautiful dedication that has accompanied me throughout my life.

Family icon from Maria Popodopoulou — Orthodox icon of the Holy Mother Mary “Gorgoepikoos” (“She Who Hears Quickly”). This icon of the Holy Mother Mary, known by the epithet “Gorgoepikoos” (“She Who Hears Quickly”), was brought to Germany by Maria Papadopoulou when she moved there. Icons are a central element of religious practice in Greek households and are often placed in a designated area known as an iconostasis. During labour migration from Greece, they served as important religious objects and were frequently taken along as symbols of protection. This significance continues to the present day.

**Translation of the text on the back:**
“Maria, may our Holy Mother Mary, the Mother of all people, make you a good and beautiful woman—in body and in soul. Archontoula, July 4, 1994.”

Back side of the family icon from Maria Popodopoulou, with a message — Orthodox icon of the Holy Mother Mary “Gorgoepikoos” (“She Who Hears Quickly”). This icon of the Holy Mother Mary, known by the epithet “Gorgoepikoos” (“She Who Hears Quickly”), was brought to Germany by Maria Papadopoulou when she moved there. Icons are a central element of religious practice in Greek households and are often placed in a designated area known as an iconostasis. During labour migration from Greece, they served as important religious objects and were frequently taken along as symbols of protection. This significance continues to the present day.

**Translation of the text on the back:**
“Maria, may our Holy Mother Mary, the Mother of all people, make you a good and beautiful woman—in body and in soul. Archontoula, July 4, 1994.”

Building a Life: Work, Family, and Belonging

Building communities and supporting each other Creating a home Facing discrimination and marginalization Negotiating belonging and identity

Over time, Ceferina gains confidence and stands up for herself at work. Through perseverance and support from others, she gradually builds a new life in Germany and creates a sense of belonging.

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Arrival and Struggle: Life in Germany

Caring for family across borders Dealing with challenges in a new environment Facing discrimination and marginalization Standing up for human rights and workers’ rights

Arriving in Germany brings new challenges: unfamiliar language, hard work in the textile industry, and difficult living conditions. At the same time, Ceferina must cope with the painful separation from her children.

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Leaving Spain: Crisis and Decision

Navigating life decisions Seeking opportunities Setting off and leaving behind

Ceferina García García grows up in Asturias, where economic hardship and uncertainty shape everyday life. When her husband falls ill and the family faces growing financial pressure, the decision to leave Spain becomes inevitable.

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Language, Belonging and Diaspora Experience

Building communities and supporting each other Dealing with challenges in a new environment Facing discrimination and marginalization Negotiating belonging and identity

Language barriers complicate her interpersonal relationships and participation in society. She increasingly relies on diaspora networks rather than engaging with broader social or civic life. The dialectic between her need for support and her desire for recognition and participation leads her to continually reflect on questions of belonging and identity. Life in the diaspora becomes an ongoing process of social and political socialization and negotiation, through which she constructs her new identity.

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For a full transcript of this video interview, please see the PDF linked below in the credits.