I am aware I need to write more about my latest time on Chios .. I think my thoughts have not been properly processed. Probably as I travelled straight to Rhodes for a family holiday after Chios.. so epitomizes the juxtaposition of my 2 lives.

Yesterday we arrived on beautiful Symi ..

I was aware of boats arriving on Symi recently, and also that people were kept in the police station.

After a trip to the beach with the kids, I parked them on the steps of the police station.

I walked up yellow stone stairs to a large balcony area which surrounded the jail. The balcony housed many people sleeping outside on familiar, grey blankets. A metal gate was closed at the top of the stairs, so I was unsure whether to enter. Instead I started a conversation with a guy from Syria. He arrived 5 days ago having travelled from Damascus. He said there were many Syrians along with Palestinians and people from the Congo. Among them children, babies and pregnant women.

A policeman came out the office and beckoned me inside. “You can’t talk to my prisoners without my permission” he stated angrily. I looked to the 2 small children sitting outside his office and then back to his face. I swallowed my contempt for this statement .. and apologised for my error. He asked for my passport – which predictably I didn’t have with me .. we continued the tense conversation until I prepared to leave.

As I left, I asked one more time ..” is there anything the people urgently need?”

He softened a little and told me .. soap and breakfast items (as breakfast isn’t provided) .. he added that I was not to talk his prisoners and if I was to give any items I must give to him directly.

I decided return to the police station in the morning – Ben (my 19 year old son) offered to come and help.

We went shopping early the next morning, the issue was that the island is so expensive . I wanted to buy toothpaste and toothbrushes – but this would have cost around 160 euros. I chose carefully.. shampoo, soap, bread, jam, tinned fish and bananas.

I was a little concerned about whether the police would be difficult, but today there was a young guy on duty who allowed access without restriction. I gave some items to the Syrian families at the front of the station, but the guy from Damascus told me to go around the corner as the people there had more need. I hadn’t realised there were so many people.

Some mothers asked for baby milk and water – nobody on the balcony had any water.

I talked with the mothers, we smiled together.. they told me how difficult it was for the babies to sleep on the concrete floor outside – I reminded myself of my whining at sleeping in Athens airport for only 1 night – -just 2 weeks ago.

I told them I would return with water and baby milk .. thankfully Ben was on hand to help ..

I met a gregarious woman from Congo, who arrived last Saturday.. she is 8 and a half months pregnant. She smiled as she told me she was being transferred to Athens today to have her baby …excitement and joy on her face .. I know Athens is such a difficult place to live and so I hope with all my heart she and her baby are granted asylum very soon.

The people here are very supportive of each other.. there seems no animosity between cultures/ nationalities .. because of this atmosphere I was able to give the water and biscuits to a Syrian guy to distribute- I always feel uncomfortable dishing out aid – like some sanctimonious white saviour..

As we were preparing to leave, a man stuck his head through the bars of the jail .. speaking in Arabic to me.. he was asking me to speak to the police and get him out of jail .. I explained that I was not a legal person and could nt help.. he was grasping at straws .. probably locked up for no real reason as many are .

As we left .. a woman asked for toothpaste for her baby .. I inwardly kicked myself.. I know it’s expensive .. but maybe a few tubes of toothpaste could be shared amongst this community of people thrown together in the most difficult circumstances.. A little later I returned with a bag of tubes of toothpaste and was welcomed warmly by an elderly man who opened the gate for me to enter.  Again I handed the toothpaste to someone living there – he shared fairly between the various  families.

In this life .. I don’t feel good about doing these small acts of solidarity .. not really . Moreover I am frustrated and disgusted with our society. There is always more we can and must do #onehumanrace