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« I don’t know why this happened to us. I mean to feel so ashamed. To hide our origin, not to be able to say where we’re from. Of course, there’s an explanation for that, but how could I do that? Now, when I think of it, I say to myself, "How is it possible?" Many times when they asked me I even went so far as to say …I don’t know […] In order not to be excluded. Because I felt that they looked at us as if we were a dead dog. This is how most people looked at us. When I told them I am from Albania, it was like I was telling them I am from a country where you can find only dead dogs. That is how much people detested us the moment we told them [we are from Albania]. »
« In Bulgaria nowadays you can find cars I haven’t seen here so far. I mean big cars: Mercedes and BMW and the like. In Bulgaria we also have seventeen officially registered limos. Here I haven’t yet seen a limo. But things are going well. Very well. […] There are some people here who ask me whether we have houses or TVs or shoes [in Bulgaria]. And, I think it was one week ago that some guy asked me if we have electricity in Bulgaria, [if we have] lights. "Do you have," he asked "electricity?" And I go like this "No, we don’t have electricity. I believe, though, that you [Greeks] get electricity supplied from Bulgaria." And he goes: "Yes, yes, I am sorry," he says. I get many questions like this. I mean, [I get] questions that hurt me. »
Reflections of the Other
