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Sokratis comes from Albania ; he was born in 1977 at Hasi (Northern Albania) and came in Greece for the first time in 1993. At the time of the interview his worked as a 'Unemployed'.
Interview date: 28/05/2006
Researcher who did the interview: Alexandra Siotou
Subfield of the interview: Labor
Sokratis´ father was a cattle breeder and his family was rich. However, when Enver Hoxha took power, the family property was expropriated. Until his father´s death, though, they did not face any economic problems. When his father died, however, Sokratis had to find a job. When he was 13 years old he decided to go to Kosovo which was only a short distance away from his village, and where he had some relatives. He managed to cross the border but later he was later caught by the police and had to return home. When he was 16 years old he left for Greece. He crossed the border on foot but faced some difficulties and had to return to Albania. Some time later he came again to Greece and settled down in Larisa, where for five months he worked in the fields. He invested his money in the so-called ‘pyramid´ schemes and lost it. Later on he came to Volos, where he stayed until 2000. In Volos he worked for a long time at a foundry. Then, he decided to migrate to England, where some friends were living. In London, he first worked in the construction sector and then he worked as an attendant in a synagogue. He notes that in England working conditions were better than those in Greece. Three years later he was deported from England and went to Italy, where he worked for two years as a builder. For the last three months he has been living in Greece; he has a visa. He recently got married. He met his wife in Albania, where she still lives. He mentions that many things in his country have changed, and that the economy has improved greatly. He thinks of returning to Albania and of setting up a business there.
