Tránsito/ Crossing

Crosssing Hello, my name is Moses Mboma, and I am from eastern Sierra Leone, from the tribe Cono. I have been here in Spain for 8 years. My name is Dana, I was born in Romania and I have been in Seville for 2 years. My name is Carlos, I'm originally from Colombia I have been in Spain for 6 years. I am Piquita, I am Venezuelan and have been in Spain for 8 years. I left my family behind, my friends, work, home... another reality. My experiences as a migrant were initially very hard. The first years were really hard being part of a society that does not know you, a society that perceives you differently, because you are different. The truth is that since childhood, life has been very hard to me, because my country was in war and I emigrated from my country to other countries in Africa looking for refuge. It is not easy. It is not easy to start over in a different country, with different customs without money... having to make new friends. It was a bit difficult at first I believe it would be for anybody, but anyway... Because of the crisis in the construction industry, things began to get worst and I did not have... and I did not have anything to survive on. I met Andrea because of my need... My need for emigration was growing. So the truth is, that I met Andrea in Tangier, because Tangier in Morocco is one of the cities from where people go by boat to reach Spain. I was at the verge of despair, when a friend told me about Andrea. And she came to me, greeted me and told me, she knew I have had a difficult story, so offered to help me cross the border. And this person came - a super tall person, with clear eyes, who caught my attention immediately because of her almost red hair and when we finished the class she approached and asked me where I was from, what was I doing there and which were my life goals. Because Andrea is very complicated. Because if she asks you to do something, you have to do it. You have to comply and do things perfectly. Because she as a person won't make any mistakes. And does not like problems, so of course I did everything as she instructed me. and in order to come here, and be able to cross the border, she transformed me into a dog. And she turned me into an elephant. And he mentioned to me... ...that this person could turn you into an animal. And she turned me into a penguin. Well, to survive as an elephant is not easy. I remember... one day I was very thirsty... and I had found a swimming pool where there were people inside, but I was just thirsty... and they were all looking at me strangely, but I only wanted to drink. And there's this problem when going to a restaurant, and nobody wants to sit beside me, since I'm a dog. The first thing was how to travel on a plane as a penguin. You can probably imagine a penguin on a plane... People were taking photographs... It was a totally new sensation for me. To be a migrant is to be different... but to be a migrant penguin is to be entirely different. I wanted her to turn me into an animal that would go unnoticed, like a dog or a cat, but... of course, she turned me into a monkey. I was lucky to find work but... people looked at me and laughed they treated me badly. Sometimes, I had to hide in order to eat something. One day, in a super market I wanted to buy something to eat and went to pay for it but... I guess, to them seeing an elephant in a super market was a weird thing. The first years were extremely rough... because... in order to eat you need work and I couldn't find anything. How could I get employment being in such a condition? Trying to move on ...trying to move on with my life any way I could, but it was not an easy experience. If you are not... considered equal... from the others it's more difficult. CROSSINGS by Dei Gallardo RE-MAPPING EUROPE