Redwan Adalat - Humans of Kurdistan

"I'm now a senior in Agriculture college, when I was first accepted to college as a twenty years old girl from the cold mountainous areas of Balakayaty going to Hawler, it was very difficult. Getting used to the busy city was very hard compared to the calmness of Balakayaty. It is worth mentioning that having family and closed ones nearby really helped there, but in Hawler, I must take care of everything myself. In addition, there were several other things that made me stressed out and made me ask myself whether it was really me in the middle of that busy city. Nevertheless, I have been able to get used to things by making connections, and now the city has become a big part of my life and I love it here. I now miss the place whenever I get away. I used to think that I can't stay here for four weeks, let alone four years." ...

Nov 05 2020

November 5, 2020

in Humans of North

“We used to live in the village, we moved to Mardin in 1992 and we live here now. Our land and farm are still in the village and we visit back every weekend to take care of them. We used to do every work before coming to the city, but now we have no jobs in Mardin, and we cannot visit our village and come back every day. We used to start working from sunrise until noon, and take a rest under tree shadows, then go home and prepare dinner. We used to prepare milk for dairy products and made loads of bread, turning the house upside down and then clean it all over again, and later on bring water from the river. We never rested, and never felt pain or illness. There is more time to rest now, but there is also as much illnesses.” ...

Nov 04 2020

November 4, 2020

“I couldn't finish my education due to our financial situation, we were living in a mud house, but because the place is so small, I am now living with the Muezzin of a mosque. I have worked in physical therapy, media, even theater and cinema, in 1997 I participated in "The Golden Fish" play. However, due to my heavy weight, I haven't been able to work for about 10 years, some people even make jokes about it and that really affects me mentally. I can speak 4 languages, I have learned to speak English and Arabic from school, my native language is Kurdish, and I have learned Turkish from watching TV. Despite my expertise, I couldn't get any jobs, and mostly my applications have been rejected because of my heavy weight, it really upsets me. I hope I can find a job one day so I can buy the daily things I need” ...

Nov 04 2020

November 4, 2020

“I have been playing football since I was seven, a lot of the times along with my friend Jan we play in a muddy field. During the trainings, we are playing on the opposite sides, but we are in one team during official games. We fight a lot, but we also love each other very much. I have left school so I have a lot of time for playing, and we are currently busy forming a team for Qamishli tournament. I am a Barcelona fan, but my parents are Real Madrid fans and they bought me Real Madrid kits, I hate the team but I have to wear their kit. Whenever those teams play we fight since we are not the fans of the same teams, an whenever Barcelona lose I go and hide for a couple of days because they make fun of me.” ...

Nov 03 2020

November 3, 2020

in Humans of East

“So far, I have not been happy with my life, as much as I think about it, I can't find a period of time where I have been happy. After my spouse and I were separated, I raised my kids the best way I can. I got into trouble because I participated in collecting money with my neighbors (sulfa) and after a while I couldn't pay, and eventually I was imprisoned. After a year and a half in prison I was diagnosed with cancer, and it was the hardest thing when they informed me. After all of that, my family didn't want to stay in contact with me. I started working in prison, I was doing everything, from being a janitor to even guarding. I collected about 8 million toman, I asked one of my cellmates to put a property on the line as a warranty for my release, and I was released. I still have to pay back 68 million toman, but I constantly work and sometimes people help as well. Most people who know me, think of me as an active woman, and that motivates me to keep going to finally have a better life.” ...

Nov 03 2020

November 3, 2020

“My dream was to work in the media. When I graduated high school, all of my family were against me studying in the media. The closer college applications got, the more I was nervous, thinking how I can convince my family. I remember they were all against me except for one of my friends. Only that friend supported me and made me even more determined on my goal, and eventually, my big brother started supporting me as well. One thing that I tell my colleagues is that success does not depend on your position at work, but it depends on your desires and goals, I always say go for what your heart tells you and what you desire. I'm now a senior studying in media, I passed every year being the third of my class, and I work as a reporter. The people who were against me and were telling me that I can't do it now can see that I can, I can even do more.” ...

Nov 02 2020

November 2, 2020

“I build houses with mud, I learned this craft as a kid from my father, it's fun work. People used to help each other in fixing their houses for winter, there are still people who help other, but not like before. It used to be a different atmosphere, the elderlies were having a conversation, the young were fixing the houses while the women were cooking. These mud houses only exist in Jazira area, it doesn't exist in other places in Rojava anymore. The reason they still exist here is because they are warm in winters and cold in the summer. The houses are made of a special kind of mud, which is black in color, you can't just use any mud. I personally prefer mud houses.” ...

Nov 01 2020

November 1, 2020

“I was very young when I got married, a lot of people thought that I was wrong getting married so young, but I never regret it and I am very happy with my life. When I go anywhere with my kids, people think they are my younger siblings because I look much younger than a father with two kids. I'm very happy that I am still young and I see my son growing up. That was the reason I got married young, I wanted my children to grow with me. Marriage is one of the pillars in life and you will have to do it soon or later, so I believe that as long as you are strong you should decide to do it.” ...

Nov 01 2020

November 1, 2020

“Because there was a valley in the middle of our village, I couldn't go to school because rain would flood it in winters. I was the only child so my parents were afraid to send me to school thinking something might happen to me. I was twelve years old when my father decided to buy me some sheep to look after. When I turned twenty, I joined the army, and when the 1973 war happened, I was a soldier. We were about 100 meters away from Israeli soil, and we went into the country at dawn, before the morning prayer we ate since we were fasting, and suddenly a lot of firing were coming our way, but we survived. After a while, we were out of water and food and were ordered to get on our cars and go to another location. At that time we were bombarded and only 20 of us survived. After all that, I went back to being a shepherd of a few sheep so I keep moving and have a good health.” ...

Oct 31 2020

October 31, 2020

“I am a descendant of Mshko the singer, and I am very proud of my grandfather because the respect we get from people especially in Hawler is because of him mostly. It appears that older artists were highly respected unlike this generation's artists. You can see that most people don't even recognize the artists. People whose ages are as my grandfather's and are still alive tell me that I look like him the most, and this is why they really like me. It is strange that I really do look like him, but unfortunately can't sing like him.” ...

Oct 31 2020

October 31, 2020