Redwan Adalat - Humans of Kurdistan

“Maybe from the minute you are born your destiny is written in a way that you will have to go through many trouble. No one knows about your destiny, not even you do. Ever since I was a child, my life hasn't been normal, as there was always something bad happening that I had to overcome. Hoping that I would settle for a while, something else always came up. I was always struggling, but having a good and supportive family helps you to not reach desperation even in the hardest days. Having a good person as your spouse that always tries to make you and your children happy, then you don't have to be afraid of anything. Your life becomes much easier.” ...

Oct 09 2020

October 9, 2020

in Humans of West

“My grandmother was ninety years old, and despite her age, she was very healthy until one day she slipped and fell while washing up for the prayer. Both her knees were injured and she had to stay in bed. My mother's health was declining and I was the only child in the house, so I decided to take care of her. I was making her food, and bring her the medicine she needed in a timely manner. I was very attached to her, in a way that I loved her more than myself. However, it was starting to affect my education and my social life, to a point where I wasn't going out with my friends anymore in case my grandmother needed something. She stayed on that bed for 11 months.” “I decided to visit one of my sisters in Qamishli to relieve all the stress I had. I told my grandmother that I would only take a couple of days and will be back soon. She held my hands tight and asked me not to leave because she was afraid that she will never see me again, I gave her a fake smile and told her to not worry, nothing bad will happen. I will never forget that moment.They called me the same night saying my grandmother was in a really bad shape and she had asked for me. I regretted my decision to leave so I cried a lot that night.My brother and I decided to pay a driver to get us back to Hasaka immediately. When I opened the door I saw all of my relatives surrounding her, and she was still in her bed. I heard her calling my name, saying that she wants to see me before she passes. I got close and we held hands tightly, I told her that I was there for her and I would never leave her again all while we were both crying. She passed away right in front of me, and that left a big gap in my heart forever.” ...

Oct 08 2020

October 8, 2020

"After people started to go back to their villages, we were happy about one thing, and that was harvesting tobacco. Harvesting tobacco is a tradition in our village and it has always helped it financially. Each year, one hour worth of machine work goes into our fields, in which I'm able to plant about 200 trees. Since we harvest it from trees, it is better to count the trees. The process starts in spring, we start planting and then on March 15th we cultivate the land and both males and females start working. The males cultivate the land and make it ready for the females to plant the tobacco seeds. Then, it takes about 15 to 20 days until the tobacco starts to grow, and we start topping and suckering in three different stages. Finally, in about 15 to 20 days the tobacco is ready to be harvested." “There are several types of tobacco, for example Faqe Hawez, scented tobacco, Be Shama, and Base Shal. Scented tobacco especially exists in Zewa, Hartal, and Shira. Be Shama exists in Nwawa and Dwawa. Base Shal is Bitwen's specialty. The best type of tobacco is the scented tobacco of Zewa as it's made on world standard quality. The Saids use it and if it is harvested well and is well taken care of, it could cost up to $100 per kilo. About 40 or 50 years ago people used to visit the villages to bring Qasp dates and soap to trade with tobacco flowers. The dates were called the Kurd killer Qasp and they used to bring it in 30 kilo batches. The reason behind the naming is because the Arabs didn't eat this type of Qasp, they only used it to feed their animals. However, since we didn't have much to eat and were not familiar to other types of dates, we really liked it. The tobacco leaves are usually hung on metal bars, but the flower is taken off and rested on a hotbed to be dried.We are very happy with our work, and despite the fun we get out of it since we do it in groups, it has a good financial return for us.” ...

Oct 07 2020

October 7, 2020

“Ever since I have opened my eyes, I have followed my father's passion and love for learning music, especially playing Saz because he had several instruments and he let me play them from time to time. When I turned eight years old, my father took me to a music teacher and for the first time I was introduced to the Keyboard; that teacher taught me all about music notes. When I was fourteen, I wanted to learn to play Tar, and so I asked another teacher to learn playing Tar. For about six years, that teacher taught me about Tar, and Kurdish and Persian music scales.” “I finally joined Zhi music group; I started playing music with a group and as a profession. I was the only female Saz player in the group. Many people found this odd and talked about me, but all of my family, and especially my father were very supportive of what I was doing. They encouraged me to continue because they knew music was a part of my life.We conducted many concerts around the country in order to further progress Kurdish music. We also participated in Fajr Festival in Tehran. All while I was learning how to sing and in Urmia under the instructions of another teacher.Apart from music, I study Masters in diseases caused by microbes and I work at a diagnosis lab.” ...

Oct 06 2020

October 6, 2020

“Life is really not the bubble that many people see it as, from the moment I have opened my eyes nothing seemed to have go my way. As a young boy, I was a shepherd, a farmer, and always worked in the mud in my village. Because of the difficult life I had, despite being born in 1957 I got married at the age of thirty five. Life used to be different from what it is now; when I got married my friends sons' have already become shepherds. I have been digging wells since the 1980s, I'm several meters beneath the earth for the most part of the day as I try to dig more and more. Whenever I come back to the surface of the earth, the loneliness from down there stays with me, and so I don't have the desire to speak to anyone. The darkness and loneliness of the wells have attached me to my thoughts only.” ...

Oct 06 2020

October 6, 2020

“My main concern was that I won't get accepted in the college that I have been working for my whole life. However, when I finished 12th grade, the grades I earned were not what I wanted. Then, I had to make a choice, either to try again next year, or study in any college that will accept me.The only person that could help me decide is my mother. She always tells me that I can do it, but I believe that success doesn't always have to be in the area that you want to succeed in. I had a teacher that always used to tell me: how he liked to study engineering, but his father helped him apply the form and secretly put medicine on top of the form. When he had found out, he had torn the form apart and had applied a new form. When he had known he couldn't get accepted in engineering, he had decided to study physics. He is now a physics teacher and he always says that If he was to go back in time, he would choose physics again because he has been successful in it.” ...

Oct 05 2020

October 5, 2020

“Hitchhiking is a type of traveling that has become very famous in the past few years, especially among the ones who want to travel cheap. I have been traveling this way for two years now; we started hitchhiking along with one of my cousins two years ago. We wanted to go to Hormuz Island as our first destination, but we got to Ahvaz hitchhiking with three cars. What's good about hitchhiking is that you get to know the people you travel with and you create a bond with them. That bond is very important to me because it helps you get familiar with the place they are living in. They also get to know to your culture, and you get to know to their culture as well. My last travel was to Lorestan, and my longest one ever was to South, it took me 24 days.” ...

Oct 04 2020

October 4, 2020

in Humans of West

“When we used to get the flu or cold, my mother used mix some herbs and boil them in water. This made me wonder how it could be possible that some wild herbs could heal illness. From there on, I started herb treatment business and that has been my work for 20 years now.My first patient had an excruciating pain in the stomach, and I was able to treat his pain, and he came back and brought me a gift. He brought me three books, and told me to choose whichever I want. One of the books were by Abdulrahman Al-Siuti, and it dated 150 years back where he wrote about all the herbs and flowers that could be used to treat illness and their benefits.” “I spent most of my days reading that book, and I was learning about all the types of the herbs. Then, I used to visit the herb shops and to buy the herbs I needed and was making experiments with them.Thankfully, now I can diagnose diseases and find the right treatments for them. So far I have treated many different diseases and have gotten a great return. I was once at a friend's house by accident, someone who was there had kidney stones and their doctor had told them that they have to do an operation, and they weren't financially capable to do it either. I diagnosed him, then gave him a treatment. After a while, when they had went back to the doctor for a check up, the doctor had been amazed and asked where the stones had left.” ...

Oct 03 2020

October 3, 2020

“When the season of pomegranate harvesting begins, we use two types of baskets to collect them, (Barchna) which is a small basket made from dried reed, and another bigger basket called (Qatala) which is used as a backpack. The good thing about using Qatala and Barchna is that they won't let the pomegranates to get hurt when they fall. Also, these tools had been used by our forefathers, and we like using them as well.Rural life could be very good, but it is not as good as it used to be financially. We are used to living here, and that's why we will never leave. Although harvesting doesn't get you enough worth for your efforts, yet when we start harvesting all of that is forgotten about.” "We have many different types of pomegranates, (Suratmba) and (Shinka) are popular ones. We sell some of the pomegranates we harvest and the rest are either turned into vinegar or stored. We create a storing basket from acorn leaves so they are kept cool until winter comes. We truly enjoy eating it in long winter nights. We also sell some of it during winter, because it is more expensive. This basket (Qatal) is also home made from dried reeds, it does a lot of the work we need here." ...

Oct 02 2020

October 2, 2020

“In developed countries, the government provides financial support for the disabled, but in Kurdistan we are the hardest working and most tired class in the community. I'm sad to say that the jobs that are available for the disabled people are jobs that normal people are ashamed to do. If you notice, most of the disabled people who work are either janitors, or employees of the city's municipality. Being disabled has never stopped me from working hard and making a living for my kids. I really cannot depend on the government's aid, they can't pay salaries regularly, let alone help me. Instead, I'm always thankful for my shop neighbors that help me set up my trolley and equipment every day.” ...

Oct 02 2020

October 2, 2020