"Most people say money can’t buy happiness, but I disagree. Everything is yours when you have money. You buy anything you want, you marry whoever you want...
"During the 50s and the age of monarchy, they would make and give out Samani in many of the neighborhoods- Samani was a kind of dessert sort of like Mhalabi (Milk pudding). After it was prepared, they would take it around the houses in a big pot and would give each house a small portion in a dish, which all used to be made out of copper. It had become an annual occasion, but it is not anymore. After concrete fences were built around the roofs and fences were put up around houses, the people lost many memories and traditions. Families were no longer as social as they used to be." ...
"Madness is a new term for love, but I think they are the same, it is the most amazing thing. I think love is the only thing that has made my better and has kept it new and lively. With all its sadness and pain, with all the difficulties of falling in love, for me love is the glance that lightens you up and burns you. Like Besarani has said in a poem, I have viewed the world like I view my lover that is why my life is like spending all the time with my lover and every moment of it feels great.Maybe it is my love for a special person that has created this vision for me." ...
"A friend of mine had a camera store, so I bought a camera from him and became a photographer. In 1997, about 20 photographers were here. We were in competition about who takes better photos or has more customers. The market was at its peak and everyone wanted to take photos at Zrebar. Each photographer would take more than 200 photos in a day. We would immediately send the camera film to the city to be printed in a lab in sizes 10*15 cm. Work was good, even last year was good. People from other cities wear these Kurdish clothes we put here and take photos in them to take back as memories. But there are no tourists this year due to the Coronavirus and economic situation and work is not very good. Throughout the years, photographers gradually left the job. There are no photographers left in Zrebar other than me and even I want to quit it." ...
"It has now been almost 2 years that my only job has been to sit on this chair and give people tickets to visit this park. Do not assume that my work is very simple and fun. All my days are the same, I often feel bored here. But I have no other choice but to do it. Some of the people who visit throw the money at you or do not accept the ticket. They do not realize that I am just an employee, they think the entrance money they pay goes right to my own pockets." ...
"Sarchinar is filled with memories for most people like me. We spent our youth in some places in the city and Sarchinar was one of them. That is why we are still attached to it. It has a special beauty and happiness for me. And today, we decided to celebrate Mikail, my son’s first birthday here in Sarchinar and create a nice, small celebration for him. I remember one time I brought my kids here and on the way we got some fruits. I washed the fruits with that water, not realizing it wasn’t very clean. We all got dizzy and got diarrhea just when we got home." ...
"Now that I am out, I am very very happy. I want to feed the fish and go play. Then I want us to eat and go home. I really enjoy going out, I had gotten really upset at home due to the quarantine. There is no power at home to play some play station or to charge my iPad. I am very sad, I want to go out and see beautiful things." ...
"I studied electrical engineering and like most of my friends, waited to get employed in the public sector, but that did not work out. I stayed home for a few years, my daily life and housework had taken the best of me and depression had taken over my body. I was like a doll, following my husband wherever he went. I asked myself, who am I?⠀I followed several sewing pages on Instagram for a while and bought some simple fabrics and started tailoring them. I coincidentally came across a sewing course and decided to take sewing more seriously. Since then, my whole life became sewing machines, fabrics, and many ways of tailoring. I was no longer sad or depressed. My husband was really happy about it. 3 years have passed now and tailoring is still my passion and love. I share my experiences with people through my Instagram page." ...
"I want to go back to 13 or 14 years ago in my life, around 2006. I had a good life then, I was doing well economically many people would visit me. But when it all changed and I wasn’t in that great condition anymore, the people I helped not only did not help me back, some of them actually became my enemies. If I go back in time now, I would still help them, even those who are worst than anyone else to me, who were not at peace with me, but I would act more cautiously with people and I would be more careful." ...
"I used to be a military driver for the health department. I was 2 doctors’ driver and had a Corona 85. I was dedicated specifically to buying military equipment. Most of the pieces were Romanian, German, or French. They were really good quality. There were absolutely no Chinese goods in this country. When we would go to buy things, my eyes were opened. I was interested in some rugs at the time, and they were really beautiful. I started this job in 1991 when sanctions were imposed on Iraq. There was a market called Mredi, where I slowly bought rugs from and sold here until I was able to gain expertise in rugs. I can now recognize most kinds of rugs in the world in terms of quality." ...
"The wind no longer takes my message to my lover. I no longer make the lake my dating spot! I now send her a message on Telegram and meet with her at a cafe. I indulge in topics of my daily life even in my poems. I roam around the city, I look up and down, I watch people’s attitude, the boys and girls who are in love or have gotten into a fight, or are saying nice things to each other. I observe society’s events. These become my inspiration for my poetry. That is why I am not a nature’s poet. And although I love nature, my poems have never been about nature. Society is the main topic of my poems." ...
"I used to play basketball. The blame falls on everyone when someone makes a mistake as a team. That is why it was difficult to succeed, but boxing is an individuals' game. If you realize you lack something, you try to fix it. The boys in my family have always done boxing and I also liked it. I have succeeded many times in rounds in Kurdistan Province [Eastern Kurdistan]. I have bigger things in my mind and I keep training on a daily basis in this time of Coronavirus even without a trainer." ...