Humans of South - Humans of Kurdistan

"I had taken my sewing machine with me to the dorms during my college years. The university tried really hard to convince me to not take the machine, but I was adamant on my decision. I was sewing clothes for the girls in the dorms for a very small fee, and did it free of charge for the ones who didn't have the money because I knew that the students in the dorms knew no one in the city and had a lot of expenses.Sewing has become a big part of my life, I am never away from my sewing machine. After I graduated from college, I started teaching a friend of mine so she starts working after me. I have created a culture in the girls dorms; the girl that I have taught must teach someone else so the momentum is kept because I know that the girls really need it.Now that I have graduated, I still do sewing and I have my own shop. Furthermore, I have several students that I teach sewing to, and I have a book written that is in its last stages." ...

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 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 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.” ...

Sep 29 2020

September 29, 2020

“I was 28 years old when my husband passed away. Other than sorrow and five kids, he left nothing behind. My husband had another wife, I have five kids, and his other wife has two. After his death, the other wife soon married someone else and left her two kids with me, and I took them in. We have had a very difficult life, so I thought of getting a job so I can raise these 7 kids. I finally opened this shop, and I have been working as a shop owner for 15 years. I buy second hand clothes from people and I resale them. There is a woman from Eastern Kurdistan that visits me often, she buys authentic Kurdish clothes that are old and for a good price, too. She knows plenty about Kurdish clothes.” “Usually, I buy fruits and food for my kids from my earnings from the shop so my kids stay full. There are times that I only profit IQD 250 or IQD 500 from a piece of cloth that I sell, but I always stay thankful. If you are happy with what you have, then it doesn't matter how much you have. I act as both a mother and a father for my kids, and I feel very happy that I don't ask for anything from anyone, I will never let my kids to be hungry.Being a woman is very difficult in this country, a lot of the time despite your responsibilities, you will have to act as the man figure as well. Money is not everything in life, I always say that money can make you forget your religion, or even make you more religious. To me, seeing my sons for one hours means the whole world.” ...

Sep 28 2020

September 28, 2020

“When I used to see people at a bookstore buying my book, I was getting the feeling as Roland Barthes states, "The birth of the written lines must be at the cost of the death of the Author." However, I don't feel that way anymore.I admit that I am very happy when I see people buy my book, because of two reasons:First, because as an Author I feel like that my time and efforts for my writings have been paid off and I have delivered my message.Second, when a book is bought, it means to me that the book has its value. I never support the idea of donating books, I believe that if books are sold for even a small price, they should still be valued. The best thing you can do for an Author is to buy their book because the Authors that make a living off of their writings are very few. Unfortunately, buying books is not a culture here yet, while Kurdish books are usually much cheaper than international books.” ...

Sep 25 2020

September 25, 2020

“I'm twenty eight years old, and don't be surprised if I told you that I have become the chief of my village. Being the chief of a village has changed. Previously, people used to go to their chief looking for a solution to their social problem, but now they come to me to fix their electronic devices. In 2003 I was introduced to satellite TV for the first time, and I started working on it since then. Then I bought a computer and little by little I started learning to work on it. After that, as you know mobile phones were in every home and have become an everyday used device, and I was also the person everyone came to when they had problems with their phones. Now that social media is used by more people, I take the responsibility of creating people's accounts, I may have made more than 200 accounts and emails. I'll admit that I have broken many devices, satellites and computers until I started getting the proper experience” ...

Sep 24 2020

September 24, 2020

“My mother has attended childbirth many times, and I have the same gift as she does. God is the reason for everything happening, but I am also the mediator. I used to be afraid from the beginning, but the first childbirth I attended was of a woman weighing 280 kilograms, from that occasion I have gotten used to difficult childbirths. As much as I have experience, I also implement the academic process. I have a certificate from a Korean organization that teaches how to attend childbirth the scientific way. I only use herbs as medicine, they have no risks at all. I have attended over 250 childbirths, among them European women, or even some medical staff who gave birth to their children. I truly hold my job dear to my heart and believe it brings good. You don't even realize how happy I am that I see families that are hopeless to have children, but at one point they were blessed with a child.I always tell women to not lose hope, God always gives. There are many women who have been about fifty years old and I have attended their childbirth.” ...

Sep 22 2020

September 22, 2020