Humans of West - Humans of Kurdistan

“24 years ago, I lost my right leg in a car accident, and my life changed forever. It's very difficult to lose a leg. After getting married and having kids, I had to work every day of the year, and I was doing something different every season so that we live comfortably and my kids can go to school. During the Summer, I help my wife making jam and sweets and we sell them to people on demand. However, I do different works during the Winter, I clean other house's AC system for a small fee. A year ago, I wasn't home and my son had turned on the gas, the house was completely burnt down, but thankfully no one was hurt. Back then, my friends and neighbors all helped me get back to track, my neighbors mean the world to me because they have helped me a lot. The house we live in belonged to my father, it now belongs to my brothers and I. They wanted to build a building here and go live in apartments, but I cannot walk upstairs, and cannot do my work if I were to live in an apartment so I told them to leave the house, and they agreed”. ...

Mar 08 2021

March 8, 2021

“When I was seven years old, my mother taught me how to do hand crafting, that was about 28 years ago. Back then, I was helping my mom to learn more, but when I was 15 I learned completely. Hand crafting is usually done by people from the villages, and not the cities. Hand crafting helps me financially, despite the fact that it helps me mentally. I am married and have two sons, I will also teach them once they grow up, so they can pass it on to their children. I have already taught some of my neighbors and relatives and friends. I wish this tradition stays alive for a long time. My mother can't work right now because she has gotten old and can't see well. I currently have participated in an exhibition, and I am very happy that I have”. ...

Mar 05 2021

March 5, 2021

“I am 18 and I am the oldest of my brothers. Ever since I remember, I have been a shepherd because my father and my grandfather also have done the same thing. I have never been to school because our village never had a school, and it still doesn't have one. I hope one day a school opens here so when I get married and have children, my children to school. I rarely go to the city, and when a friend of mine goes for school in the city I get really upset because I am illiterate. However, there's nothing I can do about it, so I raise my cattle and make a living for my family by selling their products, such as milk, fur and meat. We had a rainless year, even until today it hasn't rained enough, we are almost in Spring and grass hasn't grown. This has damaged us very badly because we had to buy food for our sheep, and I have sold half of them to afford it”. ...

Mar 01 2021

March 1, 2021

“Due to my love for animals, I quit school very early. I started by keeping birds, and then I had dogs. I created a special place for them because I really wanted to. Every morning, before I have breakfast, I was preparing their breakfast. I feed my puppies in my arms, and that makes me more affectionate towards them. What fascinates me is that dogs are the most loyal friends to humans, and so I love my dogs and I care for them. When I visit the place all of the dogs run towards me because they miss me. However, I went back one day, all of them came towards me but one, its name was Daikus. When I went to check in on it, it was dead. I was really sad because I had raised it myself. Many people have criticized because of what I do, because I spend a lot of my time with them, but nowadays even my family help me raise my animals”. ...

Feb 26 2021

February 26, 2021

“A year ago, one day I had a stomach ache, I went to the doctor and he told me that I had kidney stone. He prescribed medicine for me, but it was useless. I visited other doctors but none of them could help me, I took so much medicine and still didn't feel any better. I finally visited another doctor, he said that he'd take a sample of my tissue or cells for examination. I was very scared because usually these examinations are done in case of having cancer. After 10 days I was diagnosed with gastric cancer. I took 6 chemotherapy sessions. After the third session, they wanted to examine me again”. “It turned out that I had become better and the tumor was getting smaller. I reached the fifth chemo session and the pain was unbearable. One evening, I started bleeding and was rushed to the hospital, but they couldn't do anything due to my pain, they said that my doctor had to come. I reached out to the doctor, but he didn't come despite how bad my situation was. My cousin took me to Damascus the same day, and when the doctor examined me he told me that I was very stable, and I had never had any cancerous cells, I only had a lump of blood in my stomach. I was very happy when he said that. He prescribed a few medicines for me and I was feeling much better, and I have no pain at all now. When I went back to Hasakah, I decided to file a complaint against my former doctor because he told me I had cancer, and due to his wrong analysis, I had to go through chemotherapy and caused me a lot of pain”. ...

Feb 23 2021

February 23, 2021

“In 1959, there were no schools in my village so my father sent me and my brothers to a Sheikh to learn how to read and write, the holy Quran was being studied in mosques back then. Among all the students, 3 other students and I were doing well, and we could finish the Quran in 4 months, while the other students needed about a year to finish it. After a year, a school was opened in a nearby village, and my father registered me there. The teacher there tested me and told me that I should go straight to the second grade and I don't have to study the first grade, but my father refused the idea. I went to study in the first grade and the teachers really admired me, they really cared for the student that studies hard. They used to even teach me after school sometimes”. “I remember when I used to play during holidays, I wasn't afraid of my family, but I was afraid that my teachers would see me not studying. I got into the fourth grade and we left to Amuda city and settled there. I finished elementary school, but then my father discouraged me to continue because we didn't have Syrian citizenship and he thought it was useless to have an education at that circumstances. Even my teachers visited my father to convince him otherwise, but he didn't agree to it. I started being a shepherd with my brothers. I am sure if I had continued studying I would have had a good future. I grew up and my love for education was still there so I started reading Jagar Khwen's poetry, I started learning his way of writing, and now I write poetry, too”. ...

Feb 22 2021

February 21, 2021

“I was a shepherd as a kid. Because I was living in a village, I was taking care of my animals, and I decided to become a veterinarian to save animals' lives and treat them. I went to Al Baath university in Hamaa city, and was able to graduate in 1988. In 2003, the government decided to open a syndicate for veterinarians for the first time. My friends suggested that I become the manager, and I won in the elections. However, I refused to become the manager, I told them that I didn't want to only sit behind a desk, but I want to help less fortunate people who rely on their animals to make a living. About 28 years ago, I opened a pharmacy special for animals. I believe that being a veterinarian is much more difficult than being a humans' doctor because humans can explain what's wrong with them if they are sick, but animals cannot express themselves. What I do is a humanitarian work, whenever I treat an animal and save their lives, I believe like the world is mine”. ...

Feb 18 2021

February 18, 2021

“I was born in Afrin, I used to study in Technical Institute of Halab university, but the situation in Halab didn't let me finish my education so I stopped temporarily. I went back to Afrin and registered in Kurdish literature college in Afrin university. However, due to the attacks from Turkey in January 20, 2018 I couldn't finish my education. After the invasion on Afrin I went to Rojava University. I was able to graduate and get my degree in Kurdish literature. I have also worked in theater for 10 years, I have written and directed many plays. I have been awarded 4 times by the Ministry of Enlightenment. Several days ago, we produced a play titled "The burnt souls" and was written and presented by myself. The play was about the day that Turkey invaded my city, Afrin. What really upsets me is that the day the invasion happened coincided with my birthday, which is January 20, 1991. This date reminds me of Turkey's attack every year and has a negative effect on my life. I will never celebrate my birthday again unless my city is totally freed”. ...

Feb 15 2021

February 15, 2021

“After finishing high school, I went to study in laboratory. Our country wasn't doing well back then, people's livelihood was very bad and we didn't have public services due to the war. I decided to work as a volunteer while studying. I gathered a number of my friends and started helping people. Even though we didn't have much resources, but helping people worth it even if it only puts a smile on someone's face. We were providing food for less fortunate and displaced people. Then, I started working for a church, we offered a project and they liked it. The project was to put chairs in Al-Hasakah so senior people could sit on them when they get tired. Two years ago, during the attacks on Raas Al-Ain, many people migrated to Hasaka and were living in schools and some of them had nowhere to go. I decided to work voluntarily again with some of my friends, we bought clothes for displaced people as well as necessary items for their kids”. “The work was very difficult and we were really tired. Nevertheless, the look on their faces made us forget all that hardship. I finished college and started working in my own field. COVID-19 emerged and I started working in the emergency room, we were taking samples from people who were suspected to have the virus. The work was very risky because we had direct contact with the patients. We were the defense line against the virus and were most likely to retract the virus. I had the opportunity to travel outside of the country, but I didn't take that chance because the country needed people like me. I hope every young person who has left the country comes back and help us rebuild our country”. ...

Feb 04 2021

February 4, 2021

“My father registered my sister and myself in a Tae Kwan Do school since we were 11 so that we can learn to defend ourselves and learn martial arts. Many people criticized us, but our family was supportive and were able to succeed. We have participated in many international competitions. Our first competition was in Urdu in Turkey, and I got a gold medal. In 2019, I participated in a tournament in Oman, Jordan and got a gold medal in that one, too, and in the same year I got a bronze in Beirut Open. I also got a gold medal in Erbil tournament in 2018. We had planned to participate in Berlin and Malaysia tournaments, but we couldn't due to the pandemic. In 2016, there was an explosion next to our school, we lost two of our friends, and that was a dark period. Nevertheless, we never gave up. Alongside with Tae Kwan Do, I also study Science at Euphrates University. I am in my third year and I have only left one year to graduate. I believe in myself, and I know I succeed both in Tae Kwan Do and in college as well”. ...

Jan 26 2021

January 26, 2021