Humans of West - Humans of Kurdistan

“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

“I live in an old house on the shore of Chagh Chagh in Qamishli, I have been making pottery for about 70 years. My family have been doing the same work for 450 years. My ancestors had done this in their time, and there isn’t anyone who does this anymore. We can't just use any type of mud we want, there is a certain type that needs to be used to make pottery. In 1996, when Syria and Egypt united, we had a dry season for three years, and I used to go to Basra town on the shore of Euphrates to exchange pottery for wheat. I have met Hafez Assad (the former Syrian president), and due to my knowledge in analyzing the types of mud, he pardoned me from joining the military. The Syrian government sent me to 12 countries to research about mud and its different types. I have also taught my kids, and they are very knowledgeable now, my only wish is that this work continues”. ...

Jan 24 2021

January 24, 2021

“I used to work at my father's coffee shop as a kid, after his death, I inherited the shop, and I became the owner of the oldest coffee shop in Qamishli. My father had made his coffee shop a place for people to come to solutions when they had conflicts. We were also the first to bring black and white TV to the shop. My father has built the place in 1925 when the French were here. Back then, military men went to the place often. Jalal Talabani has also visited here, as well as Saddam Hussein, and that had created a lot of buzz in the city. The place has stayed the same until now, and most people who come here are senior people, they come here to rest and feel nostalgic. I'm very happy that I have been working here ever since I was a child. I have inherited it from my father, and I will leave it to my kids”. ...

Jan 22 2021

January 22, 2021

“I have been working as a taxi driver for about 23 years. Even though my car is pretty old, but it's very valuable to me and I wash it every day. I make a living for my family, I have four kids, and my mother lives with us, she has had a brain stroke. I will do whatever mom needs, because of all the trouble she has gone through while I was a little kid. My job is not easy, I work day and night, and it is a humanitarian work. One day, I saw an accident on the street, I took the injured to the hospital, and if I hadn't he might have died. I used to take people to Aleppo and Raqqa, but it's very dangerous now so I don't go there anymore, especially after the Turkish army took over most of the way to Aleppo and Raqqa. I hope peace and safety will be brought back to the region so everyone lives safely”. ...

Jan 19 2021

January 19, 2021

“I tried to do my best in school ever since I was a kid, my dream was to become a doctor. It's always said that while growing up, dreams become smaller, but I never believed that. What made me more motivated was after the explosion of Newroz of 2015 happened, my father was there and he was one of the injured. We took him to the hospital, I saw many casualties there, and I also saw all the shortcomings, that motivated me to become a doctor even more. My father was injured in his leg and arm, and because his surgery was so late, he became paralyzed. He could not work again so I decided to leave to Southern Kurdistan to get a suitable job. We stayed there for a while, but we couldn't handle it and we came back to Syria. I was then a 12th grade student, and had to try my best to get good grades to be accepted in Medical college”. “Many things happened in the same year, ISIS came to our region and were close to our house, and so we had to leave to Qamishli. Despite the bad situation, I didn't give up on my dreams, and studied and was accepted in Medical college in Damascus. I was extremely happy, and my family were proud of me because I never gave up. I went to Damascus, but a lot of trouble came my way. I was a lonely 18 years old girl, away from my family during the war and instability. As a girl, life was very difficult. I went through a lot, but never stopped chasing my dreams. I am now a senior in college and am going to be doctor to help people so that I wouldn't let what happened to my father happen to anyone else. I have learned a lesson that your situation is only affected by your will and your determination. We have to make positive changes, whether it's for ourselves or others”. ...

Jan 18 2021

January 18, 2021

“I am 65 years old, and I live alone with my sister in Qamishli, I have never gotten married. My father and uncle have fled from the Ottomans a hundred years ago, and have come to Qamishli. During the Arminian genocide, my grandfather had been killed by the Ottomans and my father had been only 6 months old. My grandmother had stayed 7 days among dead bodies to pretend to be dead when soldiers roamed around, she had been afraid to move and get caught, but she had later been able to escape, helped by the mayor of their village. My mother's family have all died. Last year, the same tragedy was repeated in Karabagh region, so we decided to not celebrate new year, showing condolences to all the martyred in the war against Azerbaijan and Turkey armies. The Armenians have faced lots of killings on the hands of the Turks and the Ottomans, same as the Kurds. I hope that peace and safety are back to the world in this new year”. ...

Jan 15 2021

January 15, 2021

“When I was 12 years old, my family forced me to quit school due to struggling financially, and due to the traditions in the family. I was cut off from education and that had a lot of negative effects on me, I wasn't the same as the other girls anymore, but I was still reading novels and stories because I really liked them. I registered at a Kurdish language learning course after the Rojava revolution, I finished three levels of the course and decided to become a teacher, but one of the staffs told me I cannot because of my age. It was pretty upsetting, I felt like all of my dreams and wishes were crushed and I couldn't do anything in life. After a long while, my daughter was applying for college, I went with her to complete the paperwork, and I told my story to the person in charge there. He asked me to apply as well, I was extremely happy, and felt like I had hope again. My family and husband supported me when they knew I can finally reach my goals. I now go to the same university my daughter goes”. ...

Jan 13 2021

January 13, 2021

“I was six years old, my father sent me to a private school for a better education. Most of the kids we Christian, Arabs, and children of rich people. However, since we were Kurds, the school didn't treat us like the others, they were racists and were ignoring us. I stayed there until the sixth grade. I didn't continue there, I went to a public school and made friends, I was much happier comparing to my elementary years. I wanted to get good grades to get into pharmacy, but back then pharmacy college was in Damascus and there was war there. I didn't want to go there, so I chose one of the universities in Hasakah, and I was accepted in economics because I believed that it'd have a good future. When I started in University, it was not what I was expecting. The teachers were corrupt and didn't treat students properly. After two years I quit college”. “Then Rojava University was announced in Rmilan, which is the first Kurdish university in Syria. I decided to study petroleum engineering there, it was a bit difficult because the university was in its early years, and many people said that it won't have a good future and their degree is not recognized locally and internationally. However, we kept going and didn't stop. I saw big differences between the public universities and Rojava University, the students loved each other and were helping each other, and the teachers were like our friends, they taught us very well. This helped us reach our goals. I graduated and had many job opportunities. I'm very happy that I can work in gas and oil fields because there used to be only male employees here. This is truly positive for equality between men and women”. ...

Jan 07 2021

January 7, 2021

“I have loved music and singing ever since I was a kid, and my dream was to become a musician when I grow up. My sister supported me and pushed me because she was a violin player, and my family didn't mind. I had a good voice so I started singing, I sang a lot and my father supported me, and decided to help me develop my talent. People suggested that I learn how to play Saz, and I started learning while I was 13 years old, I also tried to do well at school. I kept playing and my skills were getting better and better. I am now preparing for the 12th grade final exams, which determines my future. I have to try hard and study well, so I'm currently focusing on education and a bit distant from music. However, I will never quit music, or school. I want to get high marks so I make my family proud, I also want to become a musician so I can make myself proud”. ...

Jan 05 2021

January 5, 2021