Humans of West - Humans of Kurdistan

“I was born in the 1970s in a village close to Amuda city. I was raised there and studied in the elementary school until I got to third grade. Our school had no girls except for me and my cousin because they thought that education is only for boys. There was a stigma for girls in education according to the culture of our village, and most of the girls in our family didn't go to school. Therefore, my father decided that we go and live in Hasaka so we are far away from that culture and we finish our education. We spoke Kurdish in our village, and it was difficult to communicate in Hasaka because I couldn't speak much Arabic. This made me try even harder to study, and I actually was among the top students at that school. In high school, I started loving to write short stories, but I hadn't told anyone but my father because I wasn't very good at it. During final exams, I was going back to our village to study because it was quiet and suitable for studying”. “During that time, whenever I used to go outside for studying a woman from the village would come up to me and tell me to continue studying, and was also telling me about her problems. Saying how her husband and her husband's family are pushing her because she wasn't able to get pregnant, and many more problems. We became friends that way, but after a while, I was informed that due to those problems she had, she had committed suicide. I was really affected by this, and it became a reason for me to go out there and show that I exist. I wrote a story on that woman and all the trouble she had gone through, but I didn't publish it. I finished high school with a good grade, I got accepted to college and was able to travel to the capital, but my grandfather didn't accept it because he couldn't let me leave as a young single girl to a distant place, and I accepted that. I went to a teaching institute in Hasakah, I finished it and was one of the top students.” “I was employed in a school near our house, my former classmates were jealous of me then, but I wanted to work in a distant place so I can meet new people, go to new places, and improve my writing. I secretly kept writing fantasy and stories, but kept it hidden fearing my society wouldn't accept a female writer. I then got married, and my husband accepted me being a writer. He really supported me, and encouraged me to publish my writings in publications, after my father, he was the second person to support me. I then started publishing what I was writing. I used to first write fantasy, but I found out that I am a better writer if I write about reality, I then started writing about Qamishli, Hasakah, life,...

Dec 22 2020

December 22, 2020

“Due to my love for fixing radios and electronics, I quit school. My father had a shop for agricultural medicine, and I was going there with him, but I was not staying at the shop because I wanted to spend time at the next-door shop that was fixing TVs and ask questions, and I learned a lot this way. At the beginning, I failed a lot and couldn't fix anything, but I started to learn and succeed later on. When I first started, channel receiver devices were few and were expensive so I built a device that could search for local Kurdish channels. There used to be a channel called Med TV, I was able to get the channel for my village and it made everyone happy, that was my first achievement. As I've gotten old, I cannot do the same work anymore because it has affected my sight. I have had a lot of job offers from European countries, but I will never leave my country”. ...

Dec 21 2020

December 21, 2020

“I liked photography ever since I was a kid, I started taking photos with a mobile phone at first, but then I started working at a TV channel and I accumulated some money to buy a camera. I do videography for Amuda TV, but I like photography more. I like taking portraits of people who have lived a long life and have experienced a lot. Most of the time, I sit down with them and listen to their stories, so they become my friends. The story of every photo I take stays with me, and a lot of the time I print the photos and give them back to the people as a gift. What I do makes people happy, and I am very proud of what I do. My dream is to have a lot of photography equipment, open up a shop and take photographs in events. For now, I'd like to exhibit my photos in a gallery as a first step”. ...

Dec 20 2020

December 20, 2020

“I have spent my childhood in the city, but I didn't like it there and I couldn't work so I went back to our village, and as everyone else there I became a shepherd. After a while, I built a stable and had several horses because I was fascinated with them, I also have several deer. I also have land for vegetables as well. I use four of my horses for racing, and one of them took first place in Jizira region. That horse was beautiful, and also powerful so I named it Haloy Felbaz (Tricky Eagle). Unfortunately, it passed away due to illness and that really upset me. I have now bought a new horse and have named it Gardalul (Storm), and is currently participating in races. I love and care for my horses as they are my own kids”. ...

Dec 18 2020

December 18, 2020

“We are from Mardin. We came to Qamishli to work ten years ago because Syria was economically stable, and transportation between Turkey and Syria was easy. Unfortunately, once we came here the war started. We really miss our place, but because of instability and closure of the border we cannot go back to Mardin to see our families again. We are two sisters and three brothers. I really liked school, but because we had to work, my brother and I had to leave school in 7th grade. Our parents were old and couldn't work. I have tried many different jobs and haven't been successful at any of them, until my brother and I bought a small trolley and started selling cocktails, thankfully we are doing well. We never had a childhood like other children. If we don't work, we will not be able to take care of our family, then we'll have to ask for aid from other people.” ...

Dec 17 2020

December 17, 2020

“I am one hundred years old. I have gotten married when I was eighteen, I have several kids, and each of them have built their lives. Twenty-three years ago, I lost my sight, and after a year my husband passed away. However, I see life through my heart, and feel its beauty. My heart has suffered a lot because I have lost a number of my sons to the war in Syria. One of my sons was martyred, and we named his son after him, but he was martyred, too. After losing them, I don't see much joy in life, and I have lost my sense of hearing and seeing. I am living in sorrow to the day I leave forever.” ...

Dec 14 2020

December 14, 2020

“I once went to my grandfather's house in our village and saw him sitting with someone, his name was Cengo, I sat down with them and they were speaking a language I didn't understand. I asked my grandfather what the language was, he said it was the sparrow language (an ancient language). I asked him to teach me, and I visited him every day until I started learning little by little. We had a number of sheep that I was shepherding, and I was seeing Cengo every day and spoke to him in that language. My grandfather went to live with my uncle, and Cengo left for the city, there was no one to talk to in the sparrow language. I then started looking for a job, while doing so I met someone who wanted help with farming.” “We were working all day without returning home, although he was 45 years older than me, but we were much alike in terms of thinking. He used to read Kurdish books, and explain to me what they were. I found out that he could speak the sparrow language as well, I asked him where he learned it from, he told me that his grandfather had taught him years ago.We moved to the city, and I didn't know anyone there. People couldn't accept the way we were thinking, so when we use to sit down with someone who was criticizing what we were saying, we used to speak sparrow language so that they don't understand. He passed away two years ago, I was very sad by it, and I'm sure I won't find a friend like him again. There is no body that I can talk to in that language anymore, but I will teach my family once I get married.” ...

Dec 12 2020

December 12, 2020

“I had just arrived home, started eating lunch and I heard an explosion. I had a friend called Amr, we would spend most of our times together, I never expected to lose him in that explosion. When I heard the noise, I quickly ran outside to see what has happened. There was a fire around, and the buildings were damaged. I moved a lot of bodies, but couldn't recognize any of them due to severe burnings. I recognized my friend Amr at the hospital, he was in a bad shape and was constantly screaming. They transferred him to Erbil hospitals for treatment, but he couldn't handle all the burns on his body. When they told me that he had passed away, my life changed forever, he used to tell me to pray, but I was always neglecting that. When he passed, I started praying to keep my promise to him. I opened a Shisha shop and wanted to call it Judi, but I changed my mind and named it Amr, so that his name will always stay with me.” ...

Dec 09 2020

December 9, 2020

“In 2012 I graduated from college of Media, and decided to work in that field. One of the strangest things that has happened to me was in 2018 when I went to Manbaj for a news coverage and film army forces on the border, I was guiding four of my friends. We went to the frontlines which was between the free army and QSD. We went to a village which was under the control of the free army, there was a checkpoint before the village, we stopped and asked about the road. I was really scared because one of my friends was wearing QSD military clothes, and if they had found out we were going to get caught. I told them that we were civilians and have lost our way, they wanted to check our car, and they saw my friend they pointed their guns on him and captured him.” “I was sure that there was no way we can get out without informing our families. I ran away into the woods while they were busy capturing my friends, they tried to shoot me, but missed, and I didn't stop. I got to a river and crossed it, I got to an area that was controlled by QSD and I was finally safe. I felt guilty for what happened because I held myself accountable for them. A lot of bad scenarios were in my head, and I was never going to forgive myself if something had happened. After 8 months and a half, both of the armed forces agreed to swap hostages, I was extremely happy because my friends were in that swap deal, and they went home safe.” ...

Dec 08 2020

December 8, 2020

“We had a simple life, but the crisis had affected the city badly. Every day, the situation was getting worse. I grew up in Jandaris area in Afrin, on a farm land, we had land and olive trees there. Same as everyone else, I left everything I had and went to Kobani, afraid from Turkish army's attacks. We used to live a simple life, but everything has become difficult now. Even though we are safe now, but we can't go back to how we used to live. The best time in life is before marriage because you are free. After marriage responsibilities increase. I left my children and now I live alone. Everyone is living their own lives.” ...

Dec 07 2020

December 7, 2020