If you’re reading this and have no idea what this is about, welcome! I highly recommend you read the first post in this series, which I have linked here, as it explains what these blog posts are for, how they help, and how you can get involved.
(And every read the first post gets will still count towards raising money, I’ll add it on to whatever the money raised from this post gets!)
I feel so very moved and grateful that my idea to share peoples’ stories to raise money for the Turkey and Syria earthquake fundraisers reached enough people to do not just one, but two posts! Following the first post, I donated the money raised from the stories sent in and the reads that specific post got to Choose Love’s emergency earthquake fundraiser. It means a lot that people were so on board to send stories in or at least read the post, and I know that the money raised really will make a difference.
Following the same pattern as before, for every story I was sent in for this post and for every read this post gets, £1 will be donated to the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee). And the same as before, details on how you can send something yourself will be at the end of this post.
Today, we have a whole new set of stories to share, so let’s not waste time and dive straight in. Here are, unedited and in their own words, people’s stories and moments of happiness from Turkey and Syria.
My Story (Leyla Demirel)
Last time I talked about food. This time I want to talk about the sounds of Turkey. I hardly have to imagine the sounds of the crickets chirping because I can hear them so vividly as me and my family walk through the village and down to the lake. When we take a walk – to the lake or anywhere, or actually even when we drive out of the village to town, we end up stopping at almost every house we pass to say hello; the community in a village such as where my family live is so welcoming and tight-knit. People who have all grown up together, who are closer to being family than friends. You’ll pop round for çay and still be there 4 hours later, passing the time talking about everything and nothing. The sound of the mosque calling throughout the day, whether you are religious or not, is such a calming noise to me, and wherever we are in Turkey – the village or the city – we are always somewhere it can be heard. I can also so vividly hear the birds singing their hearts out every morning, and the sound of them moving around in the roof of my uncle’s house where they’ve made nests in the beams. You may think that sounds scary, especially waking up to hearing them hop around up there, but it makes my heart feel so warm they’ve chosen there to make their homes!
Of course, Turkey isn’t all calm; my cousins (and yes, me too) laughing, playing, causing mayhem shouting and arguing then making up all in the blink of an eye, and thus the cycle continues. I was there one year when they’d won a football match – nothing major, but you’d think it was the world cup! Horns being beeped like they were going out of use, cheering and singing in the streets, drums being banged – an infectious positive energy that we didn’t even know what the big fuss was but couldn’t help enjoying ourselves anyway. Everyone knows markets and bazaars are a big part of Turkey and their culture. there’s nothing like strolling down the market aisles hearing everyone shouting and calling out, using their best persuasion to try and sell their wares or at least entice you for a look, the haggling on the price to try and steal a bargain. They are not just a feast for the ears, but all the senses! The smell of the spices being sold, or freshly cooked simit is also oh so very tempting! You learn from the first time to never go there hungry, but how can you resist more food that looks, smells and tastes so good?!
Similarly to the markets and bazaars, Side town is a tourist attraction in its own right! It’s amazing to grab a bargain of course but also has that exciting energy, the hustle and bustle you can’t help but get caught up in! The sound of sizzling food being cooked fresh, the smell of it cooking and the spices intermingling, the sounds of people selling their wares, sellers and customers alike striking a hard bargain, the ice cream vendors who are huge characters of their own, and don’t forget music being played in some form or another – always music.
Last year we were there as the local town was setting up for a 3-day music festival and even the setting up had us all dancing in the street! Even at night, there are always sounds to be heard, much like in most places. The crickets, the breeze rustling the trees, the mosque calling, and when we are in the city near the beach – you can sometimes be lucky enough to hear the waves of the sea. The silence that is never fully silent is so calming to me, the chaos of my family who can’t be quiet to save our lives is so comforting to me. And I cannot wait for the day when I hear the sound that starts it all again: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard this Turkish Airlines plane….”.
Anonymous Story
Turkey is beautiful. Sunsets, night skies, music, architecture, history, lovely people with good souls and very welcoming. Strong feelings of community. It has my heart. I think in tragedy we can find hope.
Ismail’s Story (My cousin – he wrote this in English himself!)
We all love guests
We have some holiday cities too as well as many historical places, it is so interesting and there is many different places to see and visit, something for all
4 seasons can be seen all in Turkey, all different and all beautiful
Everybody will help you if they can in any way, not only just for money
Winter tourism, summer tourism, very popular to visit here and it is easy to see why
Heaven in the earth
Anonymous Story
Two thousand one hundred and six miles from home (UK)
Upwards of eighty million people living there
Rich in art, culture and history
Known for all the food full of amazing flavour
Eyes shut and I can feel the sunshine on my skin
You simply must go!
Becca’s Story
My parents went for their wedding anniversary in 2019 and it was one of their favourite places they have been abroad! One thing that made their time there extra special were the people – they said they had never felt so looked after and loved chatting to the locals 😊
(Photo sent in by Becca for use).
Anonymous Story
Damaged land healed by hope.
Hope found in heritage and culture.
Culture invested in family and food.
Home to many by heart, not always location.
Sunshine shared through the brightest smile.
Moments of happiness.
Türkiye.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this post, and to everyone who has read it. I hope you enjoyed reading others’ experiences and words. At this moment, I have no contributions besides my own stories for a future post, but I will never say never.
If anyone wants to get involved, below is the relevant information, both in the image and the text – the writing is the same for both but both have been included so you can read however is easiest. Please contact me via social media or the contact me page on this blog to contribute, and please share this with anyone you think may wish to join in too.
Friends, we’ve all seen what’s happened in Turkey & Syria and what an awful impact it’s had in every way. I want to help by fundraising. I can’t do much, but I can write. So I’m going to do just that. Send me stories about or related to Turkey and/or Syria to share on my blog. You don’t have to be Turkish or Syrian heritage to do this, it’s open to anyone & everyone who wants. You can choose for me to declare it’s *your* story on my blog or keep it anonymous. The entry can be as short or long as you want; a 3-line poem or a 3000-word essay, no minimum or maximum. I won’t edit anything, it will be your words as they’re sent to me. If you don’t want to write, send me a photo with a line about the photo – where is it, what’s happening, how did you feel? I don’t care if it’s past, present, future, about you, family, holidays, your favourite food, the trees or just about how much you love çay. Just make it relate to Turkey and/or Syria somehow. For every story I am sent & post on my blog, I will donate £1 to the fundraising, and for every view the blog post gets, I’ll donate £1 for that too. There’s no deadline. I’ll keep doing this as long as I get entries, so it may be compiled in one post or a few. £1 per story and £1 per view may not sound like a lot but I’m hoping lots of people will join in. If this flops & no one does it, that’s okay – I tried and I will share my own story & donate whatever amount anyway. Please share this far and wide to anywhere and anyone you think may want to send me something. You can DM me or reply to this or whatever suits you. Thank you 🙏🏽❤️
One Show at a Time 