Our story in 1991: From Kurdistan To Finland

"It was March 1991 and the sky was pitch dark. Our home was invaded, our people were dying and we were walking through war zone in a hope of finding a save haven." 

-My mom

In 1991 Kurds were persecuted by Saddam Hussein's army and just like every other Kurd also our family migrated from his Regime. My parents wanted a saver world for their children and this is a story of our journey.

Unlike the other 2 million Kurds who fled Saddam Hussein's regime, we were lucky. In March 1991 our family was separated because the Iraqi army killed all the Kurdish men but saved women and children so my father had to leave. He went to the border of Iran with his brothers and stayed there for over a month. We on the other hand were in constant danger so one night our mother took me, my older sister and brother to his brother's house because they were the few ones who actually had a bomb shelter. We spent there approximately 2 days and all we heard was bombs exploding and gun shootings. We were scared to death.   

On the following days my mom and her sister had the courage to go outside because we were about to be without any food or water, so under pressure they went to see what is going on outside. The view was incredible. People were coming back to their houses and life was starting again in the heart of Kurdistan, Hawlér. 

My mom gathered the children and we went back to our own house, still without our father. After sometime my grandfather went to get my dad back because during that time there were no telephones or internet for that matter. We didn't even know if my dad was still alive. Finally after many weeks we saw our dad again.

Time had passed but situation in Hawlér was still unstable. One day a man knocked on our door and asked for my dad. This man came to take us to Europe. One of my uncles left Kurdistan many years before us, so once he heard what's going on he sent one of his friends to us so that also we can leave Kurdistan and find ourselves a new saver home. So this man showed my father pictures of my uncle and us as well just to assure my dad he is for real. Once again my dad left us for weeks. He went to Iran to get us all Iraqi Passports so that we can leave Kurdistan. These passports were fake but during that time no one had "real" passports anyways.

The man on the left is the one who helped us and the man in the middle is my dad and on his right his brother.

Two weeks passed and then my dad came back from Iran with passports for all of us. Our journey to Europe started at this very moment. In the 90's people didn't really have much money but thank god my dad had worked a lot to have some savings. 

We left Hawlér and our next destination was Zakho and from there we took a bus to Turkey. It was October 1991. Luckily we spent less than 3 weeks in Turkey and from there we managed to take a train straight to Bulgaria.

We were one country closer to our save haven.

My older brother, I and my oldest sister. One of our first pictures together in Bulgaria.

This is my beautiful mom and my little brother, who was just few months when we left Kurdistan.

We lived together with another family in Bulgaria, also Kurds. 

Bulgaria was very snowy and we arrived there just before Christmas. Experiencing snow with that amount was something incredible for us. I still remember how much fun I had playing outside but I wasn't happy. Once again my dad had left us. He and his brother left us and went to Finland. We stayed with my mom, other uncle and this other family. Being without our father for days, then weeks, then months and then years was simply terrible. We were all so young and my mother didn't even speak the language so that we could get along, but the Bulgarian people were helpful.

My older brother. Bulgaria.

The entire family! I am the one in the front with a pink dress and blue necklace. Bulgaria.

My oldest sister. Bulgaria.

My mom always tells me one story I can never forget. As I said above, we lived in Bulgaria with another family and they had a daughter in the same age as I was. Her dad was with them in Bulgaria so each night her father came home from work and brought us both something sweet. He never forgot me when he got something for her own daughter. So one night, her father came home and brought us both lollipops. I still remember how her daughter ran towards him, jumped on him and hugged him. I was looking at them and I started to cry. I went to my mom and said:

"Why my dad never comes home?"

My mom looks at me and starts to cry and just when this man noticed us he came to me and grabbed me in his arms. I and my mom were both crying and he just looked at me and told me:

"Aren't I here?"

Then he hugged me so tight that I stopped crying. Back then I didn't know how my mom had felt but now I can imagine. She was more heartbroken than we were. She was basically all alone in a foreign country with 4 young children. I don't wonder.

We played all day with the locals and my mom always said that they loved us so much!

It didn't matter where we lived, my mother always stayed loyal to the Kurdish blood. Kurdish dress all the way.

She even did the dishes with that gorgeous dress! 

Here is my older brother with one of our relatives. Also in Bulgaria.

Here is my uncle who stayed with us when my dad left us.

 After year and a half we finally got our passports and we traveled to Finland, where my father waited for us. It was 23rd of April, 1993. It took us almost 2 years to find a save haven and Finland become our next home.

The one with a black jacket is my father and the one with a purple suit is my uncle. Here we are at the airport of Finland. The first day of our arrival.

Reuniting with my cousins in Finland.

Leaving your home is never easy, but sometimes it's a necessity. Once in a while I think what would've happened if we had stayed in Kurdistan, would I be still the person I am today. Most probably not, but I know for sure that Finland offered my family a home when our home was taken away from us.

We can do so little to repay Finland, but ought to do our best. Therefore we as a family are grateful for everything we got from this beautiful country.

Our cousins visited our house in Finland.

Oh I still remember this! Playing outside with my siblings.

I believe these are one of our first photos with out Finnish friends.

Our youngest sister was born in Finland.

Local Kindergarten, with my siblings.

I and my little brother were inseparable. Still are. 

Two cuties, sister and brother.

Famous Kulicha making with the family.

I know lot of people are leaving Kurdistan currently, but I truly hope they wouldn't. Even if our family left, I don't urge everyone to leave. Our country, our golden land Kurdistan still needs all of us and we need to have faith in our people and in our Kurdistan.

My mother and her first child. Kurdistan.

To finish our story, I would like to say it was a unique journey and we were lucky enough to receive only the best from all of the countries we passed but the final destination Finland was the crown to all of it.

Thank you Finland