The voices of more than a thousand adults and children echo through the huge hall. They sit, lie down, walk and play. Each family has created its own island. They laid plastic rugs on the cold concrete floor, then a blanket and thin mattresses. Many islands have electric heaters, but certainly not everywhere. This is the central hall of the Sanliurfa Stock Exchange in Turkey.
“Unfortunately, we can’t bathe here,” says Levant Ali, 17, from Syria. “In between, I went home to wash and buy something.” He, along with 33 of his relatives and relatives, fled their home in a suburb of Şanlıurfa after Monday’s earthquake. “We have to stay here until the structural condition of our house is checked by the municipality. I have no idea how long this will take.”
Reporter Gülşah Erçetin addresses those in the hall:
Seven years ago, Levant Ali fled to Turkey with his family from his country’s civil war. Eventually, the family built a presence in Turkey. And now this is working again, again. His father talks about how hard it was for him. “I wish we could get out of here, if only we could go to Europe and provide a future for our children.”
‘irrelevant’
Levant Ali is fluent in Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic and English. His former classmate Parvin also lives in the hall. Levant proudly says that he and Parvin are the brightest in the school.
Parvin was asleep when he was suddenly shaken by the earthquake. He hastily fled home with the rest of the family. In such a hurry they only brought an electric stove and a power outlet for their phones.
“There’s nothing to do here,” Levant sighs. “It is best to sleep as much as possible first to forget everything.” He also checks his cell phone to pass the time. Most are. Many people sleep in the hall in the middle of the day. “They’re tired of everything they’ve been through,” Levant thinks.
‘Unbearable’
A Turkish family having dinner offers us tea. Sitting cross-legged, Memed Baba suspects that the inspection of his home may take up to three months and he can return home with his family.
A Syrian family is about to leave. Their homes have been checked and approved so they can return. When asked if it’s really safe to go home, the answer is unequivocal: It’s unbearable in the hallway. “We’ve been here for four days and I’m fed up. Turks are preferred here. You get more food, more blankets. I want to get out of here, I want to go home.”
Source: NOS
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
