[Instanbul, Turkey: 10PM]
I was slowly walking on the streets along the tram line in Istanbul looking at the shop and the tourist people from different parts of the world.
Until I met the incident, I was thinking what’s the purpose of traveling like this… lust for visiting many places as I want or personal or something meaningful? I couldn’t connect the sweet spot of all this. I had lots of confusion on how should I be spending time. Even though being able to perceive things on the way I would like to do (like useful) but I don't know clearly how am going to share it and utilize in the future. hence it becomes helpful to others as well.
While on the confusion, I hear sounds of 2kids and saw them who are trying to climb in the back of the running tram (am putting a picture taken in the daytime and so you can imagine). And finally, they did succeed after a few tries. I kept looking at them while the tram 🚃 passes by me.
Then suddenly I hear a noise behind me crying and running towards the tram(which already passed for few minutes) calling those 2kids. Guessing that should be his brothers.
At that point, I start to recall back about the online search telling that refugees in turkey have moved to the city side (meaning they are not in isolation) and so it’s hard to visit any refugees camp while I was trying to find something.
So yes he could be the refugees I guessed.
Then I walked further and see there were two kids who were sitting near a trash CAN whose clothes are bit teared up and busy packing something. I could not understand what’s happening. (two kids are almost like 6–8years old)
Thanking I found someone who speaks English and can explain the situation. So according to my question, he spoke with those kids (as he can speak Arabic as well) understanding the situation.
Before he spoke with them, he told me that sometimes this kid are pushed from the family side to do like this. But NOT all of them as well.
So he continued asking questions about the whereabouts.
The two kids(assume X&Y) parents are split now. Dad lost his hand while on the Syrian crisis and currently living in Lebanon. XY stays with their mom now who can’t afford a lot of money. So they end up doing something which is not sure.
Meanwhile speaking with XY, there is another pair of refugees. The guy who is like 12years (assume Ahamed) old comes with his sister(like less than 5years old) carrying a pair of tissue packets. And they were being questioned now as well to understand who they are. So the conversation goes on. Ahamed told the reason why they don’t go for jobs and doing this labor job is that it cost them 1200Turkish lira(SGD250+) and the average salary here is 1400 Lira which is very hard to manage.
While all this happening, we just gave some money to those kids but the girl kid jumping up and pushing something into my hand , I kept say NO and still she doesn’t give up. I guess her parents told not to get money without selling anything… and yes that’s the tissue packet.
And am holding it now… still wondering how I should be spending time! And where should I go next…