Humanity is above everything, whatever ever your religion, ethnicity, nationalism and thinking is.
Even a small little bird can have significant importance in your life. — Büşra Dündar
Her Story
After revolution was started in my country, rebels came to the region that I lived. The Regime’s army made a blockade that lasted 10 days. Ten days without electricity or water, they denied any one entering or getting out of the city, even they denied anyone to go out on their balcony.
It was Ramadan and the weather was too hot, we lived through hard days that brought us back to the old ages, we put water´s bottles in jute bag to keep them cold. The situation became worse, they started to assault women and young girls. We tried to get out of the city several times but they were shooting at us to come back again to the city.
One night we heard gunshots right outside out of our house. It was a really dark night, we hit the floors just in case of stray bullets coming in. Something was beating on the balcony door. My brother crawled to the balcony to see what happened. When he came back inside he had a thin Canary bird in his hands. We provided it some water and we had a half apple that was rotten, the little bird started to peck on the apple.
The bird stayed with us for three days. We tried to get out the city twice and took the bird with us, too. My brother didn’t want it to leave the bird behind.
The bird just like us was scared of everything that was happening around us. He was chirping all the time as if he was saying save me. At the last time we tried to go out the city regime army stopped us and took us to the commander, we heard the soldier saying ‘they have a Canary bird’. The commander came to us and said: I have a Canary bird it is a male one and I am looking to a female, what is your bird´s gender?
My father said, ‘she is a female’ immediately although he did not know what the gender of the bird. The commander said ‘I will let you go out but if you give me the bird’. I looked to my brother. He was very sad. He knew there is no other choice. I was looking at him while he was giving the bird to the commander. A 12 years old little boy crying while petting the bird for the last time. The commander took the bird and commanded a soldier to take us by car to a safe region. That was the way we could got out of the blockade, we took care of the bird first saved her and she saved us.
First e went to a relative’s house. After a month we moved to lebanon for short time, then my father went to Turkey and we came back to Syria again. We prepared our passports and went to Turkey all together.
First, we went to Istanbul. We lived there for two years and half. I worked as a translator for Syrians in a private hospital. The pay was really good. It was a fulfilling job I was also able to help many people, and even get them more affordable treatment. Especially helping syrians who couldn’t afford the costs.
I miss my grandfather and grandmother they had passed away and I miss my uncle and his daughters and I do not know if I will see them again. I miss my friends and I trust that we will meet again in or outside of Syria. Life in Gaziantep makes me relaxed there are many Syrians living here. So I do not feel as strange as I felt in Istanbul. I work in a domestic organization which provides services to the Syrians who are still live in Syria.
Humanity is above everything, whatever ever your religion, ethnicity, nationalism and thinking is.
