Hatay Journal – What It’s Like To Visit An Earthquake-ravaged city

Leave a Comment / Service / By

We had the most transformative week of our lives.

I wanted to write this journal because I know we move fast, and before we knew it, we would have to switch gears to make the best ever Italy videos because that travel series is so important to us. So, I’m happy I did this. I never want to forget how I felt this past week.

So here it goes internet… my journal from Antakya, Hatay 🇹🇷

Read this blog post first if you don’t know what happened in Turkey in February 2023.

Day 1: Tuesday Sept 12th – Pure shock!

Today was the first day we saw Hatay. It was quite shocking to see an entire city completely destroyed but full of life at the same time. 

I don’t know how I feel. I think helpless is a good word. There’s so much to be done, but there’s only so much we can do. We need to start being ok with just changing someone else’s world and not “change the world” but it’s hard to process that we can’t help everyone.

What is truly shocking is that people here are still so nice and kind. Our hosts at Mavi Kalem are always smiling and kind of curious why we are here. But other people we see on the streets going about their lives have very serious faces. I can’t imagine what they’ve been through and what’s going through their heads as they walk throughout their beloved city, which is now mostly rubble.

I couldn’t help but thank God we were staying in a small one-story house and not a multi-story building. After seeing everything around us being collapsed, I think it’s only human to think that way. Maybe a little selfish even.

Our airbnb host is so nice and she even invited us to the coast to meet her. And while I was typing this journal, we were invited to have çai with our neighbors/co-hosts. The mom speaks some Dutch and they all speak enough English for us to communicate. It felt like we’ve been adopted by a new family on our first night. Even though we were welcomed with so much warmth, it’s crazy to hear their stories about the earthquake and how much their lives changed after. One of the sons and his wife lost their house after the second earthquake.

It’s heart warming to see how much they love each other and how much they love Hatay. They have sad stories, but they are full of hope.

I think we are about to have one of the most memorable weeks of our lives ❤️

Day 2: Wednesday, Sept 13th – A happy day.

Today was the day we met our official translator, Mr. Ali Ayran. I mean, is there a name more Turkish than that? When we picked him up in the morning, we were immediately adopted by his beautiful family. They welcomed us with a bucket full of figs (literally), and fresh Turkish coffee. It was basically love at first sight.

We got our first set of Turkish hugs and kisses and off we went to a little town called Samandag.

Our assigment for the day was to build a playground… huh?

When we heard this for the first time we couldn’t help but feel slightly worried for the kids who would play there. Thankfully, other people had the assignment to build the playground. We were only responsible for the social media footage. This playground was kind of a big deal for Mavi Kalem, and it was really cool to be a part of it.

Having a translator with us made a huge difference. We could talk to people and ask about their stories. We heard all kinds of things. It’s hard to believe what they went through and what they are still going through, 7 months after the earthquakes that forever changed their lives.

I had this idea for our YouTube video, to ask people to smile so I could put all their faces together at the end of our video with an uplifting song to tell a story of hope. And while most people were happy to do it, there were 2 ladies who said they could not smile again. It broke me. I totally understand how they can feel that way.

In general, people here are trying really hard to rebuild their lives. But some lost more than others and it’s been really hard for them to recover. My only wish for those two ladies is for them to be able to smile again. They seemed like the nicest humans ❤️

Today, weirdly enough things started to feel normal. The rubble from 24 hours earlier didn’t impact me at all. I felt completely “normal” on the way to “work” this morning. It’s like this is our home now.

Also, today we did something we never thought we would do. Literally, never. We had coffee with the mayor of Samandag. Nice guy!

What a crazy life we get to live. Seriously.

We ended the day opening the playground. The kids were eager to jump in as they had been patiently waiting for it to be ready the whole day. At 5 pm they got the green light and it was absolute madness! They were so happy. Not only that, they grabbed the camera and told us that they were so happy and grateful to have a safe place to play.

I honestly wasn’t expecting anything from these kids, other than for them to play and be happy. But these 2 girls started hanging out with us and one of them, Elif, wouldn’t let me go. She kept calling me her sister and told me she loved me so much. She told me she didn’t want me to ever leave 🥹 I couldn’t take off my sunglasses because she would have seen my tears. I feel so grateful for her love, hugs and kisses. 

Today was a crazy day. I don’t even understand how I feel right now. All I know is that it feels right to be here.

Day 3: Thursday Sept 14th – Another Day Of Our New Life!

Our day started as usual. We picked up Ali and his family invited us in. This time we had some yummy breakfast treats and watched them make ekmek (bread). They showed us their tandoori over and taught us how to make the bread from scratch. I even made one myself! And of course, 30 minutes later we had a whole bag of fresh bread to take home with us. What a great way start to our day!

The assigment for today was to build another playground. That sounds way more exciting than doing Mavi Kalem’s social media for the day. However, today they encountered some issues with the chosen location, and things were moving pretty slow. We couldn’t advance much with this playground…

So, after a delicious lunch of my new favorite Turkish food (it’s called kebab on paper), we went to the local market to buy some things the local community was asking for.

We wanted to help as much as possible while we were here, so we asked Mavi Kalem for a list of items that were needed. We bought supplies for a small school and went to the bazaar to get underwear and sport bras for women in need.

It was super cool to experience the bazaar, but it was also shocking to see how destroyed it was 🙁 Still, the people who we bought the things from were super nice and welcoming and they even told us that their daughter lived in Florida! What are the chances!?

When we went to drop off Ali, his family of course invited us in for a “quick snack.” We toured around their garden, pet their dogs, ate some fresh pomegranate and figs and were invited to stay for dinner. This family is really something. They are so kind, genuine, welcoming and sweet. How could you love someone 24 hours after you met them?

We had sarma for dinner and it was delicious. 100% of the things we ate were made by them with ingredients from their garden. Even the olive oil! It’s funny because for us they are like superheros for being so self sustainable. And while talking to the dad, he was shocked to hear that people back home (in Boca Raton, FL) had the space to grow their own food but choose not to.

He was shocked. Then he asked: “what do the old people do then?” “They play golf,” we said 😂

We live in very different worlds, that’s for sure. But we are all humans at the end of the day. And these humans here in Hatay, Turkey are proving to be kinder, more welcoming and more resilient than we could ever hope to be. We admire and respect them so much ❤️

The night ended with me holding this little “kedi” (cat) named Yodin until she fell asleep. It was the best!

Day 4: Friday Sept 15th – A different anniversary.

Today is our 5th wedding anniversary and also the 7th anniversary of the day we met. Out of all the places we’ve imagined to spend such a special date for us, this is close to being the last one. And here we are. Happy as clams and grateful to be together doing something so fulfilling.

We spent the day working at the Mavi Kalem office, using their internet for a few hours so we could check our emails and get some things done. Again, it feels like working with them has been our job for years! 

At the end of the afternoon, we went to a school to deliver the school supplies we bought yesterday. And seeing the kids so happy made it all so worth it! They were so freaking cute!

We ended the day with a couple of beers and Doritos on our terrace. I took a flower from the garden and put it in my hair to dress up a little bit. Even though we never imagined spending an anniversary doing something like this, it felt so right. We are happy to be here, and doing all of this together makes it all extra special. We will never forget this week of our lives.

For a romantic anniversary dinner we had the classic Turkish dish menemen made with the tomato sauce we got from the Ayran (our translator’s) family. Of course we served it with the bread I *sort of* made yesterday. No chef in the world could have made a more fitting dinner. It was perfect. 

Day 6: September 16th – Where is God?

Today we went out there with our little camera to try and film the rest of our fundraiser video. This was the first time we actually drove around with the intention of filming and it was so hard. It felt so strange recording these images.

We know that filming these things are an important part of the video because people need to be aware of the reality of Antakya 7 months after the earthquakes, but nevertheless, it was bizarre.

Collapsed walls let us see inside people’s old homes. We saw bedrooms and kitchens still with furniture inside. Toys and clothes were scattered among the debris. I couldn’t help but think that there were many families who had their last meal at that same table with no clue that their entire world would literally crumble that same night. It hit me hard.

We walked around looking for things to record. We saw people, dogs, cats, more rubble, dust and personal items. I don’t think I can ever forget this shocking environment.

I truly hope we do a good job with this video. It’s delicate, but at the same time it’s so important to share the harsh reality this community still has to face everyday. 

Ironically, today we also visited the first recorded church in the world. It’s called St Pierre’s church and it was so special to have the place all to ourselves. This is where followers of Jesus were first called Christians, and as a Christian myself, I felt very lucky to be at the place where it all started.

I wish I would have taken the time to say a small prayer, but I completely forgot. I think it’s easy to get mad at God when you see what we’ve seen and hear the stories we’ve heard. I feel that what happened here was so unfair. But honestly, this wasn’t God’s doing. Earthquakes happen and will continue to happen.

Antakya has been destroyed by earthquakes 6 times in the past. So, whose fault is it? It’s not God’s. God is still here, living in people’s hearts in the form of hope to rebuild this place to what it once was. I truly hope we get to come back one day and see Antakya thriving.

Day 7: September 17th – Wrapping up.

Today we went to Ali’s house to put the final touches on some of the video shots that needed subtitles. We also interviewed him.

It’s so beautiful to see how open he is to talk to us about what happened. Their whole world changed overnight too. Plans had to be put on hold. They lost their house 7 months ago and are living in tents in the garden. I can imagine this is a painful reminder about what life used to be like.

Now, they’re preparing for winter. It gets so cold in here, and I’m worried about them and the thousands of families about to go through the same situation. 

Still, they had smiles on their faces and welcomed us once again with arms wide open. We shared a delicious lunch, had multiple cups of çai (tea), and his mom even made a traditional Turkish dessert for us to enjoy. Seriously!? 🥹 

As always, what started as a short “work visit” ended with a yummy dinner, talks around the table and a lot of photos, hugs and kisses.

Driving back home, we didn’t need to use maps at all. It feels like Antakya truly is our home now.

Day 8: Sept 18th – This is goodbye 💔

We are starting to pack our bags and getting ready to leave tomorrow. It feels so weird. This became our home for the past week and we can’t help but feel guilty for having the privilege to go back to normal and go on about our lives when most people here don’t have that same option. 

How is it that we got the winning tickets in this “lottery of life?” Why does it have to be this way? It seems unfair to me. And I think that’s why I feel a responsibility deep inside to try and make the world better place. More equal. Although I’m not naive enough to think I can change the world, I still feel like making the world more equal, is still a cause worth fighting for.

I’m happy we got the chance to say goodbye in person to our airbnb hosts, the wonderful team at Mavi Kalem, and Ali and his family. They made our time here so special and made us feel right at home. So much so that we were extremely sad to leave our new home in Antakya. 

Lessons Learned This Week:

I wanted to take the time to think about some takeaways from our time here. Hopefully these things can help you think about your own life and whatever you may be going through:

  • Everything in life is temporary. Your things, your house and even the city you live in & the people you do life with. Be grateful for each day. Don’t take anything for granted.
  • Human beings are strong and resilient. But it’s true what they say: you never know how strong you are until strong is your only option.
  • You can always be kind, no matter what you’re going through.
  • Human connection and community are two of the most important things you can rely on. They can help you overcome any obstacle. Try to find your tribe.
  • Other people’s stories matter. Listen. You can always learn something from them.
  • Cats are awesome 🙂 

Antakya, thank you. We are forever grateful for your hospitality, love, kindness, delicious foods, and for changing our lives. A big part of our tomorrow will be shaped by the all voices we heard here. We will forever owe you for that.

This trip was the beginning of “Change of the World” – which is a platform we want to create that will focus on volunteer work. We truly believe that together we can make the world a better place, little by little. 

We always feel like we are getting more out of all of this than anyone else. These are life lessons we will never forget.

Tesekkurler Antakya (Hatay)!

We love you and we can’t wait to be back and see you thrive! 

XO,

Aimara

Home » Service » Hatay Journal – What It’s Like To Visit An Earthquake-ravaged city

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *