The World is Changing - Liceo Sesto Properzio

Different countries, same difficultiesby Nakiye GÜVENTÜRK (1996), TAOL Tarsus/TurkeyInterview with my grandmothersNakiye: What is your name?Pina: My name is Pina.Nakiye: How old are you?Pina: I’m 74 years old.Nakiye: Where did you come from Silute. Why?Pina: I was born in Klaipeda. When the communists came to thecountry and the structure of the country changed,we started to livein Taunus. The host wanted 5000 Marks for the house we lived inbut we had no money.A crisis broke out in Europe and we hadtroubles.I had to work although I was 6.The reason of my coming to Silute was to collect money fordisabled children from all around the world. I try to provide themmedicine and clothes.So I don’t stay in Silute so much.I had been a lot of places before.Nakiye: Did you see the war closely?Pina: Eventhough I was a child during the wartime, I can remember everything but what can a child understandfrom a war? There was shortage and poverty.We were eating and drinking with my grandmother and 30children.Nakiye: What was the importance of women in the war?Was it hard being a woman in the war?Pina: The war was difficult for everybody.I started to cry when I heard the difficulties of war. Now,I cry when Iremember those days.Nakiye: What about the education in those years?Pina: I started to school when I was 6. Education at school was according to SS education programme twice aweek.We had courses according to seasons.Each term we chose different lessons.In Germany there was generallogic “Girls get married.” But the girls had to work,too.Nakiye: Can you compare today’s education with past’s?Pina: History,Religion,English,Math... Now, students learn all these subjects and they can also learn any foreignlanguage they want.Nakiye: Were foreign languages being taught in the past?Pina: Yes, I learnt Danish and English.Nakiye: What is your name?Şaziye G.: My name is Şaziye GÜLBAHARNakiye: How old are you?Şaziye G.: I’m 74 years old.Nakiye: Where did you come from here?Şaziye G.: My parents were from Syria but they had immigratedhere because of the war before I was born.Nakiye: Did you see the war closely?Şaziye G.: They took only men to the war.Only women, childrenand very old men stayed in our village.My family came here fromSyria but when they heard that the enemies would occupy ourvillage,half of the village ran away to the mountain, the other halfran away to the sea by leaving their animals and houses.Nakiye: What was the importance of women in the war? Was ithard being a woman in the war?Şaziye G.: We were defenseless because of their taking all the men to the war when mobilization wasdeclared.The life was too hard.We lived rough, we hardly could find bread and water.We were so hungry thatsometimes we were making food of grass.Pregnant women were giving birth in unhealty conditions like seaside ,mountain or while running away from soldiers.We were digging shelters in order to hide from enemies.Shortlythey were really hard times.Nakiye: What about the education in those years?Şaziye G.: Only the people who had money could go to school in those years.There were a few classes andthey were too crowded.Some of the students were listening to the lessons while they were standing.We werevery poor , we had no money to go to school. I went to school only one day .Besides girls weren’t allowed to goto school.A girl who completed fifth grade was gotten married.We didn’t go to school, we walked to fields bywalking 15 kilometers to pick cotton.We turned back after we had filled sacks with cotton, even everywhere wasmud.We mired up to our waist.Nakiye: Can you compare today’s education with past’s?Şaziye G.: Today’s youth is very lucky because we could hardly go to primary school in the past.Girls can go toschool, too now.Nakiye: Were foreign languages being taught in the past?Şaziye G.: I didn’ t go to school but my friends said that French and Turkish had been taught in schools.posted on Saturday, January 19th, 2013n° 9/2013, page 55