Hope

by Sema Kaya

Every one of them carried the hope in their hearts, the hope for a better life. After all, who leaves his home behind voluntarily, heading to an unknown future in a strange place? Whether it’s the desperate look of a father, a young guy at the bazaar, or the uncertainty of a mother with a child in her arms. People are trying to take their lives into their own hands. What happens next? Will they dare? Will they embark upon a journey to the unknown? Yes, they will! Welcome to Germany. The generation of migrant workers, with a dream of one day returning home, that still makes the heart tremble. Who am I now? Where is my home? Foreigners – in Germany and in their places of origin. Integration. What does that even mean? Home is where the soul is at peace.

The migrant worker. Look: I made it. I was a migrant worker in Germany and returned home. I am old. My kids are still over there. They didn’t want to return. Germany is now their home.By Sema Kaya
The young guy at an Istanbul bazaar. Why are you not in school? Capitalism forces you to look for work and skip education. His father wanted to go to Germany, his son didn’t speak German and ended up in the lowest level school there.By Sema Kaya
Knitting. That is what her hands may be best suited for to earn money to care for her children. Will she look for new opportunities in the unknown? No, she is not going to make it. Nobody takes note of her art.By Sema Kaya
What if? The sceptical look of a father. I just want to achieve the best for my children. Do I stay? Do I leave? What happens, if I don’t succeed? Can I make it back home? Many questions, no answers.By Sema Kaya
A woman. Come what may, a mother never lets go of her child. A magical bond on any place in the world. Wherever you go, I will follow you. The journey to an unknown country. Nothing can separate us.By Sema Kaya
The young father. He is counting the money. Is it enough? That’s not how I imagined it. Am I happy? Can I make my family happy? I have so little time. The children are growing up fast and I rarely see them. Time for a change. I dare.By Sema Kaya
An individual. A mass of people. Every one of them has a dream, a hope. They go, don’t look back, leave their homes behind. Are they doing the right thing? Will they ever feel like home again?By Sema Kaya
The dream. I leave you, beloved home. But I’ll come back. At some point. I will not forget you. I will stay true to my home, I won’t let go of you. What am I doing? Whisper in my ear that I still belong to you.By Sema Kaya