“A foreign country, a language I didn’t know, and people I wasn’t familiar with… These were my three greatest worries when I first arrived in Türkiye.”
It all began amidst those worries, during the days she was trying to hold on to a new life with her three children.
Meryem was 30 years old when she came to Tükiye from Syria in 2013. Today, she is 43. When she first came to Türkiye with her husband and three children, they were a family who held tightly on to one another and was trying to rebuild their life together.
Their first stop was Malatya. Since that day, her husband worked in many different jobs to support the family. But their greatest challenge was the language. Even expressing yourself in a new country was a challenge in itself.
Their daughter Rim, who is now 21, recalls those days with a smile: “While my parents were trying to learn Turkish, my brother and I had already learned it quickly at school. Sometimes we even spoke in Turkish at home so no one would understand… as if we had a secret language. Back in those days, Turkish wasn’t just a language, it was like our own little world.”
Turkish started as a small secret between them. Over time, it became a key that opened the doors to this new life. A new country, a new language, and a new life… They all gradually gave way to habits, bonds that were established, and moments shared together.
A Center, A Turning Point
One of the most important turning points in Meryem’s life began on a day when she was seeking support for her youngest son, Ömer. That day, she came across the Ankara Community Center of the Association for Social Development and Aid Mobilization (ASAM). What started as a simple visit for counseling soon became one of the most important parts of her life.
“As I kept visiting the center, I started spending more time there. I built a new life for myself thanks to the staff and the friends I met there.”
During her first year at the center, she was invited to the 23 April Children’s Festival. Together with Rim, they joined this festival that brought thousands of children together. That day left a lasting impression on them and became one of those moments they keep remembering again and again.
“I was impressed that there was a festival celebrated just for children”, Meryem recalls. Rim still remembers that day and adds, “I played with all the toys there that day so many times. I still find it hard to express the happiness I felt.”
The center didn’t just create new spaces for Rim, it also provided an environment where she could express herself better. After coming across ASAM, her life not only changed, but also flourished. She joined the children’s choir and regularly participated in activities every week. She took guitar and rhythm lessons from conservatory tutors. “Singing makes me so happy; it’s then that I can best express myself”, she says.
Over time, this journey evolved into something completely different for Meryem. While she used to be a beneficiary receiving support, she became an activity facilitator and interpreter for a certain period at ASAM. She conveys, “Being a part of a life where I could support others, at a place where I once received support, was an indescribable joy for me.”
Today, the Ankara Community Center is more than just a center, it is a place remembered with trust in the family’s life.
Meryem sees this most clearly in her youngest son, Muhammed: “When he’s sick, he doesn’t want to do anything. But the next day, when he hears there’s an activity at the center, he carefully chooses his clothes and says, ‘who said I was sick? I already feel better.’ Seeing his energy is worth everything.”
Once a journey she set off in the midst of uncertainties, with the three worries in her heart, has now given way to completely different feelings. Looking back on those days, Meryem explains the entire change she experienced in three words:
“Trust, friendship, and joy.”