Like many other families, Ramya Hadji Kaddur also crossed the border by passing over the wire fence and arrived in Reyhanlı as a result of the bombardments in Harim. Her husband was injured along with the opponents and he could not come to Turkey with her.
Ramya Hadji Kaddur: I come from Al-Rif in Idlib, Syria. I am a mother of 2 children.
ORSAM: Could you tell us about your life before the civil war in Syria, what you went through during the civil war and the reasons why you came to Turkey?
Ramya Hadji Kaddur: Air bombardment began against the opposition. Both inside and outside of Harim district, the villages, hamlets etc. were bombarded by air. Then the tanks entered our neighborhood, and they started to fight against the opposition forces. Many people were killed, injured in villages and county towns, some of them passed over wire fences and took shelter in Turkey, and some others migrated to other districts of Syria. No one was left behind in our area, and we also left our home, our stuff, and animals.
I took my two children along with me and came to Reyhanlı. My husband, on the other hand, is in Harim, he cannot walk as he is injured. He stays with the opponents in a shelter. I rent an apartment, but I have no furniture. The neighbors helped me; so now I have a bed, kitchen utensils, and currently I live in a rent apartment with a room and a kitchen. However, I do not know how long I can make do with the money I have. If I find a job, I might clean houses, work as an agricultural worker to make my living. However, winter is about to arrive, so I will have a major financial problem as it is not the season to work as an agricultural worker.
In our region in Syria, transformation came to a dead stop. Trade and agricultural activities also came to a dead stop. The whole population is faced with famine, everyone has been using what they have for now, but there is no hope for the future. The people in the region are about to run out of flour, cracked wheat etc. for winter. Those who have cars cannot buy oil, diesel. Everything has become very expensive, and the fuel is in black market.
Many families came to Reyhanlı like I did, and everyone is in the same situation, because they came here without selling their goods and bringing their car here. Some people had to immediately leave their home at midnight. Some of them could not even take their money, savings from home. Our clothing is not enough, we do not have winter clothes. In addition to all these financial problems, I also worry about my husband's life. He knows that I came to Reyhanlı, but he does not know where I stay. I cannot let him know, or I cannot hear from him either in current circumstances. I am in such a deadlock right now.
* This interview was made by Feyyat Özyazar in Reyhanlı district of Hatay on 6 December 2012.
