From Sophia's Lust Suriname to Ankara Turkey: A new life in a time of crisis

"If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation." -JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI

Sophia's Lust, my home environment of my twenty-five years of existence. Sophia's Lust the working class neighbourhood which together with other neighbourhoods like Ephraimzegen, Pontbuiten, Sunny Point, Flora, Latour and Abrabroki, was (formerly) always associated with 'pina' (poverty), backwardness and criminality. But as one of the residents, I know that I and many others have proven the opposite. Well aware of this finger pointing, I prioritized the following questions in 2019. Georgesette Sédo, what are you? Georgesette Sédo, who are you? In the meantime I have found the answers to these questions. I am "not accomplished, but (always) willing to learn."

It doesn’t matter what part of the world you are in, but it’s rather heavy if you are a combination of the following: young, smart, good looking, 'black' and on top of that a woman. Yes! Analyzing data and studying human behaviours are not the only thing I like to do. Evaluating myself as a young Surinamese woman, that is one of the best things I have done in the past three years. Daring to make amends when necessary, apologize in cases where I really could have acted differently, but most of all, daring to give myself a pat on the back. Especially in a world where it seems like nobody has time to enjoy the beautiful things of life. In a world where it seems as if “work” is the only thing that matters.?

Corona! Foreign exchange fluctuations! Prices skyrocketing! Even more trying to make ends meet with your salary! Keeping up the responsibilities in organisations with the same energy! A crisis in and of itself!

But there you are. After your priority in 2019, suitcases packed, filled with as many things as you can take with you. You have to say goodbye to everything and everyone that was so familiar. And you act very excited, because you have a goal in front of you!

It’s not until you’re already at the entrance of the departure hall that you get to hear that due to the Corona measures, you can’t go back for that farewell hug ('adjossie brasa'). There are only a few seconds left to hug just one of your loved ones. Within a fraction of seconds everything changes...

You can’t control time, you can’t control measures and there is a new life ahead of you. Crisis, a perception or experience of an event or situation as an unbearable problem that goes beyond the current resources and coping mechanisms of the person...Yes, that’s what it was like for me at that moment anyway.

But in spite of everything, you are on your journey to the great unknown. Less enthusiastic, because you had hoped for a smooth arrival. In vain. You have to sit in a plane for 9 hours, get on the ground and nearly miss your next flight. Then after being in the air for another 3,5 hours, you have to get in a bus to go to another airport. Then you miss the next flight, leaving you no choice but to buy another ticket. Finally you can get on the plane, fly for 1.5 hour, then another busride to get to your new place of residence and finally, a taxi to get you where you’re supposed to be. That is where it begins, the life of a Surinamese student in Ankara, Turkey.

"Do you speak Turkish?" A question that I bravely answered in the affirmative in May 2021. But now the answer is "Ben ?ok az Türk?e konu?uyorum", which roughly translates as 'a bit'. A 'gap' of three months, not being able to speak, read and write the foreign language was more than I had bargained for. "Not accomplished, but (always) willing to learn " is a must in a situation where you get a scholarship because of your achievements in your studies and for your social work?In a time of crisis, always making analyses of time and planning, the decision to do a master programme in Turkey with Turkish as the language of instruction was deliberate. "Brave" or "challenging" were not on my menu of words, but it was a matter of “now or never”.

And then it reaches a point with moments of silence and so many questions. Doubts, fear, pain, sorrow and anger are words that keep coming up. The words can then translate into emotions and could lead to behaviourial changes and subsequently to physical pain.?

These words doubt, fear, pain, sorrow and anger have now been transformed into writing. I literally typed out my heart and soul. This resulted in a long text, burning questions and utterances that I finally dared to say. "Nihayet!" in Turkish, the well-known "Finally!" After I had uttered this I had to make a very important choice. Imagine myself in this utterance and hide behind it or recognise all the emotions and remind myself of my goal.?

“I know it seems hard sometimes but remember one thing. Through every dark night, there's a bright day after that. So no matter how hard it get, stick your chest out, keep ya head up.... and handle it.

― Tupac Shakur”

2 Pac Shakur, a legend with whom I grew up (of my own free will but at the same time I had no choice) in a household of mostly brothers who listened to his music. This also applied to me when I had to make a choice. I chose to acknowledge all my emotions and reminded myself of my goal. It is by (God’s) grace that I can say that the sun began to shine for me. Isn’t it amazing when just because of your contacts with an international organization, in this case The Junior Chamber International (JCI), you are asked to act as liaison at the wedding of a Jaycee member. Imagine this: in a time when Corona wreaks havoc and you have just moved to another part of the world, you meet an international colleague (Jaycee), and within a week you get a job at a wedding and you’re the only ‘black’ person there. And on top of that, you meet other Jaycees who are so excited and happy to meet you there.?

"I'm unstoppable today"-Sia

And now you have to face the days when you recognize and acknowledge the giants and the mountains, only this time you will not avoid them. Every day "unstoppable"!

You have the courage to defend yourself when you realize that it may influence your career. You accept the “weird” way (at least for me) to deal with Corona, for you cannot enter the campus or even your residence without an application and HES-code. You’re getting used to the fact that the climate is not the same as in Suriname, after all what is 7o to you, when you come from a country where the temperature is 23o? You’re getting used to the typical character traits of the native inhabitants and you accept that cultural differences really influence a person’s perception, but that cannot make you change who you are.

Always keep what is good, not every stream is meant for you.

Lastly I can say that I was encouraged to experience China in 2019. This 7-day trip pushed me?in the direction of starting a new life in Turkey as a student from Suriname, until further notice.

As an Afro-Surinamese young lady from the working-class neighbourhood of Sophia's Lust, far far away in Turkey (Asia), I say to everybody whose eyes will read this and whose ears will hear this:

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move’.?

Matthew 17:20