23/04/2021 | Writer: Kaos GL
‘How was your day?’ we asked the refugee LGBTI+s. They answered, we translated from Arabic and Farsi and now sharing them with you. Here is the 4th story: Asked me where I was from
Kaos GL Refugee Rights Program aims to facilitate LGBTI+ refugees' access to basic rights, official bodies and social networks in the cities where they reside, the program provides legal and social advice through lawyers and social workers working within the program. In addition to all this, the Refugee Rights Program organizes developmental and social events on various topics.
Throughout 2020, the program has met with LGBTI+ refugees who speak Farsi and Arabic. Some of these events were online drama workshops. Kaos GL Refugee Rights Program organized 'Storytelling', a sub-branch of drama, workshops with refugee LGBTI+'s on November 23, 25 and 27 led by theatre and performance artist Gökçe Yiğitel. Refugee LGBTI+'s from seven cities participated in the workshops and told their stories.
As of today, we share those stories with KaosGL.org readers by saying "Every day of us is valuable and worth telling". We are here with the fourth story. M. writes a day of working at a cafe.
***
Today is Sunday, 13:50. I'm writing this at midnight: I usually just work in a cafe on Saturdays and Sundays.
I woke up at 7.30 in the morning. I went to the cafe. The weather was a bit cold. There were already customers in the cafe when I arrived at the cafe.
I started working, breakfast and tea orders, cleaning the cafe.
I was so busy that I wasn't able to think of the negative things that kept my mind busy all the time.
I always think about how I could get money for the month’s rent, food, and drink.
Something happened at 4 o'clock, a customer asked where I was from. I'm Syrian, I said. The customer said, "send me a Turkish waiter".
I felt the world was very small. I passed the customer's demand to the owner of the cafe.
The owner was upset but didn't do anything. Sent a Turkish waiter and received the order.
I went to the toilet and started crying.
Then I wiped my tears and I remembered that my parents didn't accept me for being gay.
So I shouldn't be upset if a foreigner doesn't accept me, won't accept the Syrian me.
I continued my day as normally as if nothing had happened and started mimicking a smile on my face.
It's 8:00 p.m. Time for dinner. But I didn't want to eat anything.
I forced myself to eat.
In general, my day was tiring, sad and very busy at the same time.
I got home at 10:00 pm. I washed up. I turned on the music and started listening. I've listened to Eilish's "Lovely" over and over again. I never get tired of listening to it.
I have many friends, but I don't know them personally. Hahaha
I only know them over the web, the most precious person in my heart is Larry from Germany.
A person I love very much and regard as bf. We have never met.
I hope we meet.
I talked with him for thirty minutes. I told everything that happened to me at the cafe. He said he prayed for me in the church today and lit candles.
It made me very, very happy.
I hope UNHCR will call me and tell me that the country has been selected and I hope the country would be Germany. That way I can meet Larry.
Since I'm a graduate of accounting, I'm hoping to get a job as an accountant.
I hope my parents forgive me and realize that I'm not the one who decides if I'm gay or not.
Objects: Service tray. Cleaning broom. Dishwashing detergent.
Action: Serving
Body: Right Hand
Tags: human rights, arts and culture
