Living life in Yuvacali is captivating as I got away from the modern world made of global interconnected networks of internet and telecommunication. I had vast fields of many shades of green, few happy families to drink Turkish tea with and a feast of food for two days on end. The Yuvacalians, language barrier and yours truly.
The first day of my arrival was very casual with a walk around the village, tea in the garden and recital of Muqaddam by lady of the house, Ghazal. Muqadaam is actually a book for beginner to learn how to read the holy Al-Quran.
From top:Ladies were tucking into hearty luncheon;
Left : A local who invited me in as I wandered around Yuvacali.
Centre : A picture to be remembered with the locals;
Right: My lady host: Ghazal
We had flat bread, sticky rice and chicken and salad for lunch.
When it was not too hot outside, the housewives went to the compound of the house for a tea session. Ghazal spent the time reading the Muqaddam. When she got stuck, she would ask her friends. They went to classes to learn how to read Al-Quran. They were new and starting to read. Better late than never, right? There was a point of time when I spontaneously corrected her reading, to the surprise of the ladies. They asked me to read one of the pages in the Muqaddam, which I did fluently. At the end of the reading, they gave me a big applause. Who would expect to have a bonding session over Muqadam reading?
It was during late afternoon after Ghazal escaped her 2 years old clingy daughter, Shawan, I followed Ghazal to the fields to find a certain type of herbs used in cooking. She brought two knives and a plastic bag. For an experienced herb picker like Ghazal, it was very easy. I bet she had been picking herbs since she had started walking. I, on the other hand, stumbled as if I was looking for a needle in a haystack. Everything looked the same to me. They were grasses.
Each time I showed her the “herbs” I had picked, she shook her head. They were dismissed as mere grasses.
I did not know the name of the herbs since did not know what it is called in English. But I suspected they were thyme leaves.
Ghazal told me Orhan would be buying a special bread for dinner. Flat breads with meat stuff on top; they were very delicious. Feast on! I ate a lot. I spent the night playing with Shawan until I grew tired. A mattress was spread near the heater as it was still chilling in March. I had a sound sleep. Since I am a solo woman traveller, I did not get to sleep under the stars on the house roof top, like many visitors had reviewed on the internet.
The next morning, Ghazal woke me up very early in the morning. I had to do what housewives of Yuvacali would be doing. Milk the cow, make fresh flat bread to last the day and prepare for breakfast.
These come with daily practice! Ghazal is truly a traditional Kurdish housewife.
If you ever visit Sanliurfa, please consider staying with the locals in Yuvacali to taste a life well-lived in Kurdish village of Yuvacali, Sanliurfa.