Who am I?
I am kind of a person who struggles how to begin things but I hope this will not be one of them. When I say I struggle, I mean school, new places to go and other stuff, because I want it to be very precise and I don’t like to waste my time doing things I will regret in the future. Maybe this is someway good and at the same time it has negative effects. I think it is good to be careful and struggle when starting new things because you don’t feel bad afterwards your decision and it’s negative side is that you may lose many opportunities without giving them a shot. My Name is Oğulcan and I am 23. Born and raised in Istanbul, lived here until the age of 18. My childhood was a bit of fun and bitter like everyone else. It was fun because I had two houses to spend time in and it was bitter because my parents were separated. At the age of 18, I decided to move to Canada and live a life there, I qualified for a college there, but things have not been like I have expected them to be.
I am not talking about only going Canada, but living and studying there was a bit difficult than I have expected. So that other side of the world can be that turning point of my life. First of all, I believe that 18 is not a good age to stand on your feet at another country to start new things. Of course, my parents were always there when I needed them but it was not like it. I believe that a person’s perspective and well-awareness of him/herself develops after the age of 18. Also the his/her character becomes more bold in terms of how to behave others and how the connections between outer world and the person is.
Maybe Canada was the right place but I have been there at the wrong time. I was very introverted and not talking to many people. Because it was freezing cold outside, I could not find any good activities to participate in. At the same time, my sleeping schedule was really messed up, hence I was not able to go to lectures on time. Apart from me, my understanding of treating and helping each other contradicted with those people who were living there. For instance, one day I was at the gym to play basketball but my ball was stocked in the hoop. When I asked help from a stranger, he did not even care nor gave his ball for me to take my ball. If I had the same situation in Turkey, I mam sure that the stranger would give his shoe to me for me to save my basketball. This is just one example, when many things piled up like this example, I was sure that I was not going to get along with the foreigners over there. But although everything, I see that time of my life as a positive gaining because by failing to live and study there, I have got many good tools for life to use them in the future, what should I do right next time for example or how should I behave. Like the famous saying, sometimes you win sometimes you learn.
One of the major turning points of my life…
Above, you see one of the major turning points of my life. As I mentioned before, one of my biggest hobbies in life is basketball. Also both playing and watching it. Apart from the fact that it is my hobby, people tend to call me very talented in shooting, and I really was. Until I punched the punching bag so hard and in a wrong technique that I had to undergo from a surgery. The doctors told me that I broke a bone in my wrist and they have to put some kind of metal needle to stick the bone inside. Once they sticked it, whenever I move my wrist, it really hurts. It has been over a year but each time I try to shoot the basketball, it really hurts and I know it is not going to be like before. It is kind of sad when you are unable to perform your best talent in your life due to medical conditions.
Rhytym of my life would be…
A special thanks to…
It may seem like a cliche to write a letter to your parents but stil got to give credits to them.
Dear parents,
Thank you for admitting me although I may be a bit different person to deal with sometimes. You guys have always been by my side and I don’t mean that you did all the things I wanted by that. Sometimes you denied the things that I wanted although it was really difficult for me. But as the years went by, I understand why did you guys give some such decisions because sometimes you understand such things only when you grow up. Most importantly, thank you for not buying me fancy watches, too much expensive clothes or other over-valuable stuff. Otherwise I could have not known the value of what I have now and I would always seek for fancy stuff in life if I was raised that way.
I appreciate everything that you guys did for me,
Oğulcan
Being Turkish In Canada 