By ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ (GREEK) TÜRKÇE (TURKISH)
“I would like to continue my studies in Europe and then I would like to come to Cyprus just for a visit.”
These words are heartbreaking.
They touch your heart…
The worst thing is that when you look at the current situation, you are not able to say “don’t say that.”
You are stuck between your mind and your heart.
These are the words of 16-year-old Mehmet Cangil Çulama.
Mehmet Cangil Çulama received Europe’s highest honours in English as a second language. He was recognised for his outstanding achievement in the Pearson Edexcel IGCSE.
Although Mehmet, a student of Necat British College, was delighted with his ‘European First Place’, his concerns about our country attracted our attention.
I met Mehmet Cangil Çulama, who came first in the exam, which was attended by students from all countries in Europe except England, in a café, and chatted with him for an hour.
He was always educated in private schools, but he does not underestimate the education in public schools at all. He has an extremely sensitive attitude, “Of course, it was my family’s choice for me to study at a private school. I have friends who study in public schools; I observe that there are noteworthy differences, especially when it comes to infrastructure and authority, but I don’t think there are extraordinary differences in terms of educational content. Private schools offer a more personalised education, we have more class hours.”
“I am thinking of Netherlands”
We talk about the future.
The countdown for higher education has begun.
He wants to study in the Netherlands and become a software developer; he cares about professions of the new generation.
“Technology is constantly developing and changing, I think the future is in these fields”, says Mehmet Çulama…
I ask, “Will you return to Cyprus after completing your education in Europe?”
I think this is the first question we ask every student who dreams of studying abroad nowadays…
He says, “I’m thinking of coming to Cyprus just for a visit,” without a second thought…
Extremely determined…
Why?
“Our country has changed a lot since I was a child. I don’t see a future here in economic terms. I think that if I get a good education, I won’t be able to reap the rewards in Cyprus.”
He says since he was a child, but he is actually still a child… I am trying to understand how he came to such a judgement.
“As I got older, I started to look into Europe, and when I compare it with my own country and what I have experienced, I see that there are much more contemporary, modern, progressive practices. Also, I have always had the desire to explore different countries. I feel a little more alienated from my own country each day.”
“60 per cent are non-Turkish native speakers”
His schoolmates are mostly foreigners, “60 per cent of them do not speak Turkish as their mother tongue.”
Mehmet has been studying in an English curriculum since the age of 3. At times, he has difficulty finding Turkish words to express himself, so he uses concepts in English.
“Did you have any problems learning your mother tongue?”, I ask him.
He tells that he did experience some problems, but he also says “it was not as bad as I feared it to be.”
He says he has started to read books in Turkish.
He explains that studying with mostly foreign students has both advantages and difficulties.
“It was a learning experience for me, particularly in terms of getting introduced to different cultures,” he says.
For a better understanding, I ask him where his classmates and schoolmates are from.
I gather that the native language of a significant majority is Russian.
“We do classes of 5 to 15 students depending on the subject. I have friends from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus. I have friends from Iran, Jordan… We also have friends from England.”
“How do you spend a day?”, I ask.
Mostly school, lessons, work…
I’d like to remind you that private schools offer full-day education.
“My days are like this: school, classes, home… I also do sports; I’m interested in bodybuilding. I also love music and I watch a lot of films. We are all a little bit addicted to our phones but not so much that it interferes with our lives…”
“I came first in Europe but I am not able to get EU citizenship”
Then we start talking about the exam where he ranked first in Europe…
His first reaction is: “I came first in Europe, but I am not able to get EU citizenship.”
Mehmet Cangil Çulama is the child of a ‘mixed marriage’.
His father was born in Izmir, his mother in Kyrenia…
His father was 4 when he came to Cyprus…
“I don’t think this is fair”, says Mehmet.
“I was born and raised in Cyprus, my father also grew up here… My father has always known himself as a Cypriot. I feel that I belong here.”
“How do you define your own identity?”, I ask him.
“Sometimes they ask where I am from… When they ask this question on the island, I say I am from Kyrenia. If they ask me abroad, I say I am a Cypriot. I can also say, I am Turkish.”
I try to talk about politics, a little bit.
“Honestly, we don’t talk politics much within our family,” he interrupts.
Still, I push him, and ask how he feels about his homeland.
“We the young people know that there were wars in Cyprus. Nevertheless, we do not see the division of an island into two as a solution. The current situation is an easy and incongruous outcome. This is not a solution.”
I remind him of his goal of studying in Europe and ask him under what conditions he would like to return to Cyprus…
“If we could become a member of the United Nations, or a country recognized by the international community, or at least have our identity cards and passports accepted by others… If we could have a modern transport system, for instance… There is no public transport in this country… Even our electricity system is problematic… Our roads are of poor quality… All aspects of life are unregulated… There is a lack of planning… Living standards are actually far behind… If these could change, of course, we would love to live in our country…’
So, what do his friends think?
“My friends who have the means make their future plans in a way to go to countries like Italy and Spain. Most of them dream of living in another country. Of course, there are also friends who see their future here. Especially those who are not academically ambitious… We don’t hear anything good about Cyprus anymore… Successful people want to escape. This is very sad…”
Mehmet has never taken any private lessons outside school hours…
“You are already studying at a private school,” I say.
Nevertheless, I learn that a large number of students take private lessons.
At the end of an hour, I ask, “What would be your last words?”…
“I feel proud of my success, maybe an awareness of northern Cyprus can be created through this success. There will be an award ceremony in the south in the coming days. It is exciting for me… I would like to thank my primary school teacher Fatoş Mertekçi, she gave us a great foundation. I would like to thank our school principal Pınar Pürel Cabbar and our head teacher İdil Akçal… The contribution of my English teacher, Narin Deniz, to this success, is immense…”
