1 minute read
AsI Stand
justification of their tyranny, ignorance, innaction and discriminatory resource and aid allocation.
Concordia was no different. They did not provide comprehensive or timely coverage on the matter, nor was there any relief provided to Turkish and Syrian students, except for a quick email sent out by the International Student Office. Having to reach out to professors one by one—or not reaching out at all and trying to keep it all together—and having to explain why we were not okay despite the survival of our immediate circle was simply excruciating. Surely, we were not new to having to put on a happy face, but repeated exposure to trauma does not make us immune to pain.
While we impatiently awaited empathy from our professors, sympathy from our peers, statements from our student union and university, we found comfort in each other. In the face of lacking institutional support and colonial indifference, the Turkish diaspora found strength in coming together.
Looking out from the 11th floor terrace
At these buildings
Sturdy
At these buildings
Strong
At these buildings that would shake
But not fall
To live and to never worry
That the ground may crumble beneath your feet
To live and to never worry
Because the ground may shake beneath your feet but never crumble
To live and to trust
To not have to think to trust–
That the ground you walk on will not fall.
I’m looking out from the 11th floor terrace
And all I can see is rubble
From the 11th floor terrace
From the 11th floor terrace.
