women and children lying in the woods, and we were afraid they will tell
the police. We could see police boats on the water, and hear their sirens.
Eventually a Turkish man came and questioned us, we told him the truth, he
said 'ok, don't worry,' and he brought water and some biscuits. Another
Turkish man came and said everyone should gather in one place. This
was suspicious. Then suddenly the police opened fire, we hear the sound
of bullets. Some young people run toward sea and start swimming, some
run away into the woods. The police say they will keep us until everyone is
here. The young people are captured, and we are taken back to Istanbul
and held in jail for questioning. They hold us for six days, but they accept
that the Iraqis in our group are Syrians and they let us go.
After this, Mohammad and his son spent two weeks in Istanbul, resting, thinking, planning, gathering their strength for another attempt. "Almost everyday in the coffee shops, we hear stories about people drowning [trying to cross the Aegean Sea], but we try to ignore this because we don't want our motivation to weaken. This is why I waited two weeks to make the crossing, some people only wait a couple of days, but I am very careful, questioning the smuggler, asking his agent questions. Where is your crossing? Where do you land?...I saw that there were more women and children than men refugees, and this made me strong. They inspired me. If they can face death, I can too."
Finally, on the fourth attempt, they succeeded. ("This time, we left during the day, and the police were right there. So we believe bribes were paid"). A nighttime sea crossing was set, and Mohammad, a mechanical engineer by training, agreed to pilot. The trip was harrowing, with the boat overloaded and passengers frantic, Turkish police on the waters, and navigation a literal shot in the dark. "I never drove a boat before"My son and I can't swim. I believed we would die, but I thought, if I am going to face death, then I will face it carefully"Thank God we made it."
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