A Page from the Mermaid's Book

"The fourth stage of the Dost Kulaçlar Project was my transition from Ayvalık to Mytilene.

It was the time when migrants were escaping to the islands using boats. While seeking permission from the Greek islands, I encountered questions like 'Are you an activist?' and 'Why are you swimming?' No one believed that I was doing a project for friendship and that it would be a sports swimming event.

Since Mytilene is considered international territory, our team and I needed visas, and our transit entry and exit had to be arranged. As always, in our swimming event, we had our referee, lifeguard, doctor, and our indispensable Turkish Swimming Federation referee.

Unfortunately, even though we could find sponsors in some cases, especially during this event, we couldn't secure sponsor support. It was the year of the July 15 events, and no one wanted to support a swimming event. Finding boats for the event was one of the most challenging aspects, and this time we really didn't have the money. We tried every way, knocked on every door we knew, but since we had exhausted our own resources, we had no money left to carry out this event. I still remember my wife saying, 'This is the end.' I couldn't accept it; I didn't want the project to remain unfinished. As a last effort, I thought of telling my grandmother. My grandmother said without hesitation, 'My dear, I can lend you money, and you can pay me back whenever you are able.' However, she knew very well that she would never ask for the money back. May she rest in peace... ❤️ She always supported me; honestly, I can say that this event happened thanks to her.

There were other challenges, of course. One of them was that the boat had to leave Ayvalık Port very early in the morning. However, the port officials had told us that they could not make transit entry and exit before 9:00 am. We started to worry. We had picked up the whole team the night before with our own car and headed for Ayvalık. After settling into our hotel, we went to the port for transit entry and exit. After talking to the port official, we decided that the only way out was to pretend to leave at night and exit early in the morning. And that's what happened. In the early hours of the morning, our team and we set off from Ayvalık Port towards the coast of Assos.

The sea was incredibly calm, the weather was equally beautiful, and our team was in high spirits. Throughout all these events, we always said, 'Swimming is an excuse, being together is great.' It really was always like that. When we arrived at the coasts of Assos, with the permission of our dear referee, I entered the water and swam to the shore, starting where my feet touched. The projects were maturing so difficultly that's why we always said, 'Swimming is the easiest.' I can say that I swam 11 km without taking a breath. On the last night, I encountered another surprise. Before going to bed, they showed me a photo. In the photo, there was a fishing boat, and it was full of pufferfish up to its mouth. It was something I had never heard of or seen before. Apparently, there are a lot of pufferfish on the shores of Mytilene, and fishermen are illegally catching them. Until that moment, I didn't even know that there were pufferfish on the coasts. After hearing it, knowing it didn't really affect me much. My only wish was not to see a single one. Thankfully, I didn't see any...

Around the 4 km mark of the event, a seagull appeared in the sky, and I think it assumed me as a dead animal on the water's surface, making a few dives towards me. I remember playing with it by throwing water. I had a lot of fun.

All our friends on the boat, our lifeguard, doctor, referee, and of course, my dear wife constantly guided me, helping me swim almost without deviating. When we reached the Greek coastal waters, a Greek Coast Guard boat accompanied us to the shore.

While getting permissions for the event, I was reached by Unicef representatives, especially Zoi Livaditou, who wanted to accompany me in the last 100 meters of the event. Zoi and about ten of her friends, Unicef representatives, entered the sea from the Greek coast and greeted me in the water. When I saw them approaching the shore, I can't describe the joy and excitement inside me. I continued swimming with tears in my eyes. As we approached the shore, I hugged them in the water. When we got ashore, I was very moved. I was crying on one side, constantly hugging the friends who welcomed me. Zoi honored me by putting a flower crown on my head. It was one of the unforgettable moments for me.

Later, we all went to a restaurant in Mytilene, completing the 'Dost Kulaçlar' project by having a meal with friends and enjoying pleasant moments. Although our departure was difficult, our return was unexpectedly easy, and another memory was added to the collection of a mermaid. 🙏🏼

Stay with love."