Tower and Town, June 2022

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Ozlem, Originally from Kiği, Turkey

Originally from the town of Kiği in the district of Bingöl Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, Ozlem (Oh-z-lem) Goksal has lived in Marlborough for the past 10 years.

Ozlem lives in Marlborough with her husband and their three children Rojin, Rojda and Mizgin. The youngest, Mizgin, will join her sisters at St John's at the beginning of the next academic year.

When asked what she likes about Marlborough, Ozlem described the town as small, beautiful, historical, safe, nice shops, and the people are very kind. When asked to offer some negative attributes, Ozlem said the shops could be expensive.

In response to whether she feels like a “foreigner” in the town, Ozlem said she likes living here, she belongs, she is happy, and again, the people are kind. The reaction from people she meets for the first time is always positive.

Ozlem is happier now that her English has improved. Trying whenever possible to speak English has helped her improve her command of the language.

Ozlem is here to stay because, in addition to being a British national, she is also Kurdish, and in Marlborough, she is accepted and no one questions that freedom.

During our chat, Ozlem described the difficulty of being Kurdish in Turkey including having her father arrested and imprisoned. After her local school was closed, her family moved to Istanbul so that Ozlem could continue her schooling.

“This is my second home” offered Ozlem. This is also, she stressed, where her children are.

What would she tell someone wanting to relocate to Marlborough? “It is small, there are kind people, and we have everything here.”