Youssef Kemal Asturk’s Talents: “I live here and now. Otherwise you can not enjoy it! “

He enjoys it to the fullest, has already found his way, but there is also an inner struggle about who he is and what his dream is in the end. Yusuf wants to become a musician, which could not have happened easily in his own Turkey, for himself. At the same time, Yusuf is studying to be a software developer, for which he is currently doing an internship at Groningen. Yusuf wants to enjoy his future and work at the same time. “

Yusuf Kemal Osturk

When contacted by him for an interview, Youssef suspects that his story is not very ‘cc’ or ‘clich’. This is the character of nineteen year old Yusuf Kemal Osturk. “Otherwise it’s very confusing to me. I like the structure. Of course I have dreams, but I’m not going to worry about things not happening, or I’m sure it will happen. I’m still living here. Otherwise I can not enjoy it!”

Yusuf in his story takes us from Turkey to the United States via Kosovo. Then back to Turkey and Friesland, the temporary permanent location of Heeranween. It is not yet certain where this will go in the future.

Turkey-Kosovo-American-Turkey

He needs to think about who Yusuf is. “Well, it’s very complicated. I’m a guy who finds music very interesting. My parents and sister are musicians. My mother is not much, by the way. My dad plays the palama, my sister plays the violin. As a boy in Turkey, he’s forced to learn music lessons. Youssef did not like it, but when he found the piano at home, it turned out to be a lot of fun. For many years I played many musical instruments. His teacher asked him to play the drums. “He really needed a drummer, I thought he’s right, I’m going to try it.”

Yusuf Kemal Osturk was born nineteen years ago in Turkey, the son of two teachers. His mother is a kindergarten teacher and helps him develop his self-confidence. At a young age, the family moved to Kosovo for two years and then to the United States. His father wants to get a doctorate in education there and the family moves in with them. Yusuf discovers a new world in America with different lifestyles and different perspectives on the world. In addition, he develops English as the official language, and English is spoken at home.

In 2011, the family returned to Turkey. Yusuf had to learn Turkish at the age of nine and invented a different mindset. As he gets older, he wants to be a musician, but it doesn’t seem like an option. Yusuf: “When I went to high school, they told me I had to go in an educational direction because it makes a lot of money. It is not really possible to follow a music course in Turkey.

Netherlands

“When I was a kid, we often came to the Netherlands for vacations. Here lives a family who worked as a guest in the Netherlands in the sixties. We thought the Netherlands was a good country. Whatever is said in the Turkish media. The Netherlands is one of the most open countries to foreigners. We looked at it. We have no doubt that the Netherlands will welcome us well and we can feel at home here.

The family already knows how to live in a new country with a different mindset. Especially in the United States they have learned a lot about ‘questioning’, asking questions and asking yourself what it really is, instead of taking it all in stride. That’s why Yusuf is sometimes troubled by comments from strangers. “We did not come for money, not for benefits. We work hard to learn the language and we all have work to do! ”

Right to education

When the family moved to the Netherlands, Yusuf was entitled to an education at the age of seventeen. At ISK in Lemmer he learns the Dutch language very quickly. “I have no friends there, the rest are about twelve years old. You are classified there by language level, not by age … it was hard. Fortunately I was seventeen. At the age of eighteen I would not have qualified for this path!

Unfortunately, Yusuf is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He wants to go to higher professional education and study in Amsterdam, but there are some problems: he needs a residence permit to join a specialization, which is not yet in Yusuf. “I was so upset when I couldn’t go straight to college,” he admits. Teachers in ISK in mbo. Yusuf: “They said: ‘You are a foreigner, go for MBO’. That’s why I did a skill test. From that I came to the conclusion that I could go well for MBO 4. The teachers really thought it was not possible and I said I would not succeed.

Project A in B

But Yusuf wins! In fact, he is currently in his second year of training as a software developer at ROC Friese Poort in Sneak. The group started with 25 students, of which eight, including Yusuf, now remain. He is currently doing an internship at a fun and educational institution in Croningen. He sees this training as a Plan B and should be on hand if his Plan A fails. Then he still has his diploma and he can build this. He sees it this way: his education provides the basis for pursuing his dream of becoming a musician.

“Now that I’re here in the Netherlands, I dare take it. If I see all the possibilities and support, it’s possible here. , He can still go to the Conservatory. “It’s interrelated,” Yusuf explains. “I use my brain in different ways in programming, I have to think logically. I can show my creativity and sensitivity side in music. I really enjoy the programming, but when I watch live music shows I enjoy it even more. Without thinking in front of a room full of people, without doubting yourself, it becomes clear that his dream is to express himself in the most comfortable music.

Review about yourself

At the same time, Yusuf is very critical of himself. “Does he want to be Yusuf?” Is it very convenient to fix anything? You know you can do better, “he often says to himself. It applies to everything: his studies, school, work, music and sports / weight loss. Talking to you well, that’s what he does. A few weeks ago, under the influence of my sister, I started eating healthier and started exercising.I always wanted to lose weight, but I did not like it, I was so lazy.In fact, I’m still lazy.It’s up to you when you buy everything that tastes good in the supermarket! You know? But now I’m pushing myself because it’s good for me that I’ve stopped my unhealthy lifestyle at the right time and it’s better to make the decision to eat healthier and exercise. Odd goes.

Outside of your comfort zone

According to Yusuf, it is very difficult to get out of your comfort zone. But he knows better than anyone that you can not learn differently. Beautiful things happen outside of your comfort zone. Open communication is important here. Here in the Netherlands he learned it. “In Turkey I learned not to say anything until you were asked a question. But still you just answer the question and say nothing more. It’s still on his mind.

Yusuf believes that if you speak another language, you are not only speaking that language, but also being part of that culture and those traditions. “When I speak Turkish, I suddenly become a Turkish Yusuf. If I speak Dutch, I am Yusuf from Dutch. Of course the two affect each other. I am now very open and direct with my Turkish friends. I am not Dutch, not Turkish, not American. I am a mix of the three. I’m Yusuf. I have seen and experienced a lot. I hear many opinions and see different ways of doing things. I can now think about it myself and decide what is good and what is not.

Make music

As for music, he comes to de Ringelpom a few times a week to practice piano and drums, and goes to the music rooms with his sister to compose music together. In addition, he travels to Zwolle or Groningen each week to rent a studio.

Yusuf concludes with a comment: “If I were in Turkey now, what would my life be like? I miss Turkey, but I am comfortable here in my education and internship. I’m not just doing this, I’m doing it for the future! ”

Door: Janita Baron