Ümit

Taxi driver

“My uncle and his wife were going to divorce because they weren’t able to have children. My father gave me to my uncle after I was born, and that saved my uncle’s marriage. My uncle and his wife raised me as their son, and I grew up thinking these were my parents. I didn’t find out until I was 17 that my father is really my uncle. Later I started to hate my brothers and sisters. They knew I was their brother all along, but they never really accepted me or showed interest in me. I feel like they gave up on their brother, and I didn’t get enough love from them. My wife’s family is much closer to me than my own family, and I love them much more … I lost my job as an engineer a few months ago because the company was getting rid of older employees and hiring younger guys who are willing to work for less. So I took this job as a taxi driver. People ask me ‘why are you doing this, it’s beneath you.’ But I didn’t want to stay at home. This is a normal job, and there’s nothing wrong with doing it.”

(Istanbul, Turkey)