may your head stay healthy

A colleague of mine's aunt passed away yesterday and often times the school will arrange a bus to take available teachers to the funeral.  My colleague is Turkish and has become a good friend, and so I joined the bus to support her.

I had no classes so the timing worked out just right in the middle of the day.  There is one main cemetery in Ankara - I'm not even sure if there are others - and it is a a huge piece of land with a mosque at the top of a hill.  Friday is a holy day - so the cemetery is busier than most days - maybe people had waited a bit longer than 24 hours, or some to come and pay their respects - either way, it seems too busy.  There was too much death today.

The mosque area is open, with some on chairs waiting, some on carpets praying, and many milling around hugging family members and giving their condolences: Başınız sağolsun - may your head stay healthy.

My friend's aunt was sick over many years time, so it wasn't so unexpected - but rather it was hard because she had lost her mother this year as well.  Another friend who had come was crying as well, as she too had recently lost her mother.  The whole place represented the loss of so many.