2026-03-22

← This post has an audio companion track. Click to play.

My wife gave me the go-ahead to share these images from her grandma's funeral. You might find it weird to photograph in a situation like this, but for me, this is my way of processing and understanding what is happening. People didn't mind either – they were focused on the proceedings – and, well, so was I. Everything happened incredibly fast – and I don't even mean just the funeral itself, but also the transport from Germany, arrival in Turkey Türkiye, the drive to the cemetery. But such is the custom. I'm so glad for my wife that we made it in time.

Side note: There was a group of refugee children, most likely from neighboring Syria, hanging out at the cemetery, waiting to earn a little money – helping with shoveling, watering the plants on the grave and selling tissues. They were right in the middle of things. Completely unthinkable that this could happen in Germany. But here, people didn't seem to mind.