My maternal grandmother in Northern Cyprus has always been a great inspiration to me – now and during my childhood. I especially enjoyed Ottoman children’s stories she recited. Her memory and humour is the sharpest in my family. She has six children, my mother being the sixth. As a child I always thought she was still pregnant because her belly never went down. She particularly enjoys me plucking a few hairs from her chin.
Zehra Ozel, age 80
