Koza Unal
Flautist and flute teacher
Bristol

Favourite Thing: Turkish flag featuring Ataturk

I’ve been in Bristol around a year now. I was living in Swansea for about a year as well. I came from Turkey in September 2013.

I’m working as a self-employed. I’m giving private lessons. I play with the Bristol Reggae Orchestra and a Latin band in Swansea. I was there just last weekend to play in a wedding.

My Mum brought the flag from Turkey for me. So it’s even more special for me. I don’t know, I forgot to bring it with me. It’s actually my brother’s. It reminds me of lots of things in my family as well.

“Ataturk is my biggest idol. He built modern Turkey”

It’s on my wall in my flat. It means a lot to me —  not because it’s Turkish flag: it also have Ataturk on there. He’s my biggest idol. He built modern Turkey. And this is why he’s so important. He gave women voting rights.

It reminds me of Turkey. And kind of old Turkey. Now, Turkey’s kind of changing, unfortunately. I hope it’s not going to happen. I hope we can keep it how it was, how he built, how he wanted.

“He changed everything and now we’re going backwards”

My first reason for coming here was to just learn English. But when you see your country’s kind of in a bad situation, going more worse and stuff, I just try to stay here. Now I’m here I don’t even want to go back because things not change. I mean he changed everything and now we are definitely going backwards.