Hi, I’m Dia.

Thank you for visiting my website and wanting to find out a bit more about me.

Over the years I’ve managed to curate a summary which I believe satisfies all ears when they ask “where are you from?”. I know, that dreaded question! Let me know what you think of my answer.

I was born in Istanbul, Turkey on the Asian side, on Thursday 22 May 1986, to Kurdish parents from Kahramanmaraş (epicentre of the Feb 23 earthquake in Turkey) but the elders come from Sivas. (In Turkey you always refer to the elder “your people”).

Although I was born in Istanbul, I have been bred in London, having lived here since I was 8, bar my time during university. The next question tends to be where in London and I must admit, I’m a north Londoner. I appreciate that might not mean much non-Londoners but just like the Asia/Europe divide in Istanbul created by the magnificent Bosphurus, London has the Thames to answer for the North/South divide.

The next question I get is who I support when the footie is on and honestly, I am not the best person to ask as I’ve only ever been to one match, and that’s when I was four. We had tickets on the Fenerbahçe side but my uncles were Galatasaray supporters. So was I. All I remember is I couldn’t see much, and then suddenly there was a loud eruption and I was flying. The guy behind us in excitement of a goal had raised me right up. That was the last time so, yes, my allegiance is with Galatasaray as that’s the club most of my family supports, bar Dad, who obviously supports Fenerbahçe.

I don’t have anything against Fenerbahçe, in fact I wanted to go to their girls high school, which was very near us and extremely well regarded.

Instead I went to another single sex school in Hornsey where I was again asked my football allegiance was questioned and I went with Tottenham Hotspur’s for 3 reasons:
1. I lived in Tottenham so it made sense to support the local team,
2. Everyone else was supporting Arsenal and like Dad I wanted to be different,
3. I liked the Shakespeare link.. Hotspur

So, that says as much as one must know to have worked out that a) I have never shied away from being different, b) family meant a lot to me and c) I have always lived amongst divides, not quite knowing where I belonged. I didn’t realise then that I belonged with all the other eldest children of immigrants who went off to be doctors and lawyers or like me, accountants.

I now my home is wherever I can write. Be that a bus, a cafe, or my bed. I am always at home, at my safest when I write.

So, welcome to my home,

Oh and I’m not a cat person, or a dog person. I’m a both person. I have one of each, a girl and a boy. They get on perfectly. It’s us, with all our boxes and divisions and choices and allegiances that don’t tend to. Cats and dogs just have a misunderstanding on what moving the tail means… that’s all!