Evren's Migration

This is a reverse immigration story. The first thing that catches the eye in Arapgir's villages is the elderly. The villages were abondoned; the young people migrated to big cities for education and work.

Having been working in the cinema sector in Istanbul since 1998, Evren Çöp returns to his hometown Arapgir in 2018 and starts living in Onar Village, where his family's home is located. His father lost his sight after thirty years of auto repairing. But he is an expert of nature, plants, and especially grapes. Despite the loss of his eyesight, he still prunes vineyards by touching with his hands.

After returning to the village, Evren realizes that they cannot earn a good income by selling grapes, so they should consider selling the processed products. He travels from village to village to learn traditional methods in the region. Then he learns the tricks of the job. Evren also takes notes on traditional methods with scales and recipes.

After a while, he starts to sell grape tarhana, fruit pulp, churchkhela, kesmece, molasses, vinegar, and grape seeds. He wants to brand his products in the future, make his own house in the village and raise his children in nature. Evren says that it was difficult to get used to the village life at first but it felt safe and comfortable.

Although he misses his friends in Istanbul from time to time, he is happy to be here.