Later Today

Yes, as I had foreseen, every hospital got a personal call. Despite the chance of a car crash and burglars turning my house into a free-for-all, I set up two tiny cameras and handed over the 4G system before making my escape.

My rented car was fresh off the lot, but someone had a bit of fun with the brakes. Every time I tried to stop, it decided to play a game of “left or right,” and I nearly ended up in a dance-off with it a few times.

Oh, and did I mention I had to visit four hospitals armed with just two cans of cola? My first pit stop was a military hospital, but I didn’t had my magic admission papers, so they showed me the door. Then it was off to a state hospital and two others with names that sound like they should be selling miracles and ethics: Miracle and Etik Hospital. Three of these places gave me the classic “Sorry, we’re all out” line. What true patriots, eh?

When I rocked up in Northern Cyprus, I suddenly felt like I was on a mission to defend their rights, even though I had my own dramas. Picture this: I’m cruising in my rental car from north to south, only to be told, “Sorry, mate, you can’t go south.” The car was from the island, rented from the island, but because it was from the north, I had to do a U-turn. I was gobsmacked. Apparently, I needed special permission. Why on Earth would they do that to people?

And then, after weeks of searching, I finally found here an online shop selling what I needed. It was like hunting for clean water on a poisoned planet. Days later, I got an email saying their store was in the south and they didn’t ship to the north. Seriously? Their store was just 60 km away, not 6000 km! So, the world only recognises half the island, and only Turkiye gives a nod to the north. But people live in the north too, right? Half the island is in the EU, the other half isn’t.

For days, I ranted about how unfair it was for the world to ignore Northern Cyprus just because it’s Turkish. But today, the hospitals that had snubbed me showed they’re just puppets of countries that don’t even recognise them. They turned away a woman who was their voice. The sanctions on this island, to me directly, are now a political mess, not mine.

I wanted to thank you today, but honestly, things are pretty grim.

29.07.2026