Adrian Shephard was in Turkey. He had his recording machine with him, because one can never know. Judging from the second part of his Postcards from Istanbul, someone should offer him a grant so that he can continue his series of interviews in the big metropole that stretches out his arms to Europe and Asia.
In this interview with Seraj Alfata, originally from Damascus now living and working at the hostel Planet Paprika close to Taksim Square we hear a lot of stories. But it is in the details that you get a glimpse of a different culture: The years in Moscow with his family in the early 80s, how human traffickers try to seduce their ‘clients,’ the impossibility to reach Damascus by land.
Seraj Alfata speaks of his journey to Istanbul from Syria, tales from the hostel, dreams for the future and his reincarnation story, and at the end of his story you get the impression that Planet Paprika is just a few streets away from where you are.
