Katherine, known as Kate Turquia by her 15,000 followers on Instagram, shares her journey as a Colombian woman who became a Muslim and emigrated to Turkey seven years ago. Katherine embraced Islam before meeting her Turkish husband and moving to Turkey with her daughter. She warmly portrays her experiences as a Latin American living in a country with diverse cultural traditions.
Embracing change: A Colombian woman living in Turkey
After studying nursing at Javeriana University in Bogota, Katherine began working while raising her daughter as a single mother. During this time, she met her future husband on Facebook, an encounter that unfolded uniquely. He is Turkish, but his family had migrated to Belgium, where he was born. “My husband and I started exchanging messages in 2013”, she recalls. “Three years later, in 2016, I told him it was essential we meet in person for the relationship to go any further”.
A few months later, she told him she had purchased flight tickets to Turkey to finally meet him. To her surprise, he revealed that he had bought his tickets just two days before she did. “I was afraid,” she admitted. “Being a single mom, I didn’t want to take any risks with my daughter”.
“He told me he wanted to visit Colombia. When he arrived, he spoke with my daughter’s father to seek his approval for us to migrate together. He also spoke with my grandfather, my mother, and even my boss”, she continued.
After their encounter in Colombia, approximately six months later, Katherine traveled to Belgium where she stayed for three months. They soon decided to settle in Turkey as a couple. “We started from scratch,” she recounted. “His family was in Belgium and mine in Colombia, so we didn’t have anything. Since then, we have been together for seven years”.
Katherine became a Muslim in school
Katherine’s father, originally from Santander, Colombia, served as a police officer, while her mother studied accounting at the National University. Despite their separation, Katherine grew up in the southern part of Bogota. Her interest in Islam began during 10th grade, when she first encountered the religion at school, sparking her curiosity.
While studying at Javeriana University in Bogota, Katherine met Camila, a Colombian Muslim who wore a hijab. This encounter inspired her to begin attending religious ceremonies every Friday at a mosque in Chapinero (the 2nd locality of Bogota, the capital of Colombia.) Months later, and while facing a period of depression, she decided to wear the hijab herself and venture into this religion.
“For me, religion is like my salvation. I prayed to God that if I found a good father for my daughter and met the right husband, I would wear the hijab”, she explained. “I believe religion is like underwear. It is so personal that you decide how to wear it and what to do with it. In the end, it is about your relationship with God, and that is what I try to show on my YouTube channel”, she added.
Katherine faces a cultural challenge as a Colombian Muslim
When Katherine first arrived in Turkey, she struggled to understand cultural differences. One of the first things that impressed her was that her husband did not kiss or hug her in public. “For me, his experience living in Belgium was an advantage because it made him more open-minded”, she emphasized.
However, she needed to negotiate mutual cultural adaptation. “I was willing to embrace his culture, but I also asked him to embrace mine,” she reflected.
Despite these cultural differences, Katherine believes that Turkey is an open-minded culture. “This country is secular. If you wear a bikini, it is okay. If you wear a burka, it is fine”, she affirmed. “One of the most beautiful things for me while living here is the diversity of people”, she added.
Katherine’s reality as Kate Turquia
Regarding her experience with social media, Katherine perceives her Kate Turquia YouTube and Instagram accounts as extensions of herself. Her primary social media platform is YouTube, where she creates various vlogs sharing her personal experiences in Turkey. Her storytelling style and authenticity resonate with her audience, drawing people to her content.
Sometimes, she discusses her husband Orhan, while other moments highlight her children as central figures. Kate Turquia’s content focus on sharing her experiences, showcasing cultural traditions such as Turkish weddings and traditional cuisine, and expressing her deep love for family time.
Creating content has not always been simple for her. During her last pregnancy, Katherine faced health challenges that temporarily made her stop her video production. Now that she has returned, she tries to show what differentiates her from other Latin American YouTubers living in Turkey.
“I do not want my social media content to become too essential”, she confessed. Currently, Katherine is pursuing new learning experiences. “I aim to obtain Turkish citizenship, establish my professional credentials equivalent to my Colombian title, and also pursue a career as a Spanish teacher”, she concluded.
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