By Bryan Altman
The shirt on his back, the complementary blanket that his arriving airline had provided and a Turkish law degree were all that John Cahit Akbulut carried with him into his studio apartment on 85th Street in New York City. It was 1981 when Akbulut and his wife Susan had just concluded the trying journey from Turkey to the United States, but were preparing to embark on an even more difficult one.
“I think when you’re young, and if you don’t know, you are the bravest person in the world. If someone asked me to do it now, knowing what I will go through, even if it were for a million dollars, I wouldn’t do it,” Akbulut said of his journey to America.
In his youth, Akbulut seemed destined to follow in his father’s footsteps—become a dentist and remain in Turkey. But once Akbulut attended college and took his entrance exams, he had to accept that he was destined to venture down a different path.
“It required a higher score [to become a dentist] than what I got, but just below, I got into law school. So I got into law school,” Akbulut said. “I didn’t have interest at that time, my choice was to follow up my father’s practice and it didn’t work. But I’m happy. If I became a dentist I wouldn’t be here.”
Akbulut embarked on the journey of helping fellow Turks gain access to the life that he has since become accustomed to in America.
Though he admittedly loves America and it is now his primary home, the John Cahit Akbulut Law Office at 36 East 20th Street clearly serves as reminder to Akbulut and his clientele of where they come from.
Golden drapes cover the walls and sentimental pieces such as a Turkish national football team jersey and old family photos sit idly on a nearby table. The room that Akbulut calls his office evokes images of Turkey even for those who have never been there, and especially for those who long for a slice of home.
As Akbulut reminisced about his life in Turkey and how his fortunes changed once he came to America, he sank down deep into his ruby-red throne of a chair, a perfect metaphor for the success Akbulut has sustained for the last 20 years, and a startling reminder of exactly how far he has come.
For many immigrants who find themselves in America, finding work is the genesis of their desire to come here, and also the most difficult part of the assimilation process. While Akbulut blazed the trail for generations of Turks yet to come, it was easy for him to recall the days when he dealt with uncertainty in a new world.
Six months into his new life in America, Akbulut had no money, no green card, no job and an even bigger problem due to arrive in roughly nine months.
“My wife got pregnant, and we still had nothing. We didn’t even have a green card since we came as a tourist,” Akbulut explained. “I was trying to pass the Bar exam and my wife was going to work and we had nothing, but I got the green card and we managed.”
Two boys later and years of simply getting by finally led to a prosperous stint at the Peter Kelly Law Firm in New York. The 10-plus years of work that Akbulut put in at Peter Kelly finally paved the way for him to open up his own law office, which now thrives in the same building that he worked in during his time at Peter Kelly.
Akbulut is consumed by the immigration process. While statues and picturesque images of Turkey line the hallways of the office, Akbulut’s dark-wooden desk is cluttered with papers and immigration forms. The organized chaos of the desk is in line with the maddening inconsistencies and oft-meandering policies that tend to come with the immigration process.
Whether applying for a green card, H-1 worker status, or petitioning to allow current U.S. residents to bring their families to America, Akbulut’s services are in high demand based on the ever-increasing amount of Turkish immigrants. The number of Turks heading to America has increased exponentially since his arrival too, and Akbulut was proud to point out that he was “the first” Turkish immigrant to receive his law license in Turkey and then in America. According to the EveryCulture.org, over 2,000 Turks have been immigrating to America every year since 1970, placing the number of total Turkish immigrants between 100,000 and 400,000 nationwide.
“I came here and it was a very difficult field to study,” Akbulut said. “I am the first Turkish-American who came to the United States as a foreign graduate and became a lawyer here. The other ones like my children, they are born here, they go to law school, pass the Bar, and then become a lawyer.”
Now Turkish individuals have Turkish communities to lean on as they make their way to America, a support system that was not available to Akbulut upon his arrival.
“The newcomers have it much easier now,” Akbulut said. “They have resources that they can use. If someone comes to me—even if they have no money—it reminds me of my first days and I help them and tell them what to do and where to go.”
Now groups of immigrants have even formed Turkish communities that have been sprouting up all of the New York over the last 20 years.
Large and vibrant Turkish communities can be found all over the tri-state area, especially in places like Brighton Beach, Sunnyside, Queens and Patterson, New Jersey.
But for Akbulut and many others, local communities offer only a taste of the life they once lived, which is not always sufficient enough. Akbulut frequently travels and makes sure to return to Turkey at least once every year or two. Memories come rushing back to Akbulut every time he returns. The place he was born, the school he attended as a child; all of the sights and smells that are exclusive to his hometown.
Also exclusive to his hometown in Turkey are his cousins and other family members who still live in Turkey. And to him, the family that remains is more important than anything else.
“A place is good, or has value if someone you love is there,” Akbulut said. “If you love someone but they’re living in hell, hell becomes not such a bad place to live.”
[…] From Turkish Immigrant to Immigration Specialist […]