My name is Rita Kilicci and I am 14 years old. I was born in Vienna, Austria. My mother was born in Istanbul, Turkey and my father in Beirut, Lebanon. Let me tell you the story of my great-grandfather KhatschigYangin.

Khatschik was the oldest of four siblings. He had heard that soldiers were on their way to his village to deport all Armenians of the village. They were not able to escape because they would be persecuted and killed. In order to ensure the survival of his siblings, he hid them in the cellar-like food storage under the house in which they lived. He hid the entrance with furniture, so that the soldiers could not see it.

Khatschik himself stayed in the woods during the day and at nights he would come back and look for food for his family.
Mostly he stole fruits from the gardens of his neighbors or other plundered people’s houses. Soldiers entered their house, but were not able to find Khatchik or his siblings. When the soldiers finally left the village, Khatschik and his siblings tried to return to a normal everyday-life. All Armenians were killed or had to change their religion to Islam.

Khatschik my great-grandfather married TurfandaDilanian (Arpaoglu), who was rescued by her aunt. They had four children, the second born daughter is my Grandmother NaringülYangin..