article_snippet.sent: All of them mentioned that Mersin, a port city on the southern border, was the jump off point, so I made my way there.
article_snippet.sent: It was far from Mersin.
article_snippet.sent: us were in the middle of the Mediterranean, far enough away from the surrounding countries to be in international waters.
article_snippet.sent: There were around 300 of us on board, and as the waves began to push us towards Cyprus the crew sent a distress signal, hoping to alert maybe a U.N. or Red Cross boat, anyone who could help us.
article_snippet.sent: Luckily, before long, a Cypriot coast guard ship arrived to rescue us and deport us back to Turkey.
article_snippet.sent: Turkish authorities fingerprinted and released us within a few hours.
article_snippet.sent: I was released, and said I wanted to get on a Cypriot coast guard ship out.
article_snippet.sent: Seven days in, despite the poor conditions, everything was going well and we were nearing the island-dotted seas near Greece.
article_snippet.sent: On the eleventh day, 200 miles off the coast of southern Italy we guides began to alert Italian authorities to we presence.
article_snippet.sent: we were adrift at sea, they told Italian authorities, with no captain or crew.
article_snippet.sent: migrants took we to Catania, on Sicily, where we finally reached land a day later.
article_snippet.sent: When we arrived, the first thing the Italian authorities did was look after the urgent medical cases.
article_snippet.sent: I spent two days in Sicily before making my way first to Milan with two Syrian guys who had become friends.