From the ages of 8 to 14, I lived in Turkey with my family, so going abroad wasn't something out of the ordinary for me especially considering how many countries I was able to visit from Istanbul's global hub of an airport. Going abroad alone definitely was new, but I felt like it was time to immerse myself in a different culture again. The opportunity came to me in the form of a giant mint green poster in our studio.
My flight took off from Edmonton on July 31st and sent me far, far away from the people I knew and the culture I understood. The course started two days after I landed. At first, I was afraid to be living on my own for the first time, especially in a foreign city, but I soon found that I had a great support system around me.
I spent three weeks learning about critical design AND critical grocery shopping. I found my way around a foreign city with limited understanding of the language, managed to spend more than I should have, and made more friends than I expected. I also got myself into a bit of trouble on public transit, but mistakes are part of the journey. Berlin also helped me understand my cultural identity.
Like I said, I lived in Turkey during my early teens, and it was my dad that moved us there in the first place so he could work in his home country and be closer to his family. I've never been sure if I count as Turkish, but I also know that I am not like a lot of my classmates from small towns in Alberta. Berlin has the largest number of Turkish expats in Europe, so everywhere I went I found myself amongst people like me: people who were sort of Turkish, but not really sure if they'd call themselves Turkish; people who spoke the same second language as me but also shared a certain disconnect from it; people who fell somewhere ambiguous.
Returning home was probably the hardest part of my trip abroad. I got used to grabbing groceries every day on my way home from the U-Bahn station and working late into the night in someone else's tiny dorm room.
