Turkiye has appeared in my life in 2019, although this country has always been a popular summer destination for Poles. A moment later the pandemics has started and I moved in with a Turkish boyfriend, not really knowing much about his Middle East roots. I really needed to see this country to face all the stereotypes that didn't match my partner at all.
In 2021 we travelled to Turkiye for the first time - to meet the family and confront beliefs with reality. I was a tourist in Cappadoccia and i was a local in a tea shop that Baris used to visit in between. I met Ataturk - his face was on every corner, supermarket and sculpture; I was looking at Turkish women, so different in their approach to freedom and family.
These pictures are my visual impression from Turkiye that I saw for the first time.