The first country I ever visited was Cyprus. Well, I’m not even sure if it counts as a country. In international terms, Northern Cyprus isn’t officially recognized - but since I experienced so many things for the first time there, I count it as a country for myself. And of course, Erdoğan has ruined this place too.

Nicosia is the last and only divided capital city in the world. On the northern side live Turkish Cypriots, and on the southern side, Greek Cypriots. By pure luck, on my first night there, there was a local festival. A band made up of both Turks and Greeks was performing songs in both languages. Seeing two deeply intertwined communities singing together in two tongues felt surreal to me - and I loved it.

The next day, while wandering around Nicosia, I wanted to try crossing to the southern side, but I found out that only Cypriots or EU citizens can cross. I’ll never forget the smug look on the security officer’s face when he told me that - it hit me hard. As soon as I get a stronger passport, the very first country I’ll visit will be South Cyprus. It’s absurd. I can’t enter a country that’s literally next door to me, while someone from the other side of the world can just stroll in! My very humanity is determined by the country I was born in! It’s insane!

Overall, the area feels like an expat zone. There were many people from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and several Black communities. I barely saw any Cypriots. A 75-year-old man with three different national IDs told me that the younger generation all leave to study abroad and never return. He said Cyprus has become ignorant and chaotic too - Erdoğan had ruined this place as well and made everything unaffordable. He added that in order to govern a country, you have to keep people ignorant, because that’s the only way to control them easily. He asked how many people in Turkey actually receive a proper education. AHHHH, I felt a pang of sorrow. He said, “We’re even worse off than you,” but I couldn’t quite believe it - because here, at least women can wear shorts freely, without stares or harassment.

In Turkey, even a woman wearing shorts is a political act.