Still arriving

I was born in Istanbul, but my family’s roots are in Rize, in the northeast of Türkiye, on the Black Sea. Rize is tea country. My grandparents made their living farming it.

So yes, I love tea. When I drink it, it feels like I’m sipping on the dreams of my ancestors.

I have moved around a lot since then. A language school in Bristol. Student exchanges in Sheffield and Frankfurt. Metro tunnels under Istanbul, then photowalks all over Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Every move taught me the same thing: a place becomes yours when you start to understand its people, not when you learn its streets.

I’ve worked with Canva for five years now, first as a writer and now as the person helping it grow in Türkiye. In a funny way, it still feels like I’ve just arrived.

I think that’s the right feeling to keep. Still arriving, always arriving.