Istanbul is indeed a power city. This city which never sleeps offers a fairytale lover a glimpse into the Ottoman empire, harnessing immense power both visible and invisible to the eye. I’m not talking just about the motorways, the breathtaking bridge over the Bosporus, the architectural skyscrapers or the super-skilled drivers in the narrow roads’ labyrinths. It’s all about the energy contained within the city itself, in the DNA of the people. It’s a very complicated love story, but it might all end well, if the city accepts you.
I will never forget what a good friend of mine told me: you have to visit Istanbul with Turkish people, with people who know what to show you and people who speak the language of the place. Reluctantly I nodded in acceptance not wanting to hurt my friend’s feelings. My first Istanbul experience, a long time ago, wasn’t a positive one and he was trying to change my mind. I thought I’d never enjoy the place, but, as I was really interested in the tango experience there, I had to brace up and fight my own fears. How right my friend was! How much I thank him now for his eye-opening suggestion!
And this is how my love story with Istanbul starts. Some three years ago I decided to try my luck and attend a well-known tango festival together with one of my best friends. She already loved the place, the culture, the language, so all stars aligned for a happy trip. Curiosity was already munching on my soul, as my tango teacher recommended me to expand my dancing horizon towards Turkey or Italy, as from his point of view my personality suited best leaders from this part of the globe. I do love exotic places, so… here goes nothing!
One step, one embrace, one Turkish coffee at a time, the city started working its magic. Imagine going to Narnia. Well, this is even better! I come myself from a very exotic and remote place, hence I thrive in colorful mixes of culture and business. I love spice tastes, I adore complicated designs, the paradoxes of perpetual noise and moments of total stillness.
I discovered, little by little, a world which contrary to the fact I don’t understand the language, still talks to me via its energy. I met a lot of people, I’ve made some good friends, I’ve re-discovered my love for social Latin dancing, I learned how to rest and relax. Yes, the ones of you who really know me, regardless my interest in many types of dance, Latin will always be in my blood.
I discovered that I never get bored in Istanbul. I can waltz from culture to fashion, from dancing to sightseeing, from sipping a spectacular coffee while people watching (far more entertaining than bird watching!) to a perfectly simple and delicious meal or a mesmerizing desert and never get bored. I discovered my brain takes a break from all the crazy corporate things it’s trained to do. My neurons simply forget about all the hustle and bustle the day-to-day life throws as you. I discovered Istanbul is like medicine: some sort of Oriental Marry Poppins which mends broken hearts with song and imagination.
To me Istanbul is a power city. If you want, you can picture me charging like a smartphone plugged to a power source! The intricate magic of Istanbul works in very subtle ways. It gives you what you need. It’s not always what you think you need. Sometimes it’s a surprise, sometimes it’s a revelation. I stepped in Istanbul grief stricken and my heart got patched back. I came to Istanbul looking for knowledge and received it. I came for the good times and lived them. I ran to hide in Istanbul and regain my lost power in the middle of a world who knew not who I am. And I lived the most healing revelations in Istanbul.
I just returned from this city and while I was taking in the sun and beauty around me, I truly felt happy. I felt it and I was aware of this happiness. I looked deep within myself to understand. Sure, I’ve been happy before. I am far from being a sad person. But this time it was different. I was different. I just was! I understood that I am the right person in the right place. I am exactly where I am supposed to be. No more regrets for things in the past. In an instinctive way I found my path, regardless all the pain I’ve inflected upon myself while not accepting to live by my own core values and wishing to fit in „society” just like a little sheep. Yet in all turmoil I calmed down my mind, my feelings and cleaned myself of all the background noise. Istanbul did that for me. It’s intricate magic works in healthy ways. Not mysterious, but wholesome.
There are no sheep in an empire. Each and every stone in this marvelous city carries within itself the steadfastness, the vision, the ambition, the will power, the heroical DNA of conquerors and great minds. The vibration of the Ottoman empire is deeply embedded in all that makes this city (from stone to human). What great a gift! To be open, still and bestowed upon the great honor of a revelation. I believe in fairytales, myths and magic. In an almost unperceivable way, the veil lifted and the city’s energy cleansed mine. It lifted the weights on my shoulders by giving me the courage to be myself, acknowledge and accept myself and look for the opportunities to turn my guiding visions into reality. Live outside the box! No empire bows its head. I will not bow my head as long as I have a mission and a vision.
To talk in easy-to-grasp clichés, I don’t owe the world anything as the world doesn’t owe me anything. And this is liberating. I burnt down the old so I can build a new life, assuming healthy responsibility for what it’s in my power and choosing how or if to respond at all to what’s not under my control. I lived the revelation of what hinders me, what scares me, what I can do or can’t do at this point in time. I am not perfect, nor will I ever be. But I am truly blessed: I’ve been given the privilege of falling in love with this city.
