Ich bin ein Berliner

Berlin. What a city.

On the 25nd of March I went to Berlin for a week. I must say, it was one of the best weeks of my life. Berlin is known for its history, but never have I ever thought that Berlin was so rich in art. After a ten hour bus ride we immediately went out sightseeing, because there is a lot to see.

Berlin has it all; from the horrible yet beautiful history to streets filled with craftsmanship and artistry. During my stay I went to look at a concentrationcamp in Sachsenhousen, right outside of Berlin. It was an appalling feeling to know what happened there, but I must add: everybody has to visit a concentrationcamp once a lifetime.

The street art was one of the reasons why Berlin is right up my alley. Every wall is either painted or sprayed on. A real colourful city, just how I like it. Whether it’s night or day Berliners for sure know how to party. During an amazing bike tour we saw all kinds of interesting clubs that seem very cool. Also this restaurant called Route 66, I literally died walking through its door. It has an american vibe to it and the most exciting part is that their bathroom is huge and so instragramable.

Kreuzberg, the Soho of Berlin, is most definitely the place to be. This area is all about multiculturalness. This place has it all; artistry, delicious food and amazing people. It’s somewhere to go if you want to wander streets, explore rooftops, secret corners and doorways for photos or just for your own pleasure.

Couple friends and I went out for a street art hunt, the best thing I’ve ever done btw, we came across this abandoned swimming pool. Apparently it was burned down by a couple of youngsters. Now it’s a total wreck but also a place where artists meet and paint its walls.

In short, I had an absolute blast and I will most definitely visit Berlin again.

Buongiorno Milano

It has been a while but I’m back, better than ever! The last few months were quite hectic and amazing at the same time. To celebrate our second decade in this cruel world, my friends and I decided to go on a citytrip to Milan. It was my first time in Italy but most definitely not my last. I think we can all agree that the main activity during a citytrip is eating, especially when you’re in Italy. Spontini pizza was hands down the best pizza I’ve ever tasted. Big, cheesy and crunchy.

In terms of food, Milan doubtless lived up to my expectations. Regarding to other activities the city didn’t have that much to offer. It’s great for shopping and eating, but overall Milan doesn’t have much art comparing to other cities. I did go to La Triennale Di Milano, a museum with all kinds of exhibitions. There was a lot to see, the exhibition called ‘women in design’ was quite enthralling.

We had luck with our airbnb, it was very clean and perfectly located; close to the shops and to the Duomo. Above all that, Milan has very cute areas such as Brera and Navigli. Navigli at night is stunning to just walk next to the canal and have a cheeky little drink afterwards.

I spend an amazing three days in Milan even though we almost missed our flight back, it was all worth it.

Del Popolo

If there’s one irresistible thing in the world, it’s definitely pizza. My friend and I had the idea to grab a long-ass lunch in between classes. There’s this thing about pizza that gives me the strength to live in this cruel world again. The point where I’m getting at, is that I found a new food hotspot. I’m always in search for new instagramable places to eat and I’m very thrilled about this one.

Del Popolo is a restaurant located in Antwerp, nearby the central station. I completely fell in love with this place, simply because of the huge tree in the middle. The interior design was a dream. Besides the interior design the employees were really nice and cheerful, also their system of working was ‘different’ but surprisingly pleasant. I had to pick an order and with my order I got a little machine, when the machine started vibrating it meant that my food was ready. Ultimately it’s a very cosy place and I definitely recommend it to all the pizza lovers in Belgium.

Inspiration

Getting shit done is not easy, especially if you can’t find motivation. If you have goals to achieve it’s crucial to have motivation. My goal, for instance, is to kick ass as a woman in this patriarchal world in which we live in. Speaking of kick-ass woman let’s talk about Sihame El Kaouakibi. Last week I went to a seminar of hers, I wasn’t sure what to expect before I got there, but her presentation had a huge impact on me.

Sihame is a Belgian youth activist of Moroccan origin. She’s the founder and director of the urban project ‘Let’s Go Urban’. In my eyes she’s a woman with a view. Having an immigrant background can have negative effects on people, sometimes your background can hold against your dreams. She tries to inspire youngsters to believe in themselves by telling them her own story. The way in which she approched the audience was breathtaking. She inspired me in a way nobody else did, she inspired me to really do something with my talents.

On the other hand, as a public speaker, Sihame tries to approach people with contrasting points of views and encourage them to #believe in the new generation. She calls on society to throw off the blinders and to address the huge potential and talent of the new generation. As a society we need to encourage young people to develop their own talents. And thereby let young people start off from their own strengths.

Bye bye

As I glance back to a wonderful summer I thought I’d share my short but marvelous holiday in Turkey. Just like every other year I go visit my country of origin, Turkey. I may have never lived there but I sure as hell enjoy being there.

There’s nothing better than hugging your grandmother after not seeing her for six months. When in Turkey I like to visit my family but also do a bit of wandering or shopping. I usually just have a drink with my cousins enjoying the weather. I have a couple of spots I go to every year. For example this kebab restaurant that I love so much, ‘Ada Kebab’. You know those places that are amazing and have delicious food but aren’t modern so they don’t get much recognition, well this place is just like that. The interior of this restaurant may be not that appealing but the food has an authentic taste to it.

My trip to Turkey is never complete without a visit to Istanbul. If you’ve ever been to Istanbul you’ll understand my love for this city. I can’t come up with enough words to describe how wonderful this city is and how it makes me feel. Going up the Galata tower must’ve been a terrifying experience because of  my fear of heights, but it was also ,sure as can be, the best experience. On top of that I visited the Dolmabahçe Palace which is an incredible palace of the Ottoman Empire. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures, but even the outside of this humungous palace took my breath away.

 

Being a summer kid has its advantages such as having your birthday on your holiday. I even celebrated my first birthday in Turkey. I can definitely say that thanks to my parents I had a surprising night.

 

Wandering in Antwerp

Summer is not over yet so I thought, why not get the most out of it while it still lasts. My friend and me decided to go explore Antwerp, it’s not like we don’t know the city but we wanted to discover cool places.While wandering through the streets of Antwerp we came upon an art expo which I’m in love with by the way. It was a quite small place with a tropical vibe. I don’t really have much else to say, just that I had a lot fun.

  

 

 

Islamophobia or nah?

Lately I’ve been really bothered about some things happening in the world. As someone who’s always been surrounded by non-muslims my entire life, I believed in mutual respect. My non-muslims friends made me believe that people can show respect towards everyone no matter what your gender, religion or colour of your skin is. But I guess I was wrong.

 A couple weeks back I read an article about banning the bourkini in France and to be absolutely honest I couldn’t care less, because I never wear the boerkini apart from the beaches in Turkey. But then, the same discussion started in Belgium and again I wasn’t really bothered. After reading a couple of articles I also read comments of normal people. I was wondering what the normal citizen of Belgium things about this. I was heartbroken and sad. The people I surround myself with, the people whom I thought respected me, respected what I wear weren’t that respectful at all. People were writing about muslims taking over their country and forcing them to cover up, grow a beard or whatever. Is this really what they think? Do they really think we are going to force them to be like us? What kind of mindset is this?

 Having your tits out is okay but covering up is not? These women choose to cover up for God, no one but no one else can force them to do such thing. Opression doesn’t exist in Islam, but it does exist between muslims. Do some men force their wives to cover up, of course they do, but does that mean that every muslim women is being opressed? No it doesn’t.

 The bourkini does the oposite of what the Western world thinks it does. It gives a women more freedom. The freedom to enjoy the sea, because eventually that’s what they want to do. By banning the bourkini you’re literally taking their freedom to enjoy a good day at the beach.

I, a muslim girl living in Belgium don’t feel respected anymore. I was born and raised in Belgium and yet I still hear people telling me to go back to ‘my country’. I guess that we have to accept the fact that we live in a world in which having your bum and tits out is respecting good morals more than covering it up.

Paris is always a good idea

When is Paris a bad idea? Jamais. One day I woke up and thought; today is a good day for Paris. I visited the city of romance a couple years back but I felt like my memories needed a refreshing. I mostly hung around La Tour Eiffel, I mean what is Paris without the Eiffel Tower. The weather was wonderful which made everything even better.

This may sound weird but the thing I like about Paris is the metro. It’s so fascinating how fast you get from one side to the other side. I know other cities have underground metros too, but Paris is different.

Arc de Triomph, Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Notre Dame, .. everything is so pretty in the city of romance. The last time I went I took a bout trip on the Seine at night so I didn’t get to see much except the Eiffel Tower in sparkling lights. So, this time I decided to take a trip on the Seine again but not at night.

            

Au revoir 

Bruges

Because it’s summer I’ve got plenty of time to travel. Belgian weather has been quite good. So, I thought why not take advantage of that and go to Bruges. Despite Belgium being a tiny country it has a lot to offer, travel wise. I had never been to Bruges but heard a lot of good things about it. And I’ve got to say I’m impressed.

The surroundings of Bruges literally look like a backdrop of a fairytale. The medieval roads lead to beautiful artistic and architectural buildings. If you ever get the chance to visit Bruges definitely take a boat ride on the canal. It’s absolutely worth it!

Peter Kogler exhibition

     

A few weeks ago me and some friends went to see an exhibition in Brussels after we aced our exams. I said before that I’m obsessed with going to museum/exhibitions but this one was out of this world. It was a mini exhibition of some of Peter Koglers work. I had never heard of him but I now I’m totally in love with his work.

The walls were just amazing and definitely instagramable. It wasn’t like the regular exhibitions I’ve been to, it had a quite futuristic vibe.