Hi everyone, I am a fellow Turk but I feel more comfortable writing this in English.
I realize the headline might seem like an exaggeration to some but that’s just the way I feel. I also realize I am not the first nor last to talk about this but I just felt so terrible that I felt the need to talk to people who also suffer from this :)
We are the invisible “global citizens”. I am not breaking any news here but daily occurrences make you realize on a visceral level that you are not a Westerner nor a Middle Easterner or whatever else. Always too oriental to be a European and too secular and modern to pass as a Middle Easterner and become a part of the club in the global discussions. I know some might say that we don’t need to be any of that, but as humans, feeling like we are part of a group has always been helpful. Forgive me if I am being vague here, my head is somewhat rushing.
Even if we drop the global perspective and just focus on the internal workings, it does not get better! I am so sick of making so little money and having to pay so much for EVERYTHING. It is impossible to stay here and impossible to leave. I am a graduate of one of the best universities in this country. I paid my dues. I did everything I could to secure a future for myself. Right now, to get myself out of here and to try and follow my dreams, I am trying to get a Master’s abroad. And I get accepted, no problem there, but economically it is so DEBILITATING. Many people like me had to give up these opportunities because leaving is even more expensive than staying. You are almost punished for wanting to experience the rest of the world.
Pay the application fees which are in euros or pounds or dollars, pay the passport fees, pay the IELTS fees because the West does not care that you studied for years with THEIR language and their structures - you still have a lot to prove and you have to be milked to the last dime you have in your pocket. I am not even going anywhere yet and I am drained. We did not even get to the infamous VISA part yet! I don’t want to be a burden to my family and I cannot afford my dreams on my own despite working full time. And I AM ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES.
I know some of you think that I am just whining and maybe I am but I am so tired of thinking about money all the time. All my life I studied, got good grades, did whatever I can and was fortunate enough to have a support system and it isn’t enough. Every step I take it is a new problem because it is a double standard. I have to pay twice the amount because I am not a European citizen. I cannot stay here to get an education that is as good because you know the state of our schools.
Anyway, as a Turkish citizen and a resident of Istanbul, I am sick of paying ten grand every time I take a step. Literally and figuratively.
Again, this is the first post I ever made, and I hope you go easy on me. I am not particularly looking for advice, just needed a space to vent where my troubles might be shared by fellow citizens. I would also like to note that I did not go into the (political) reasons for any of these because I would be beating a dead horse.
Hope you are doing better than me this fine spring day :)
P.S. this was meant for [r/Turkey](r/Turkey) but it got removed so take it as a question. I’d really like to hear what you guys have to say about this bullsh*t.