One day when I was on my way to the Spice Bazaar in the dolmus, colorful stairs on the right side of the road caught my attention leaving a huge smile on my face. After a moment of awe, I was asking myself if this is the city I have been trying to escape for years. I did not have the slightest idea what it was all about. Googling revealed the story of a pensioner, who wanted to cheer up the neighborhood by painting them in colors.

The next day…

The next day, when I woke up only to learn that the stairs were repainted grey by the municipality, I realized my strong urge to escape was not really that unfounded. Within 24 hours, as a result of the calls in the social media, people were painting the steps in rainbow colors across the country in a frenzy. Oh my god! Is this really happening in my country? Oh yeah! Are these people my people? Oh yeah! Despite my urge to escape,  I felt so strongly  that this city still holds the promise of becoming a city I would like to live in. The Gezi spirit is still alive and transforming us in ways we may never have thought possible before. The rainbow revolution going global, right, Sydney?

 

         

 

Locations: Fındıklı, Bosphorus University, Kuzguncuk

 

Tags:  BoÄŸaziçi University cats colors Fındıklı Gezi spirit Kuzguncuk protest steps street art