Culture, art, science , technology, nightlife, entertainment, sports, international relations, headquarters of companies, media, diversity of people, education…. A vibrant city that is open 24 hours a day, never sleeps, has high energy. It has a lot of alternatives and options to do. As in other cities, you are not satisfied with the possibilities available in certain time zones. You can eat out whenever you want, you can sit anywhere at any time and drink tea, coffee, alcohol. When you are bored, you can go down to the seaside, drink coffee in Kadıköy, Sultanahmet at the weekend, go to the islands by taking the ferry, go to the Galata Tower to watch the scenery, find all kinds of cultural activities and entertainment.

Istanbul, the city where I live, has a different structure than many cities in the world. It is a place that is both modern and old. Sometimes you can drink tea in a cafe built in a historical place, and sometimes waiters dressed in ottoman empire clothes serve you in a modern built structure. In fact, you can experience every emotion at once in Istanbul. ‘You are trying to live with 20 million people. Sometimes it comes back to you as staying in traffic for hours or going on the subway without breathing,but living in Istanbul actually means feeling life in every moment. Living in Istanbul is feeling alive and wanting to live more.

Each district has its own history, culture and identity. However, there are some where in Istanbul that living there is unlike living anywhere else. Üsküdar is one of those place. So what does Üsküdar tell us in this sense? You wake up in the morning to the sound of a ship passing through the Bosphorus. When you jog by the sea in the morning, seagulls accompany you. People fishing on the beach, drinking tea against the Bosphorus and the unique Istanbul view.

If you come to Üsküdar, the Maiden’s Tower awaits you in the middle of the Bosphorus. Also street animals are very common in üsküdar. Actually Üsküdar is famous for stray cats. Everywhere you can see these lovely cats and feeding points for them. Sometimes even seagulls eat cat food on the street.

Besides all the beauties, it gets so crowded in the evening that there is no place to step. Gypsies try to sell flowers, you can’t walk because of people taking pictures all the time, street vendors are constantly shouting, seeing people eating seeds and throwing them on the ground can make you very uncomfortable. When people go to their homes at midnight, Üsküdar finds peace again, sea, moonlight and magnificent Istanbul palaces…

Derya Taş
Teaching Turkish as a foreign language

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