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Stone Bridge: Walking Through Skopje’s Layers
As an architect interested in cultural heritage and urban identity, the way I try to understand a city often follows certain steps. While volunteering in Skopje, I used the same approach to get to know the city. The first step is to experience the city on foot: observing how streets connect, where public spaces are…
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A Race Without a Starting Line: When Does “Being Late” Begin?
The pressure of a generation growing between expectations, comparisons, and relentless speed How much is a life worth—if we measure it in years rather than in depth? There is something quiet, yet constant, that follows us as we grow. It is not as loud as criticism, nor as warm as support. It is a feeling.…
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Skopje in layers
As an interior architecture student, I experience new cities through observation, noticing how people use spaces, how atmospheres form, and how everyday life shapes design. In Skopje, one of the first things that stood out was the café and bar culture. It reminded me of Türkiye’s meyhane tradition, places not just for eating and drinking,…
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Silence
There are strong words that impose themselves, that snap, that take up space. And then there is silence. A discreet word, erased, pushed in the background, yet it contains the universe. It is not the waste between the words, not the awkward moment at the end of a sentence. It’s a substance, a presence one…
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Hummus of the Balkans
Take some bell peppers, eggplant, a little salt and pepper, or even add a tomato as well – mix it all together – and you have the perfect example of the traditional cuisine and national pride of the various Balkan states, also known as “ajvar”. This red paste made from various vegetables, also called the…
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When the Brain just Screams
Migraines belong to the group of headache disorders, which are among the most common nervous system disorders. To be more precise, 3.1 billion people suffered from headache disorders in the year 2021. Migraine is an octopus, long tentacles wrapping slowly around my head Ready, waiting for the right moment to strike Bursting my head into…
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Anthropology of a representation
In 1976, Belgian anthropologist and filmmaker Jean-Pierre Dutilleux went to meet the Toulambi community in Papua New Guinea. During his stay, the anthropologist brought a mirror and showed it to the men he met. When they saw their reflection, each man was shocked. This discovery of their own faces, which they were seeing clearly for…
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Needle stabbing
When people ask about my hobbies, I tend to feel embarrassed, undermining myself, thinking I don’t actually have a real hobby. Because, while I am sitting around, knitting or crocheting, other people are running around or working on their cars. It feels like no matter how complex the stitch or the pattern may be, the…
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The cure to all our problems
After reading this heading, you will probably either expect a new and great discovery for a perfect and happy life, or simply think I’ve gone mad. But neither is what I want to share with you today. I want to remind you of one of the greatest gifts we have on this earth that we…
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When the Beginning Is No Longer a Game
The first month of university is not just the start of a new cycle – it is a time to confront freedom, pace, and responsibility that come with a new rhythm of life. In this phase, every step is a lesson, and every decision shapes the maturity and awareness with which we move toward the…
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Tiny, tiny world
When growing up, my world was big My village with one thousand inhabitants was my world Once a month we went to the next townIt was hugeMy world was huge New school, new worlds openedPeople from other continents But actually imagining these, seemed impossibleMy world became smaller, but my imagination could not create a larger…
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