Yavaş Yavaş

Turkey starts in its center, in its capital Ankara. In the city center is the Kaleici, or citadel. Those who live there are poor, conservative, and largely uneducated, yet in good spirit, with little chance of leaving their walls, let alone the city. Two unknown boys in Ankara's Kaleici.

As one moves towards the shores, trade, travel, and tourism have brought exposure, and wealth, to the communities. This influx of resources and ideas have laid the foundations of new ideas, cultures, and the beginnings of leftism and liberalism. Woman vendor near Antalya.

In Istanbul, in Eminönü, a pro-Erdogan rally falls on Remembrance Day for Ottomans who fell in WWI. Ralliers chant “yes” for a referendum that would allow the presidential leader full control of the government, eradicating parliament. A boy dons a Turkish Sun Helmet against an Erdogan flag.

At high noon, the simit vendor strolls across the square, carrying his bagels atop his head with the confidence of master of his skill, learned by tradition. When asked about his day and he replies, “Yavaş yavaş” or “slowly, slowly” as in “Everything will happen in time."

It’s an idiom frequently heard in Turkey — by mothers speaking of their sons, by bricklayers completing new roads by hand, and by the youth in the cafes and streets who speak of the change they hope to see in their country during their lifetimes. ‘Strong Together’ at the Women’s March in Istanbul.