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Staring out of the window, clouds passing by, heaven looks like an endless sea of fluffy cotton candy. Aside from the sudden desire for sugary aliments, I sense another feeling inside my guts; it’s that feeling you get when you’re about to start a complete new chapter in your life. You’ve finally managed to turn over the page. As soon as the plane will land, you’ll be the author of a story written entirely about and for yourself. In my case, not only have I turned over the page internally, but also have I dared to jump into the unknown, changing my environment completely. Traveling to a country, a city that has always mesmerized me, a city people in my home country Germany bear a lot of prejudices against. Still, my predominant feeling is joyful excitement. It’s almost like, I was anticipating for this not to be just another ordinary trip… This ought to be more than just such, this ought to be the journey to my identity. Growing up biculturally with two rather contrasting cultures, German and Tunisian, I have been struggling a lot when trying to figure out how to balance both of these identities. I was constantly swinging between them like a pendulum. Before coming to Istanbul, I had already accumulated a vast spectrum of ideas about the city. For me, Istanbul represented this shining magical somehow mystified metropolis radiating the spirit of a “one thousand and one nights’” fairytale. A little different from that fairytale, I opted for the plane as means of transportation, rather than flying in here on a magical carpet. Nevertheless, I hoped for this trip to help me live my proper fairytale and I got way more than that. I got a real tale, told by no fairy, but myself. The city opened its doors to not merely the rich treasuries of human history, but also to the exploration of a cosmopolitan way of life having me explore Istanbul from a new perspective. I could see both parts of myself reflected in the city’s spirit. Since Istanbul functions as bridge between Orient and Occident; I could identify with the idea of connecting these two counterparts. Being me felt similar, like mentally crossing the Bosporus Bridge, connecting Occident to Orient a thousand times on a daily basis. Enrolling as a student at Boğaziçi University Istanbul, I dived into a unique manifold universe. A universe through which I was able to experience life in the metropolis through the eyes of an actual resident, rather than a tourist. I like to describe the university campuses as epicenter of the modern spirit of Istanbul. This is mirrored in the university’s liberal progressive, cultural-exchange-seeking environment. At Boğaziçi University, a mosaic of personalities share one interest: their passion for cultural exchange and great open-mindedness. Be they tattooed, pierced, homosexual or veiled, the interaction between students is vivid and not to be impacted by appearance. Diversity, at least as I experience it here is not an obstacle, but an enrichment. People are cosmopolitan. Certainly, this subjective perception may not be transferred onto the entire population, but at least here, diverging spirits coexist peacefully. Switching to the oriental part of the city, enchanting markets are to be found in historical districts such as Sultanahmet and Eminönü. The city stretches from the old Constantinople to Galata, the trading base of the Genoese in the 13th century to the modern, upscale districts like Bebek, where Boğaziçi University has its headquarters. Having found a balance point between Orient and Occident for myself, commuting between both identities has become reconcilable. I had wished to find a magical carpet that would carry me on my way exploring the oriental part of myself; however, I did not expect to find a home where both parts of my identity would be in harmony. The swinging pendulum I used to be, found a balance point in the middle of Istanbul, the city bridging Orient and Occident, the place that allowed me to build a bridge into my very own soul.