“I don't really like being a model.”
On a bench by the sea, she said that softly.
Breakfast and Ceva, a morning I pretended not to notice.
Wake up in the morning and eat breakfast. This hostel costs about 3,000 yen per night, yet the breakfast is buffet-style—it's amazing. You can take as much as you want of whatever you want, and they'll replenish it when it runs out.
It wasn't that fancy, but I took a lot of what I liked and ate it.
Across from me was Ceva from reception. I thought she must work here and eat breakfast here every day. I thought one of the perks of working at a hostel is getting to eat free meals like this.
I thought about going over to talk to her, but since I'd just woken up and my head wasn't really working, I decided to pretend not to notice this time. I ate while looking at my iPhone the whole time.
A solo kebab in Kadıköy.
After that, I decided to head to Kadıköy. Today I planned to meet Bera, whom I met on HelloTalk. She had studied Japanese in Japan, so I thought we'd be able to talk about a lot of things.
I arrived in Kadıköy first and, being hungry, decided to eat at a nearby kebab shop.
I ate thinking that this was the real, authentic Turkish kebab.
The woman across from me kept glancing at me as she ate. Traveling abroad like this really makes you realize how healthy Japanese food is.
Meeting Bera again, on a bench by the sea.
Before long, I arrived at our meeting spot with Bera. She was already there, so we hugged to greet each other. Then we walked toward the seaside.
Bera said she was bad with maps, so I took care of all the directions (lol).
We sat on a bench and talked for about an hour. She told me about her time in Japan, memories from Japan, and what she's doing now. Apparently she used to work as a model in Japan, and she showed me photos from that time. Now she helps at her mother's company with a business that introduces Turkish people who want to learn Japanese to Japanese language schools. She hasn't decided what she wants to do in the future yet and is still thinking about it.
“I don't really like being a model.”
She also told me about a Russian friend she had while in Japan. The conversation went deep, and she said she didn't really like modeling.
When I asked why, she said that looking around everyone seems beautiful, and she ends up judging herself as not being enough. She even dislikes that about herself. Certainly, comparisons are inevitable, especially when you look at people in the same situation as you. In the modeling industry, there's no end to seeing beautiful people. That's why I thought you have to be mentally strong to get by.
I had also thought about being a runway model (I still, to some extent, want to), but I feel I'm not tall enough and probably can't do it. However, if I were to try, it would be from a completely different angle, so I thought I wouldn't be comparing myself to the same people. She told me many things and I learned a lot.
Saba sandwich and a brief flirt
Since it was about time to go, we decided to get a saba sandwich. We headed to a nearby pier and then crossed to the other side. Apparently there's an area lined with restaurants that serve saba sandwiches.
While eating the saba sandwich, we glanced at each other and chuckled, and there was a little flirtation.
Brownie and coffee, a worrying story
After that we went to a cafe that has her favorite brownies. We ordered a brownie and coffee there.
She started talking about the person she dated recently.
It turned out that the person who showed up to the meetup wasn't just one person but as many as fifteen, and she said it was really frightening. Hearing that, I told her she shouldn't meet that person again. I sincerely wished for her safety.
The end of the diet and her old self
She said today was the last day of her diet, she'll be moving to Antalya soon, and she's trying to get in shape for summer. I hope she succeeds. She also showed me old photos and said she liked herself back then, so she wants to return to that version of herself. I really understand that feeling. Truly. So I hoped she'd do her best.
Then, finally, I had her write a message and took a photo.
I walked with her to her station.
We passed the Galata Tower and said goodbye.
We passed the Galata Tower, climbed a steep hill, and finally reached the metro. Then I said goodbye to her.
Under the bustling tower.
After that, I walked back to my lodging.
The Blue Mosque at night was lit up and really beautiful. It was a good workout.
I was very happy to have met Bera, and it became one of my memories of Istanbul. I was able to learn a lot about Turkey, and there was much to learn about its politics and economy as well. Thank you, Bera.
