Ece takes a break. Work in its student hostel continues even on weekends. The noise does not bother her, but she allows herself a few short walks in this lost district of Istanbul located on the Asian side, far from the tourist sites and its faculty, just to think of something else.
At 22, the young woman, who only gave her first name, is in her third year of medicine. A private establishment “rather well rated, she whispers, even if it unfortunately does not have the level of the best public universities”. Daughter of doctor parents, originally from Hatay, the region devastated by the earthquake of February 6, 2023, Ece is part of a generation that has learned to digest its disillusionment. “I too want to go abroad, work and live elsewhere, like my entire age group”she blurted.
Of the ten students in her section, only one refuses, for the moment, to consider leaving. Like everyone else, Ece must continue three years of study to obtain her diploma and take the steps to leave Turkey. “Personally, I would like to go to London, but I am still hesitant in my choice and my specialization; I also started learning German, almost everyone I know says they opt for a German city. »
According to a study by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Ankara, carried out across the country in 2023, two thirds of 18-25 year olds say they are ready to leave Turkey if they had the opportunity – even more among those who carry out long studies, like doctors or engineers. Germany remains the most popular destination.
A stifling atmosphere
Ece says she began to sense around the age of 14-15 that one day she would want to leave. The diffuse feeling of an endless economic crisis, and a stifling atmosphere too, took over. “In Turkey there is a feeling of fear of not finding the right words, of being at the mercy of the authorities for the wrong word.she says. Some are arrested in a demonstration and others are prosecuted for a simple tweet. »
The young woman is no longer on social networks. Her Instagram account is still open, but she hasn’t checked it in two years. She explains : “I really felt with my parents that after the attempted coup of 2016, pressure from the state had increased, especially on universities. Hundreds of professors were fired, academics put under pressure. Many have left, and it shows, there is a real brain drain. »
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