Paul is in his late twenties and ended up in Kadıköy by chance. He wanted to get away from the States and is now living very well in Istanbul. The reason is the comparatively stable salary in US dollars, which would be small for a life in the US, but offers him the opportunity to build his start-up in Turkey. Paul was born in Russia, but after leaving the country 10 years ago, he hasn’t returned until now: to escape military service. With Putin’s war, a Russian migrant community is now forming in Istanbul, reminding him of his old home.

The 18-year-old Miro from the Kurdish city of Van comes to Istanbul to prepare for an exam and work part-time. Six days a week he waits tables in his uncle's café, learns English and is, for the first time almost free of family pressure. He makes friends and has little time to study. Eventually, because of inflation, he can no longer finance his life in Kadıköy.

Fleur, a French student, came to Istanbul to study here for a year as part of Erasmus+. She fell in love with the metropolis of millions and its diversity. Travelling through Turkey and talking to locals, she became aware of the impact of political and economic problems on daily lives. She also learned a lot about herself and became aware of her privileges.

Arden is in their mid-twenties and born in Istanbul, they are non-binary. As a DJ and music producer, Arden is active in Istanbul's queer nightlife. Arden is experiencing the government's openly practiced queer-hostility. Even though they feel comfortable in their neighbourhood and places of work, Kadıköy and Beyoğlu.

Behind her red simit stall at the ferry port of Kadıköy, 44-year-old Aleyna sells the typical sesame curls every day. As the only woman in this position, she had to stand up to hostility and harassment from men. Meanwhile, she has been working here for 16 years, she knows the people and their stories. She helps where she can and gives some of her simit to hungry people.

Aisha from Istanbul works in a friend's café in Kadıköy. The neighbourhood is her home, the regular customers a second family. Because of galloping inflation, the rents are to be adjusted, including hers. She fights her landlord's eviction with all means. She would like to open her own restaurant: an impossibility in these unstable times.

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