"This Goes Out To You":

"I choose not to respond to these messages.

Because it's a way for me to keep my soul.

Not responding is not disrespectful,

an expression of my self-respect.

The guilt is not mine.

The burden I carry no longer belongs to me.

I want to heal, not fight.

And that's why I hear myself most where I am silent."

My beautiful stay in Bangkok in May this year, beautiful city with beautiful and kind people

Victoria Harbour in Hongkong

Gerçek isminin keder olduğunu söyleyene kadar öfkemle uzun süre oturdum.

I sat with my anger long enough, until she told me that her real name was grief.

Earth is a beautiful place

Fog above the forest in Aulanko, Finland

laurilohi

**A silent encounter in Ximen's living heart**

The day was long and tiredness had me firmly in its grip. In my hotel room, I didn't feel like going out again - but something inexplicable finally drew me into the evening streets of Ximen. The area pulsated with life: colourful lights, laughing people, the muffled sound of the city. But in the midst of this hustle and bustle, I came across an oasis of calm - a temple hidden modestly between the modern facades.

The red lanterns cast a warm light on the carved wooden gates and the scent of incense hung in the air. I paused for a moment in front of the altar with the *Mother of Heaven* (天上聖母), mesmerised by the peaceful atmosphere. Here, between the whispering prayers and the golden statues, the hustle and bustle of the city seemed like a distant memory.

I lifted the camera and captured a few details: the ornate lettering, the *"Southern Show of the Guanyin Bodhisattva "* (南燕视世音菩薩), the simple elegance of the *Huade Dehua Temple* (华治德化堂). Each picture told of a world that took its time - a contrast to the restless hustle and bustle outside.

As I left the temple, I felt light, as if this chance encounter had reminded me of something important: that there are always places of calm in the midst of chaos, if you are only prepared to see them. The evening ended with a smile - and the certainty that it had been exactly the right moment to leave the room after all.

It's always the better choice

I prefer books to people.

Emotional Border Letter - Derya's promise to herself

You don't need to understand anymore.

It's not for you to weigh, measure, question the feelings I'm experiencing.

I opened up to you, I wanted you to hear my voice.

But every time you tried to pull me into your story.

By ignoring my story.

Now I am silent. But this is not a defeat.

This silence is not an escape.

It's a limit.

It's my right to protect myself.

It's my right to choose my inner peace.

This is my determination to stand on my own side from now on.

Keep everything that is rightfully yours.

I will no longer carry burdens that are not mine.

I let go of guilt, obligation, shame.

Because I want to walk only with my essence.

I owe only my own heart.

And now I pay that debt:

I forgive, love and protect myself.

This is my inner farewell letter.

Not to you, but to myself, whom I have silenced in the past.

I exist now.

And that's how I'm okay.

-Derya