The Judas Tree in Robert College

This is a picture that I have taken in Robert College, and in the picture, there is a Judas Tree. Judas Trees are beautiful trees, and they don't grow up everywhere. They grow in very special places, including hot and humid cities such as Izmir. Once, they used to be seen a lot in Istanbul, but as time passed, as buildings took over the places of trees, they nearly became extinct. Now, you start to feel extremely lucky when you see one in Istanbul, and this one in the picture is the one that I've seen in the beautiful campus of our school.

I sometimes look at old pictures of Istanbul. Pictures that are not that old actually... Pictures that are 20-25 years old. When I look at them, I think of how different everything was. How different Istanbul was, how green it was, how empty, how peaceful it was... A city that is all beautiful, peaceful and big at the same time. Then I imagine what is left. Nothing... Nothing is left of that Istanbul. Now it is a crowded, hard-to-breathe city, and each day, it is losing its natural beauties. Losing the crumbs of what is left. This picture reminds me of hope, and that's why I really like it.