Ece was taking a break. Work in her student lodging continued even on weekends. She didn't mind the noise, but allowed herself a few short strolls in this remote part of Istanbul on the Asian shore, far from the tourist sites and her university, just to think about something else.

At 22, the young woman, who gave only her first name, is in her third year of medical school. It is a private establishment that is "rather well rated," she said, "even if it unfortunately doesn't reach the level of the best public universities." Ece is the daughter of doctor parents from Hatay, the region devastated by the earthquake of February 6, 2023. She's also part of a generation that has learned to accept its disillusions. "I, too, want to go abroad, work and live somewhere else, like everyone else in my age group," she said.

Of the 10 students in her section, only one refuses to consider leaving for the time being. Like all the others, Ece still has to complete three years of studies to obtain her diploma and take the necessary steps to leave Turkey. "Personally, I'd like to go to London, but I'm still hesitating about my choice and my specialization; I've also started taking German, and almost everyone I know says they'd opt for a German city."

According to a nationwide study conducted in 2023 by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Ankara, two-thirds of 18-25-year-olds say they would leave Turkey if they had the chance – even more so among those with extensive studies, such as doctors or engineers. Germany remains the most popular destination.

Ece said she began to sense around the age of 14 or 15 that one day she would want to leave. The vague feeling of a never-ending economic crisis, along with a suffocating atmosphere, took over. "There's a sense of fear in Turkey of not being able to find the right words, of being at the mercy of the authorities for one wrong word," she said. "Some people get arrested in a demonstration and others are prosecuted for a simple tweet."

The young woman is no longer on social media. Her Instagram account is still open, but she hasn't checked it in two years. She explained, "I really felt with my parents that after the 2016 coup attempt, the pressure from the state had increased, especially on the universities. Hundreds of professors were fired, academics put under pressure. Many have left, and it's being felt, there's a real brain drain."

Ece's parents work a lot. Far too much, she insisted, and for salaries far below what they should be. Her father is an ear, nose and throat doctor. Her mother, a gynecologist, never stops. "We're from the rather upper middle class, but considering the work and this inflation of over 70%, their salaries of around €1,200 are low, so imagine a student with only one parent or no one to help. How do you get by?"

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