LET'S TAKE A JOURNEY

Looking out of the airplane window, I felt—for the first time—that I was truly beginning a journey.

There were clouds in the sky… and years of dreams inside me.

I held my boarding pass a little tighter, afraid that somehow this dream might disappear before I could truly live it.

“London…”

I whispered the word softly.

“RCA… Royal College of Art…”

A small smile appeared on my lips.

I was the girl who had once not even been allowed to go outside alone. And today—today, I was travelling to a place where my camera lens was about to become my new language.

Photography.

It was the dream I had carried in my heart for years. A dream whose fulfilment I had prayed for countless times.

And today, that dream was travelling with me.

But who could have known that one day, this dream would become my reality?

This was not simply a journey to another country.

It was the first step towards discovering who I truly was.

As I watched the clouds pass outside the window, I found myself looking back at my past—a place where things had never been easy.

“Mama! Mama! Look, my brother is stealing my chocolates!”

“Give your sister her chocolates back!”

“But these are mine!”

“Come on, both of you. Stop fighting. Come and eat first. You can fight later.”

It was a home filled with laughter.

A home where love lived within every wall.

I was the only sister among four brothers—and the beloved daughter of my parents.

I grew up in a house where I had almost everything.

Almost.

Because there was one thing I did not have—

Freedom.

Sometimes, a quiet fear would knock on the door of my heart.

What if, because of my dreams, I ended up losing all this love?

Whenever I spoke about my dreams, the answer was always the same.

“The world is not easy for a girl, Anaya.”

“Focus on your studies.”

“There is nothing in photography.”

I knew they said these things because they wanted what they believed was best for me.

But I also knew something else.

My dream had already become a truth inside my heart.

At night, I would often sit beside the window and look at the sky.

Then, quietly, I would whisper:

“My Allah… You created this entire universe. Everything belongs to You.”

“I want to see it too—through my own eyes and through the lens of my camera.”

“My Allah, please make things easier for me.”

With tears in my eyes, I would quietly go to sleep.

I had loved photography since childhood.

But I had never owned a camera.

I would often capture things with my eyes and quietly wish that I could somehow freeze those moments forever.

Time continued to pass.

And that little girl was now twenty years old.

It was my twentieth birthday.

For the first time, I openly expressed what I wanted.

And this time, I was not going to remain silent.

For the first time, I was asking my family for something.

And this time, there was not only a wish in my eyes—

There was determination too.

Perhaps, for the first time, that determination had become the voice of my dream.

Seeing my happiness and understanding how much this meant to me, my family gave me a gift.

A Canon 600D.

The first—and most precious—camera of my life.

It was not just a camera.

It was the first real shape my dream had ever taken.

From that day onwards, wherever I went, I began capturing moments.

Every scene.

Every face.

Every ray of light.

The world was no longer seen only through my eyes.

Now, I saw it through my lens.

And perhaps, from that very day, my life began to change.

Taking another step towards my dream, I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say—

That was where the real story began.

Even then, people still thought of photography as nothing more than a hobby.

But inside my heart, there was something much bigger.

I wanted to make photography my profession.

I had wanted that since childhood.

I knew very well that perhaps I would never be given permission to pursue it.

But despite everything, my faith never weakened.

Because I knew that my true strength came from my prayers and my trust in Allah.

Those prayers, and that faith, were what had brought me this far.

And my faith in Allah remained unshaken.

Eventually, the day arrived—the day I had both feared and known would come.

A week after completing my bachelor’s degree, my family began talking about my marriage.

New proposals started coming regularly.

And I continued to refuse them.

Finally, one day, my father called me into his room.

My hands and feet felt cold.

I knew what was coming next.

But I refused to give up.

With a heart full of courage and prayers, I walked into my father’s room.

“Baba, you called me?”

“Yes, my daughter. I wanted to ask you something. Why do you keep refusing every proposal?”

“Baba, I told you…”

“And we have also told you that this is not possible.”

“But Baba, photography is not just a hobby for me. I want to make it my passion.”

As I spoke, my voice began to grow heavy, as though something were stuck in my throat.

“Baba, I have worked very hard for this. I want to study further. I want to go to RCA. You know that, Baba…”

“Anaya, you know that you will never be given permission for this.”

“But please listen to me…”

My mother, who was sitting on the sofa and understood me better than anyone, finally spoke.

“Alright. Let her speak.”

“Baba, I received a shortlisting email from the Royal College of Art in London. I had applied there, attended my interview, and now I have been shortlisted.”

The moment I mentioned London, silence filled the room.

By then, the entire family had gathered around and was listening to the conversation between my father and me.

I wished I could simply disappear.

I wanted to quietly leave because everyone was staring at me.

But then something happened—something I had never expected.

My father looked at me and said:

“Alright. I will give you permission to go…”

My heart stopped for a moment.

“But I have one condition.”

The long conversation finally came to an end.

I returned to my room and began thinking about the condition my father had placed before me.

Because it was not just a condition.

It was a very big decision.

I felt afraid.

The same kind of fear I had felt ten years ago.

But there was one difference.

Anaya from ten years ago used to dream.

Today, I was only one step away from making that dream come true.

I walked towards my window and looked at the shining stars in the open sky.

Then I smiled and whispered:

“My Allah, You have given me what I asked You for. I am only one step away from my dream.”

“My Lord, I still do not know what decision I should make today. Please make it easy for me.”

“When Baba asks me for my answer, place the right answer in my heart.”

“My Allah, please help me.”

And with that prayer on my lips, I once again fell asleep quietly beside the window.

The next morning, my father asked me:

“So, have you thought about my condition?”

I looked at him.

Then, with a small smile, I said:

“Baba… I accept your condition.”

Finally, the day I had been waiting for arrived.

Everyone was helping me pack.

And despite everything, there was happiness in the air.

Outside the airplane window, the clouds passed silently.

But inside me, the noise of years had finally fallen silent.

“Excuse me, Madam.”

A voice came from the seat beside me.

I turned to look at him.

“Are you planning to reach London just by sitting like this? You should get some rest too.”

I laughed.

“Sir, that’s enough now… If you keep taking such good care of me, I might end up falling in love with you all over again.”

Daniyal smiled, nodded, and I turned back towards the window.

It felt strange.

A few years ago, I used to sit in my small room and dream about seeing the world.

And today…

Today, I was travelling towards my dream.

With faith in my Lord.

With the prayers of my loved ones.

And with my Mahram beside me.

This was a new journey of my life.

And the rest of the story…

Perhaps I will tell you during another journey.