Sultanahmet

so Ive been here for a day a half, and i think its definitely time for a real post....

When i arrived in Istanbul, i honestly didn't know what to think. From what Ive read, this is country that has a vast and uncomparable history, one that is shown in everyday life. I thought that it would be easily noticeable that Turkey was not a country of advancement, it was more of a "stuck in the past" type of place. However, in the first 30 seconds i realized i was wrong. 90% of the cars are newer than mine, the roadways are layered with intricate and manicured landscaping, and the people are wearing Armani. (probably a knockoff, but still!!) Istanbul, as i have learned, is a city of 16 million, with 2 million commuting into work every day, putting the grand total at 18 million, and you realize this as you walk down the streets and you have to move out of the way of everyone. So as i thought about what I'm going to do for 2 days, i also thought about what i can write about, and more importantly, what i can talk to Turks about. Little did i know that they would do most of the talking without me even asking those questions. They are an open book waiting to be read. They will talk your ear off about any subject you want to talk about. So the first issue i wanted to bring to the table was what, as a nation, Turkey is, and where do its people want it to go. As i starting talking with 2 waiters i had at a restaurant for dinner, i asked them, if they had the chance to decide where they would rather be categorized, Europe or Asia, both said Europe. They liked the thought of the trendy clothes, music, all of those things were going through there mind at 18 years old. Then i stumbled upon two guys, Mehmet who was 22, and Ali who was 26, and they invited me to sit in front of their shop and drink tea and smoke the water pipe. (then i later learned backgammon from them, and I'm 7-0). I gladly accepted. We began to discuss everything from military, culture, cuisine, family, college, they even went as far as what type of women they liked, Dutch in case you were wondering. So to talk about culture, Mehmet gave me a good example, he said "Learning the taste of an orange cannot be done by reading about it, it must be tasted to fully understand the taste of an orange." He said this in relation to how the America views Turkey, many people do not look favorably upon them because they are a Muslim nation. Then they went on to say that if they could choose, they would pick Asia as there categorization. Why? Because they actually feel resentment that countries like Bulgaria and Romania are so economically, nationally, and in many other ways, poor, they wonder why they were given almost instant entrance into the EU, and Turkey has been "accepted for consideration" for many years now. Mainly because they are not a christian nation. They feel like it is unfair, unjust, and just down right ridiculous. With Istanbul being one of the major players of commerce in the area, and the world, they are way more advanced then those being accepted. They also feel that once they become part of the EU, there will be no more Turkey. No more heritage, no more excitement and wonder, but just another EU nation. I seem to agree with them. With what I'm seeing and understanding, Turkey is not European, or Asian. Neither. Its, well, Turkey. They find pride on the fact that that's who they are and how everyone considers them to be. And how do i know this, well if you ever come to Turkey, try and count how many Turkish flags you see from the airport to your hostel or hotel. You will need a van of six people just to count half of the flags you see. They are everywhere. They put our national pride to shame. A friend of Mehmet and Ali that i met later in the evening told me that if they became part of the EU, they would lose that sense of history and culture that makes them so special. Mainly because all of Turkey would become more westernized. He said that the heart of Turkey is in the east, that is where everything that is history is still alive. If they become EU, that part of the heart will soon fade away, leaving only influence from the west to become their new culture. And he said this with a kind of vague stare, almost as if he knows it is coming, but cant do anything to stop it....
As i sit and think of what to write about, all i can think about is a playground i stopped by as i was walking to my hammam. I stopped, took a few photos, and the kids starting waving at me. So i walked over and started playing soccer with them. The great thing about these kids was that did not see race, religion, nationality, or color. They spoke with me and played with me as if i was one of them, on their turf, in their school. This is what i have come to learn about the the Turks, everyone is accepting of who you are, no matter where you are from. Because, well, each one of them is different as well. Today i spoke with Turks, Kurds, Armenians, Syrians, even Americans, each putting their little bit if history into the broader history of Turkey. But the funny thing is that no matter what part they are from, Asian side, European Side, North, South, Anatolia, each person will say they are Turkish. Meaning that the boundaries that they used to have between them (Turks and Kurds, or Turks and Armenians) are gone and Turkey is finally trying to mature as a nation towards the same, unified goal.

Today a man gave me directions by walking ten minutes out of his way to show me where something was. He was 65, an electrician, and had never left the country. We talked for awhile, I asked him if he ever wanted to travel. He smiled at me, shook his head no, and said, "Why would I ever want to leave, I live in turkey, no country can compare, so why waste my money"