The Hidden Jem That Is Turkey

After our final lecture my understanding of Turkey in regards to the EU are a little more clear. I’ve only been to London and I’m sitting here in Paris but from those few experiences I can see that Turkey is very European and would fit in nicely with countries like England and France. It is clear that Turkey has adopted many cultural traits that some European countries have, yet they can still hold on to the unique and rich culture that it’s known for by the people who have been there. It’s a shame that outsiders do not understand what Turkey is truly like. I believe that if more Europeans and north Americans took the time to travel to this country they would find that there is much more common ground than normally thought. It is so unfair that the country gets a bad reputation because of it’s location, religion, history and population. It’s ridiculous that the consideration for the EU has taken this long at all- but at the same time it makes one wonder what would happen to Turkey if they were accepted in the future.
One of the main reasons turkey excites me so much is the sense of mystery it has. Not many people can say much about this country unless they have visited, lived there, or gone out of their way to research it. I think turkey as one of the worlds “Hidden Jems”, I would fear that an acceptance to the EU might jeopardize the secrecy and mystery that goes along with cities like Istanbul, Izmir, or Ankara. Certainly many things would change pretty quickly if they were accepted. Yet, as you can see form Ataturks rein, Turkey is very able to accept change. There is a history of being able to acclimate themselves even under extreme circumstances.
I want Turkey to stay the way it is- so beautiful, ancient, and ever expanding, but it is clear that there is a lot to gain from the EU. There are positives and negatives, either way Turkey has done a find job standing on it’s own. After the Ottoman Empire, Ataturk was able to make a name for Ankara and make a small village into a growing global city over night. With motivation and innovation like that I question (as do many) why the EU can’t see past the “strange” and unknown” that is feared and look at Turkey in the way it should be seen. Amazing.