The Past and the Present

Turkey is such an amazing place. Its been growing on me since we stepped off the plane, instead of going back to the hotel at night we have all started to say we are going “home”! Getting around isn’t scary and it feels comfortable here. Even if the group separates we always meet in Taksim square at the Ataturk statue. The Ataturk statue is an interesting place for us to meet. Coming here I didn’t realize how much on an impact Ataturk had on the Turkish people, and although I will never fully understand I have come to appreciate it and enjoy to see how strongly the Turks feel about him.

It is difficult to imagine Turkey as a place with strict Islamic rule, Arabic scrip, Sultans, and the all of the thing that were before Ataturk. For me, Istanbul is a city with a stylish culture. You see these people walking on the street looking like runway models. They are wearing the latest European fashion and it’s rare to see a woman dressed head to toe in a burka, even the women who chose to wear the headscarf are still very fashionable. It’s only after you take a closer look and see that the remnants of the Ottomans are still deeply embedded. The call to prayer will sound and then you will remember that you are not in London, Madrid or Paris.


The reason Turkey is so interesting to me, is because it’s so different from those classic old cities that people think of when they speak of Europe. It’s different in a good way, you can have the best of both worlds. I see the Europe chic and style but I also see the old world customs that keep this country special. There is something so magical about walking through the Sultans old palace and realizing that one of the largest ruling empires centered around this city. I love Turkey, and I have really really enjoyed being here in Istanbul. I’m so happy that I have gotten to get a glimpse of the Muslim world that most non-Muslims are frightened of because of long rooted stereotypes. There is and has always been good and bad in the world, Istanbul has seen both of these things from its incredibly long history. Now after all the work that one man did it has become a place that people (who have never been here before) are starting to realize isn’t scary! It’s beautiful, and the past and present have helped to make it that way.