Lycian Way II
(Plays at 256, 128 or 44 depending on your internet speed)
(Right click 'Auto' to select speed or hit play to auto detect) |
There's just way too much to write about! Trekking was
amazing! Check out the vid on the left (I'm experimenting).
Unfortunately, my spare batteries weren't charged so I only have
pics for the first two days.
After the vid, I camped out on a plateau overlooking the village.
That night I played my mp3 and had a crazy fun time dancing around
the circular flat campfire area overlooking the village. There
really is something powerful about being up high. I can
understand why other cultures have dances around fires. It
really is so fun at night! I guess that's why we go to dance
clubs, but they have nothing on the views in the mountains!
The following day it rained, which I knew from the weather forecast
so I holed up and read the Life of Pi. Quite an appropriate
book to read holed up in a tent on food rations and having to fetch
water down the hill at the springs. The day after it snowed at
my altitude (rained when |
 |
saw the wife looking at me in my boxers once I'd crossed. She
couldn't resist a glance at my gorgeous body! :) So much is
represented in that scene I can't begin to describe. First of
all, it represents the irony of Turkish culture and the whole
secular movement. Second of all, it represents my own struggle
to understand the people amongst whom I'm living and that I have to
be conscious of how I perceive things and what I expect from the
people around me. In Taiwan, I was reminded daily of the fact
I was a foreigner because I looked different. Here, the people
look like me so I find it harder to remember that they won't
understand me the way that I expect and that I have to be careful in
how I understand them. I am slowly being Turkified, but my
personality will always cause me some friction in this culture, as
it does in my own culture. As an example, a security guard
approached me in the grocery store and told me that I couldn't take
pictures! There are security guards everywhere here and I know
that he was just wanting to exert some authority, but that clash of
following the social norm versus independence is constant.
Twice I've been asked in public places not to lean or sit on tables.
Once was in the post office and the customers were even telling me
not to lean against the table, which was just a simple table for
filling out postal forms just like back home in the old post offices
(not like the new postal outlets). Finally, a worker at the
place yelled at me from across the room to not lean on the table so
I stopped. Having beards is another issue I don't fully
understand. It is considered a religious symbol so from what I
understand, I shouldn't have one unless I'm religious or it could be
misconstrued. I know I'm not explaining it well but it's too
complex to write it all down. Even the expression of emotions
involves customs which are different than our own. On the bus
back to Istanbul, a customer flipped out on the bus assistant and
they started rushing each other. People had to hold them back,
though I was secretly hoping to see the fight break out. ;)
The customer was angry because someone was sitting in his seat.
The person moved, but once they got out he decided to start yelling
about the infraction. Not that this is a normal occurrence,
but I think it represents a different way. A friend helped me
book my bus ticket for my first trip back in October. The
agent wanted my cell phone number (which I didn't have) and my home
phone number wasn't good enough. My friend, who is normally a
calm person, got into a huge argument with the bus agent on the
phone and then slammed the phone down hanging up on the person.
It's different, eh? Again, not to say this is totally typical,
but I think it represents something deeper, like social norms, which
are different and I need to learn more about to help me understand
the subtle differences in how things are done in Turkey. There
are so many positive things I like about their families, social and
work culture. Families seem to have closer bonds. The
way they work is more relaxed and their social time is really
social. To survive, I just have to keep being myself and act
like I'm in my own culture and face the different things as they
come to me. It can be overwhelming to think about everything
sometimes, but then at other times, I feel like there is nothing
different.
As part of my Turkification, I finally purchased my first cell phone
and a pair of Turkish style jeans (most people wear faded jeans here
- same in Italy as well actually). As part of my
westernization, I finally started drinking beer in December(it still
tastes horrid but there's no good tasting alcohol in Turkey and the
peer pressure is too much here). The restaurant on the right
was really cool. You can sit around that barbecue with your
friends and cook your own meat (similar idea to Japanese
restaurants, Chinese hot pot and the Mongolian Grill).
Oh yeah, I broke my cool sunglasses!!! :((( Sorry Auntie Beep! |
 |
