Clayton remarked earlier in the trip that the Turks tend to kind of glower at tourists (including us) until given a reason not to. But it doesn't take a whole lot for that to change. A single word of Turkish ('Merhaba' works well) and they immediately open up (unfortunately opening up typically entails a stream of completely incomprehensible Turkish).
He's quite right. Generations of rather boorish tourists (or imperialists) from Europe would seem to have soured the Turks towards visitors from the West. Unfortunately, we as a hemisphere don't appear to be doing much to improve our reputation amongst the locals. I spent a morning a few days ago painfully slogging through Lewis V. Thomas' Elementary Turkish (revised and edited by Norman Itzkowitz) at a teahouse up the street from our flat. A German gentleman a few tables away commented "Elementary Turkish... not the typical tourist, then," and he was right. From what I've seen very few of the foreigners coming to Turkey bother to learn any of the language. (Including the German, incidentally, who in fact was not a tourist. He's been a teacher at one of Istanbul's universities for a few years and has completely despaired of ever learning any of the language.)
But the potential remains for rapid, if not immediate, reconciliation. The minute you say "Merhaba!" the Turks start to thaw. If you ask them how they're doing you might as well be family. Earlier today we were coming back from some exploration when we happened to glance in and toss a casual "Merhaba" at the old and rather enigmatic Turk who would appear to run some sort of shop on the ground floor of our building. With disorienting rapidity this developed into drinking tea with him and several other equally enigmatic Turks. We learned that he sells lapel pins, that he has a computer with the internet but hasn't been able to figure out e-mail just yet, and that he's been playing the saz for 40 years (he's quite good).
We've just returned from a Sufi music rehearsal we were invited to attend. Except the music rehearsal blended into a prayer meeting, and the prayer meeting blended into a dinner, and the dinner blended into a birthday dance party for one of the musicians, and we were invited and included in each phase of the evening.
Today may have impressed on me more than any other (well, maybe besides the Bursa experience) that the Turks aren't some unknowable Other that can never be at peace with the West, no matter what certain members of the EU may think. It takes a tiny gesture of goodwill - saying hello in the language of the country you're visiting - to get the Turks to open up and be unbelievably hospitable. Showing a modicum of respect at the political level could have similar results.
Today may have impressed on me more than any other (well, maybe besides the Bursa experience) that the Turks aren't some unknowable Other that can never be at peace with the West, no matter what certain members of the EU may think. It takes a tiny gesture of goodwill - saying hello in the language of the country you're visiting - to get the Turks to open up and be unbelievably hospitable. Showing a modicum of respect at the political level could have similar results.
1 comment:
Hear, hear! I'm glad you're climbing on the "speak the language" bandwagon! And I'm glad you're getting such great results from it, also. Are you going to help him learn to do email? Sounds like a perfect opportunity for "bridging the gap." And you have PLENTY of experience explaining computer processes to someone who hasn't done it before! Your patience with me will serve you well! Have fun on your trip. I'm looking forward to your blogs, if you can do them. Pictures, too, of course! Are you putting backups on discs? Bye!
love,
Mom
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