Over this past summer, I visited my
brother, who was studying abroad at Boğaziçi University, in Istanbul. While I was there, I
met a variety of people: Turks, Kurds, Germans, Moldovans, Norwegians, the list
continues. Many of the Turks and Kurds believed me to be one of the most
fortunate people they met primarily because I was an American. During my
three-week visit, I learned a lot about the Turkish culture, the various
religions in Istanbul, and the Turkish language. I learned more from my
brother’s friends in Istanbul than I have in the majority of my life,
especially when it comes to privilege, the privilege of being an American.
To understand my “identity,” I must
share a little about Turkey and it’s history, culture, and beliefs. Otto Turk
is the founder of Turkey, and, in a sense, he is worshipped there. Many Turks
are considered to be Nationalists and love their country (some would say
blindly). The political party tends to determine how free the country can be.
For example, if a political party is against the consumption of alcohol, they
may sky rocket the prices in order to stop people from being able to buy it.
Istanbul itself is considered to be more liberal; any faith is accepted in the
city. Although there are more mosques than churches and synagogues, it is
common to see a church next to a mosque. The main aspect I want to focus,
though, is on its culture. Istanbul is the polar opposite of the United States.
They relax and enjoy sit-down dinners and there is always time for tea.
Compared to the United States, time is not of the essence, even when you have a
scheduled meeting time. If you are late to that meeting, an explanation is
needed, but no one is upset about the late arrival. Smoking is also acceptable
and is considered to be normal. Although it is illegal to smoke in buildings,
many stores, restaurants, bars, etc. will pay the police to avoid getting a
hefty fine for breaking the law. Culturally, outsiders that do not know the
Turkish language are frowned upon. Similarly to here, Turks expect you to know
Turkish (even a miniscule amount helps). Many come off friendlier to you and
are willing to work with you. Walking and public transportation are the most
common forms of transportation. Many Turks cannot afford a car or just choose
not to because public transportation is cheap. One of the main lessons I
learned while I was there was to eat all
of my food from my plate. It is considered to be rude to leave anything
behind. Unfortunately, I offended a few people because I was unable to eat it
all (“to go” boxes do not exist there). This is a short, crash course on Turkey’s
culture; I could continue for quite some time on it. Hopefully, this helped you
get a small perspective on what it is like there.
As a Turkish immigrant there are
many obstacles I have to face. Many Americans tend to assume that I have a
thick, Middle Eastern accent, I am Muslim, and I do not shower (or I am not
clean enough). Although some of these stereotypes are true for some, they are
not true for me. I am Muslim, but I do not wear my headscarf. I also respect
all faiths and understand that many do not understand mine. At times, I get
frustrated that they do not bother to listen to me about my faith; how can I break
the stigma if they won’t listen? As for my accent, there is nothing I can do
about that. I could say the same about your difficult American accent, but I
choose to be respectful. The concept of showering baffles me. I do shower; in
fact, I love to shower. It’s strange to me that Americans are fascinated with
cultures that do not bathe consistently. When I first came to SIUe, my
roommates seemed very skeptical of me. I am not certain if it’s my clothing,
accent, or my smell. Unfortunately, my roommates have not met any Turks before,
so I am their first. One of the first comments was, “Do you think she knows any English?” Obviously I do. The best
way I overcame that obstacle was to explain that yes, I do know English. I
explained that I struggle with it and asked for help. My roommates were
extremely receptive and are teaching me slang words now. As for my faith, the
best way (I have found thus far) is to be polite, ask for politeness back, and
answer any questions someone may have. I have learned to try to ignore any
ignorance or hurtful remarks – well to the best of my ability. Faith is not an
obstacle I can overcome alone. The whole nation needs to learn more about our
faith, and, maybe, then I can be freer about my faith. Cleanliness is a strange
thing I must overcome. The best way to go about that is to explain my culture
and the weather we have. It hasn’t been difficult to overcome that obstacle,
but I do notice when people are trying to smell
me. With all of these obstacles, I have learned to laugh at the silliness and
not take things to heart. I rather have people ask me awkward questions than
have people make incorrect assumptions about me.
