Diary from Turkey
Words: by me
It all seems like yesterday when I came to this magical place, Istanbul had simply stunned me. The people, the atmosphere, the weather and more over the hospitality. I was in love all over again… The last time I paid a visit here was in March 2008 but it was nothing like the trip this year in April. I was to fall deeply in love and never come out of it. This love became special to remain in my heart forever. Rabia and I share a special friendship that does not have any label to it, it is beyond that of the other kinds of friends I have. Rabia is a character that I truly respect, she says we are twins, we have the same qualities, the same attitude towards men and towards life.
As time flew by, I became closer to her aunt, her mother and her brother Cetin. Cetin speaks good English, but he is shy, he says that he thinks he’s not good looking, but I tell him he is very handsome. He is 14 years old, but he still knows what a girl likes in a guy. Life in Turkey is at peace, but there is so much going on inside that it takes someone to constantly be energetic to catch up. I never wanted to leave, I was so attached to Istanbul and the sound of Athaan just made me sink deeply into the Islamic world that is here. While Rabia and I had the opportunity to visit the Sultan Ahmet mosque, I made sure I did not miss the opportunity to pray here, I was reconnected, my soul had come alive all over again. As we stepped outside the mosque, we saw a group of youngsters sitting under the shade that with benches, they were students. The two guys sitting opposite them were playing a guitar and the other was singing, they were singing in Turkish and then at times in English. Rabia and I sat on the side behind them so nobody could clearly see us. We were shy, we listened to the music and even clapped, they did a good job. As time ticked away, we had to leave and I was extremely shy as I said ‘ keep up the good work guys’, Rabia insisted I say good luck, it is seen as a good gesture from a foreigner. Yes, I was a foreigner here, but I was well respected and treated like a visitor receiving good hospitality.
There were times when people thought we were lesbians, it was probably because we had a strong sisterly bond and our relationship was something that was ‘special’. She was like a sister to me, an elder sister. I remember her pretty face and how she smiled with innocence, trying to handle every problem with courage. I remember when we planned to eat out at McDonalds and driving all the way to the downtown seemed like an impossible job to accomplish. There was so much traffic, I mean I thought London was worst but no way, Istanbul takes the record of being the busiest traffic in the world, and Dubai on the other hand could be counted as number three in the busiest traffic lanes in the world. We finally ended up eating ‘ balik’ or ‘ fish’, because there seemed to be no parking available at McDonalds. People are so specific about the parking there, I am like ‘OH MY GOD’ give me a break, when we were finding a parking at the shopping mall, the security guard made it a point we parked the car in the right direction. The same thing occurred at the hospital parking, Rabia was in a hurry and so parked in anywhere that was not a parking, less did she care. I was left to overlook, as I took photographs of the hospital from the outside, I was left to think about life in Turkey. I wanted to remain here, but how long would I survive here? I happen to meet a lot of big shots in Istanbul, it’s more like Casablanca in Morocco, where everything is so prim and proper, everything is neat and high class. There was a lot of people from the Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia who seemed to have a liking for Istanbul. I still remember, the moment I stepped out of the Swiss Air flight to Istanbul and I queued up at the Ataturk International Airport‘s immigration to get my visa issued, I saw lots of Arabs in the queue, I could tell, they were from Egypt. A plane had landed from Cairo, it was parked close to the Swiss Air plane. I still remember how we met, Rabia called out my name from the other end and waved and I waved back, it was like two lost sisters finally met after a decade of separation.
I can’t forget any of the people I have met there, Najami, Ali, Ozlem, Naznein, Yahya and Yashaar. I remember how while on the way back from Grand Bazaar Ali accompanied us and in the car we played loud Turkish music. Rabia was mad at Ali because we spent too much in his handbag shop looking for designer handbags. This meant we couldn’t shop at the Grand Bazaar, I still remember how I quickly shopped souvenirs for my friends without bargaining and Rabia became angry because the shop keepers knew I was a foreigner and they would charge me a lot.
In the people I have met so far, I can close my eyes and say Rabia is one of the most special people close to my heart. It only takes a moment to touch someone’s heart and reach your soul, it only takes a short while to know if something exists between two people or not, the respect, the love and care. It doesn’t have to take centuries to know someone and realise if they loved you or not. Love is either there or it’s not and the same goes for friendship, either it exists or either it is never there. I still remember how Rabia and Najami came to drop me at the airport and we spent our last moments together at the Gloria Jean Café at the airport. Rabia got me a cheesecake with a strong layer of jelly. As I checked in, they waved goodbye, I felt so shattered inside and alone, good people are hard to find and difficult to keep hold of. Once you have someone valuable in your life, you should learn to respect and care for it, if you don’t, it doesn’t take too long before you lose it forever. I know this journey has just begun and therefore I will be looking forward to go back to the place that taught me the meaning of true relationships and how to value what I have.
It all seems like yesterday when I came to this magical place, Istanbul had simply stunned me. The people, the atmosphere, the weather and more over the hospitality. I was in love all over again… The last time I paid a visit here was in March 2008 but it was nothing like the trip this year in April. I was to fall deeply in love and never come out of it. This love became special to remain in my heart forever. Rabia and I share a special friendship that does not have any label to it, it is beyond that of the other kinds of friends I have. Rabia is a character that I truly respect, she says we are twins, we have the same qualities, the same attitude towards men and towards life.
As time flew by, I became closer to her aunt, her mother and her brother Cetin. Cetin speaks good English, but he is shy, he says that he thinks he’s not good looking, but I tell him he is very handsome. He is 14 years old, but he still knows what a girl likes in a guy. Life in Turkey is at peace, but there is so much going on inside that it takes someone to constantly be energetic to catch up. I never wanted to leave, I was so attached to Istanbul and the sound of Athaan just made me sink deeply into the Islamic world that is here. While Rabia and I had the opportunity to visit the Sultan Ahmet mosque, I made sure I did not miss the opportunity to pray here, I was reconnected, my soul had come alive all over again. As we stepped outside the mosque, we saw a group of youngsters sitting under the shade that with benches, they were students. The two guys sitting opposite them were playing a guitar and the other was singing, they were singing in Turkish and then at times in English. Rabia and I sat on the side behind them so nobody could clearly see us. We were shy, we listened to the music and even clapped, they did a good job. As time ticked away, we had to leave and I was extremely shy as I said ‘ keep up the good work guys’, Rabia insisted I say good luck, it is seen as a good gesture from a foreigner. Yes, I was a foreigner here, but I was well respected and treated like a visitor receiving good hospitality.
There were times when people thought we were lesbians, it was probably because we had a strong sisterly bond and our relationship was something that was ‘special’. She was like a sister to me, an elder sister. I remember her pretty face and how she smiled with innocence, trying to handle every problem with courage. I remember when we planned to eat out at McDonalds and driving all the way to the downtown seemed like an impossible job to accomplish. There was so much traffic, I mean I thought London was worst but no way, Istanbul takes the record of being the busiest traffic in the world, and Dubai on the other hand could be counted as number three in the busiest traffic lanes in the world. We finally ended up eating ‘ balik’ or ‘ fish’, because there seemed to be no parking available at McDonalds. People are so specific about the parking there, I am like ‘OH MY GOD’ give me a break, when we were finding a parking at the shopping mall, the security guard made it a point we parked the car in the right direction. The same thing occurred at the hospital parking, Rabia was in a hurry and so parked in anywhere that was not a parking, less did she care. I was left to overlook, as I took photographs of the hospital from the outside, I was left to think about life in Turkey. I wanted to remain here, but how long would I survive here? I happen to meet a lot of big shots in Istanbul, it’s more like Casablanca in Morocco, where everything is so prim and proper, everything is neat and high class. There was a lot of people from the Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia who seemed to have a liking for Istanbul. I still remember, the moment I stepped out of the Swiss Air flight to Istanbul and I queued up at the Ataturk International Airport‘s immigration to get my visa issued, I saw lots of Arabs in the queue, I could tell, they were from Egypt. A plane had landed from Cairo, it was parked close to the Swiss Air plane. I still remember how we met, Rabia called out my name from the other end and waved and I waved back, it was like two lost sisters finally met after a decade of separation.
I can’t forget any of the people I have met there, Najami, Ali, Ozlem, Naznein, Yahya and Yashaar. I remember how while on the way back from Grand Bazaar Ali accompanied us and in the car we played loud Turkish music. Rabia was mad at Ali because we spent too much in his handbag shop looking for designer handbags. This meant we couldn’t shop at the Grand Bazaar, I still remember how I quickly shopped souvenirs for my friends without bargaining and Rabia became angry because the shop keepers knew I was a foreigner and they would charge me a lot.
In the people I have met so far, I can close my eyes and say Rabia is one of the most special people close to my heart. It only takes a moment to touch someone’s heart and reach your soul, it only takes a short while to know if something exists between two people or not, the respect, the love and care. It doesn’t have to take centuries to know someone and realise if they loved you or not. Love is either there or it’s not and the same goes for friendship, either it exists or either it is never there. I still remember how Rabia and Najami came to drop me at the airport and we spent our last moments together at the Gloria Jean Café at the airport. Rabia got me a cheesecake with a strong layer of jelly. As I checked in, they waved goodbye, I felt so shattered inside and alone, good people are hard to find and difficult to keep hold of. Once you have someone valuable in your life, you should learn to respect and care for it, if you don’t, it doesn’t take too long before you lose it forever. I know this journey has just begun and therefore I will be looking forward to go back to the place that taught me the meaning of true relationships and how to value what I have.
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