boston
Lost in translations
July 15, 2009 by mpreports06 · Leave a Comment
With few crosswalks except at main intersections, walkers cross streets with caution in Kizilay (Downtown Ankara)
Last Monday was my first venture into Kizilay, Ankara’s downtown. As you enter the area, the first thing you’ll notice is the rapid pace of traffic whirring by you and other pedestrians with sometimes only a dime’s distance apart. Any American used to streets laden with traffic signals and cars giving pedestrians the right of way will have some major adjusting to do. Thankfully that day, my friend and generous host, Mehmet, guided me to the
Strong barriers adorn the corners of major intersections where cabs, cars, and small buses fly by.
building where my class was located.
We made our way swiftly through downtown, dodging cabs, buses, and fast moving mini buses known as dolmus. We passed vendors that peddled everything from a donut-like pastry known as Simit to hand crafted wares made of bronze. After 10 minutes of walking from where we got off, we found a large gray building with a small “American themed” cafe below called Happy Days. The cafe looked like a Turkish interpretation of 1960s American Americana. Retro tile floors, a jukebox, and classic Pepsi and Coca-Cola logos adorned the walls. Still, the menu was distinctly Turkish as I stopped in on my second day for a small pastry.
Often sold out of carts or by vendors carrying them on their heads, Simit is freshly baked bread topped with sesame seeds.
After tripping up a crowded and difficult to navigate spiral staircase, we entered a reception area teeming with people of all sorts of nationalities waiting to hear their number called. The room felt more like an immigration office than a school. “You’re all set, right??,” asked Mehmet amidst all the languages being spoken, the frantic fluttering of papers, and dinging of bells.
I nodded to Mehmet, thanking him for all the help. I won’t bore you with the details of registering, but needless to say I had to come back the next day to “finish my registration.” However, while waiting to be called, I was connected with three siblings, TJ and her two brothers, Erol and Kevin, from Seattle. They live in the US with their Turkish father and American mother. They described how they have spent each summer in Turkey, but still do not have a complete understanding of Turkish. This time, their father registered them for classes, but unfortunately they were put into such a high level course, no one spoke any English, period. Erol explained how the teacher knew very little English herself and that, “Even the people that knew English, wouldn’t speak it because they were so dedicated to speaking Turkish.” That dedication was too much for the three of them, and they were hoping to switch to a lower level.
This reception room at TOMER was filled with over 30 people during the first day of registration when I arrived.
In a room echoing with voices speaking several different languages and people rushing back and fourth, we were four Americans, lost in translations, just trying to figure out where to go next. By Wednesday, thanks to the extreme patience of our Turkish counterparts, we all found our way to the same beginner class.
boston
A Simple Game
June 1, 2009 by mpreports06 · 4 Comments
The inaugural video for this site is rather simple, and part of me will confess the opportunity was more a way of testing the equipment versus anything too new, serious, deep, or compelling. However, the results were incredibly successful…and fun.
My friend Kasım and I organized a small pick up soccer game last Friday at Boston College. The idea came about while watching the Bekşiktaş-Galatasaray soccer match at Boston’s Turkish Cultural Center. I asked Kasım if he played much soccer around Boston and suggested it was something we could do together. I was up for the challenge, although I hadn’t played soccer since I was in second grade.
I think if there is anything close to an “international language,” the two most viable candidates are music and soccer. Soccer is in reality “a simple game”. A game that anyone can pick up pretty quickly. No mind twisting plays like in American football, no confounding rules like in baseball, no high rims like basketball, and no ice like hockey. I’m not saying this to say soccer is the greatest sport ever, especially considering I have watched countless more Patriots and Red Sox games than any MLS or World Cup games. However, soccer is a sport that is very easy to pick up and play for several hours like we did on Friday.
What you take from this video, if anything, might be how everyone was able to take a moment out of life to play. On an interesting note, we had people on the field from Turkey obviously, but also from England, Iran, and the US. There were no uncomfortable or awkaward moments, no pauses or mistranslations. Everyone understood soccer’s language: pass, shoot, and score.
I’d like to know what you think about soccer, football, or futbol (whatever you call it). Do you agree or disagree? Has soccer made an impact on your life, or are you one of the many Americans who just doesn’t understand the passion of it all. I guarantee you this won’t be the last soccer related video. In Turkey, futbol is a major part of society, and the rivalries are absolutely fierce! However, I’ll leave that for another day.
Lastly, the music for this video is by Tarkan, a major Turkish pop star that has international reach. He was actually my first introduction to Turkish music by my friend Emily who has been writing her own blog while in Turkey on a Fulbright. In any case, my friends have helped open my eyes to Turkey’s musical diversity since then, but Tarkan wrote this song, “Bir Oluruz Yolunda”, as the entrance song for the Turkish national team during the 2002 World Cup. “Bir Oluruz Yolunda” translates to “United for You”.
Whether you understand the words or not, you certainly can feel the sentiment in the song. Chalk another one up for music’s linguistic abilities.