diversity

All roads lead to Turkish

UPDATE (8/31/09): This story was published in one of the two English language newspapers in Turkey, “Today’s Zaman.”  View it here.

Navigating crowded streets filled with the morning traffic of downtown Ankara, I find the plain eight-story graystone that I report to every weekday morning. Nestled away on the fourth floor is a cultural wonderland. In this room, 16 people, who belong to nine nationalities and collectively speak at least eight different languages, come together each day. No, I don’t work at an international agency; this is just my Level 1 Turkish class.

Three weeks ago, I came to Ankara to continue my Turkish language studies at Ankara University’s TOMER program. Certainly, I expected to pick up much more Turkish in the class, but I didn’t expect to see so much diversity.

Nearly everyone is in their mid twenties except Nye, a retired British expat who has spent many of his years (he won’t reveal how long) living and working in Turkey. When asked by our instructor on the first day how he managed so long without learning any Turkish, he replied, “I’m a good Englishman.” The youngest members of our class are a pair of mischievous 15-year-old twins from Kazakhstan who almost always seem to be in sync with each other from answering questions in unison to leaning against the wall and falling asleep together in just the same manner.

There is one other group of siblings in the class, three Americans from Seattle. From ages 15 to 19, they’ve spent almost all of their summers in Turkey with their American mother and Turkish father. I originally met them while lost amidst the crammed registration room during the first day. They had originally been placed by their father in a much higher level, but eventually ended up in the basic class with us several days later.

Two other students came to the class because of husband related needs. One of them, an energetic Bosnian woman in her late twenties, moved to Turkey for her husband’s new job as a television translator. The other woman, a soft-spoken Afghani, is actually trying to learn English in Turkey while she waits for a visa to the US in order to rejoin her Turkish husband. However, English is only taught in Turkish, so she’s taking our class first.

Several of my classmates have taken a giant leap with few safety nets in coming to Turkey. As an American living for the next year on a government sponsored Fulbright grant, I know that I have a lot of resources available. But, that’s not the case for everybody. I think particularly of one young woman in her mid twenties from Iran. During class breaks, she tells us about her longing to return to Iran, and why, for personal reasons, she can’t go back at the moment. Even though I lived in Boston, a city with an outstandingly mixed population, I’ve met few Iranians. I’ve met even less that have lived there within the last five years, so it was refreshing to hear from a recent expat.

Filling out the rest of the class are four foreign students from Pakistan, Libya, Syria, and Hong Kong. The three Middle Eastern students are studying various subjects at Turkish universities. Although their instructors speak English, they felt it was time to try and learn some Turkish. Meanwhile, Ivory, from Hong Kong, is visiting for the summer as a part of her Turkish studies program in Taiwan.

Looking out at the class, it’s quite amazing to see how Turkey has brought us together from all over the world. Together, we stumble through our Turkish vowel harmony as we try to get our tongues around phrases like “Ben burada oturuyorum.” Amidst the incredibly welcoming but still foreign world outside, a world we hope to become better acquainted with by improving our Turkish. By practicing in our friendly group, we’ve stepped out of our shells, dared to speak more Turkish, and strengthened our resolve.

“With almost all of us knowing some English,” said Nye, “I think we’ve really been able to become quite a joined up group.”

Meanwhile, our instructor and her seemingly limitless amount of patience for us has been a saving grace. She continues to smile and encourage us, even while we struggle and sometimes wreak havoc with the intricacies of her native language. While constantly keeping a positive attitude, and often indulges us, by straying from the lesson at hand, and leading a conversation, in Turkish, about movies, music, or our curiosities about each other’s countries instead.

Some of my classmates can’t help but be drawn in by the class.

“I never planned on studying in Turkey, it wasn’t even on my list,” said Ivory from Hong Kong, “It was like fate.”

Whether you believe in fate or not, you can’t deny there is something special about a group of people coming from all across the world…to learn Turkish.

diversity

Bursting bubbles on the bus

In Turkey, traveling between cities in large, comfortable coach buses is one of the most efficient and cost effective ways of getting around the country.  Turkey is served by at least 15 different bus companies, although that is a pretty conservative estimate.  However, Kamil Koc (Coach), Metro Turizm, and Pammukale are the three largest bus companies serving Turkey.  So far, I’ve made the 5 1/2 to 6 hour trip between Ankara and Istanbul four times, but no trip was more memorable than my first when I met a spirited 20 year-old from Kenya named Joel (pronounce Joe-el).

In the spacious bus, I was sitting in my window seat watching the crowds pushing and shoving their luggage across the gates of the Ankara’s Otogar (bus terminal) when the tall and lanky Joel took the seat next to mine.  Joel was escorted in by two, young Turkish men who were smiling from rim to rim, and before leaving, each gave Joel the “infamous” two cheek kiss.

I always jump at the chance to practice my Turkish, so the few words I said to Joel and his friends were in Turkish.  This led to a funny moment as the bus pulled away from the station.  Joel and I started to say a few words in Turkish to each other, and attempted some sort of conversation.  It took us about 5 or 10 minutes before we realized each of us spoke perfect English.

After that, our conversation really took off.  I learned that although Joel and I lived on two very different continents (Africa and North America), we had some very similar experiences and interests.  Joel was interested in going to college for technical theater and film.  I told Joel about my work as a lighting technician in Boston, as well as some stories about my time doing production work for ESPN and local television outlets at home.

I have to admit my scope was widened during the four or five hours Joel and I spent chatting about film, today’s technology in film and theater, living in Turkey, and our own countries.  I’ve spent 23 years living in an American Bubble that has certainly allowed me to paint some very generic pictures of the world.  Even though one of my college roommates and best friends is also from Kenya, I never would have expected IF a Kenyan visiting Turkey sat down next to me on a bus that his interests would be in technical theater and film.

I told Joel this, mentioning that many Americans I know picture Kenyans as an incredibly skinny people who spend their days running across deserts while living among lions and elephants.   He laughed, and added that many Kenyans picture Americans and other Westerners as people who live in “a fantasyland.”  From the Kenyan perspective, “the West is a place of no problems, no sickness, and plenty of money,”  said Joel.

“But when you travel (to richer countries),” Joel reflected, “you realize issues that effect humans, effect them everywhere.”

With that sentence alone, I think Joel summed up the main purpose of the Fulbright grant and why I’m out here documenting my trip.  We all have had visions of people in another country living in a carefree environment.  For example, today’s proponents of health care trumpet the happiness of Canadians, Brits, Danes, and etc.  However, we can’t deny that the world is much more complicated.

For this reason I do hope readers of the blog will be able to get a more clearer look at Turkey and its different communities.  More importantly however, I hope this yearlong expedition will help make me a better journalist.  I expect to have many more “bubble bursting” moments.  I can only hope that through these experiences, I will be able to write and pursue stories in the future with an enlarged and more careful perspective.  Whether I end up covering local, national, or international issues, my ability to carefully process information without making rash generalizations will be critical.

It’s true that I’ll be a teacher while in Turkey.  But, I am the real student. Turkey is my classroom, and the people I’ve met, people like Joel who have helped burst my bubble, are my teachers.

Here’s hoping I’ll get an A.