Right now….Im sitting on a balcony on the 8th floor with a view of the sun setting over Alanya, a Turkish tourist/seaside city. I’ve returned for the third time to Turkey….
I have a bit of love/loathe relationship with Turkey…
I love the weather during the summer months. But I loathe it when the temperature raises about 40 degrees celcius. I love the warm ocean here, but I loathe how bad a swimmer I have become and how strong the current can be at times.
I love the beautiful nature that varies from mountains to huge rivers, but loathe alI the steep hills because Im in such a bad shape that I feel like I’ve just completed a marathon each time I conquer those hills. I really do need to get back in shape….
….but Im just too darn lazy….mmmh….cheeesecake!
I love that I can find Pepsi in almost every restaurant, cafe and store here. A major plus in my book! But loathe how tips are expected even in stores.
I love that many Turks speak relatively okay English and those who can’t, usually know german so I can always get by with a combination of English, German and a lot of smiling or frowning depending on the situation. People are generally nice…But I loathe when I just heard a Turk loudly speak flawless english or german to someone, then pretend they do not understand anything but Turkish when I ask a question…thats just rude!
I love the history I found in Istanbul, Ankara, Alanya and many of the villages I have visited during my previous visits. But I loathe how its neccesary for the local population to rewrite history everytime you mention a sensitive topic…Just suck it up. You fucked up in the past, but you’re not a fuck up anymore…own it.
I love the fact that they sell cheap knock offs and designer stuff with minor flaws in them for next to nothing here. But loathe it when store owners think I can’t tell the difference between the real deal and a fake. I know my shoes and bags!
I love the Turkish cuisine…especially the menemen, all the many yoghurts and soups and of course! The apple tea… But I loathe how many restaurants now follow the international cuisine instead of the local cuisine using local produce. Support the area you live in and the tourists will too…
I love the many different cultures you can find in a Turkish neighbourhood be it Muslim, Christian, foreigner or even the occasional Kurds and Zazas…One big cultural pot! It seems like Turkey has become this pitstop station before you continue to the East or the West. I know Turkey is very important for Europe as good relations with Turkey is a foot in the door to gaining access to Asia and the Middle East. I loathe the hate there exists between the Kurds and the Turks…why that is still an important thing for people, I have not quite understood…but I suspect its the whole cultural pot thing…a cultural boiling pot at times I suspect…..
I loathe how sales(wo)men, promotors, managers and vendors will grab your arm in the middle on the sidewalk and literally drag you into store you merely cast a random glance at while looking around you, then demand that you buy something from their store since ‘you came into the store ON YOUR OWN’…Its illegal now, but they still do it.
I love how attentive Turks can be to your needs, but I loathe how many of the Turkish men view female tourists as bait and continue to hound them for their money in some way or another…their marital status does not matter at all. I loathe the fact that many of the Turkish men see me as a rich American woman simply due to fact that I speak English with an American accent and have a curvy body when I am in fact a Dane. A friend of mine who now lives here in Alanya as a travel guide, explained it to me that if you have a curvy body, you must have money for food every day and therefore be rich… I know this is not true in the metropolitans of Turkey, but in the smaller cities like Antalya, Side and Alanya they hound female tourists because of it. I especially loathe how touristy many turkish cities has become.
But in general, I love the Turkish culture.
I loathe to stand in the piking hot sand, but love to feel the wonderful ocean around my feet, teasing my toes with small waves.
Its a love/loathe kind of thing. Its a Balance thing I have going on…You have to take the good with the bad….
But I know myself…I am by no means done with Turkey. I will return one day and continue to explore this cultural boiling pot!
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