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| The Clock Tower, Izmir, Turkey |
On August 26, I woke up at 5 am in the morning. I knew that it was still very early because it was dark out, yet I was not surprised that I had woken up so early. I knew that in a few hours, I would be leaving home for Dickinson once again. A long journey awaited me, 23 hours of traveling to be precise. I was to pass the cities of Izmir (Turkey), Munich (Germany), New York, and Harrisburg (USA) before arriving in the beloved city of Carlisle using air travel, a train, and a cab ride. I quietly went outside and sat on the porch. I could hear the sound of waves hitting the shore and the leaves of the palm trees shaking with the wind in the distance. After spending a few minutes pondering on how the upcoming semester would be, I heard the very light sound of the morning prayers coming from afar mix in with the sounds of nature. I found it very relaxing, which surprised me because normally I would either not hear the prayers at all, or I would be annoyed by how loud they were. At that moment I was at peace, however, listening to the world around me as I prepared myself for the upcoming daunting task that was to fly halfway across the planet. It always surprised me to hear that people generally thought the most difficult part about leaving your home country and culture and going to live, and in my case study, abroad was getting used to an entirely different lifestyle, culture, and language. I disagree, I find traveling to be the hardest part. After years of going back and forth between Turkey and the United States, I can barely stand waiting in line at customs or when boarding the plane, not to mention having to sit down for hours and getting jet-lagged afterwards.
I do realize that the main reason why I do not find life in the United States to be that much different than life at home is because I grew up in a setting and culture that was relatively similar. Izmir is a very "western" city, and people tend to be very secular, democratic, and liberal. I went to an American school, and learned English at a very young age. As a result the transition into college in the United States proved to be very easy and simple for me. I am also aware, however, that my background is rather uncommon in Turkey, and that it does not reflect reality for the rest of the country. Aside from the big cities, Turkey is very rural, and has a traditional lifestyle based on entirely different cultural norms. Religion, for example, plays an increasingly important role in the life of a Turkish citizen. While I'd
like to say "unfortunately plays an increasing role", I will refrain
from doing so because that is simply my opinion, and I believe that in order to
overcome differences we need to be more understanding, and willing to listen to
the views and opinions of other people without prejudice. I believe that the
same would apply to "us", mostly Americans (in our class), and
"them", Middle Easterners. I think education is very important. We
need to learn in detail all aspects of life in different cultures, and like
Professor Webb had said earlier in class, learn the language, and maybe even
visit the place. Only then, I think that we shall be able to lift the barriers
and look through everything clearly and come to an understanding, and then it
will not be "us" and "them", but we will be one. In this
class I hope to achieve that, not just in the Middle East as a whole, but also in my home
country, Turkey.
