The odds of finding a four-leaf clover

Published by flag- Cat Cheshire — 11 years ago

Blog: Turkilicious tales
Tags: General

Let's see how I managed to survive in Istanbul for two days without the slightest idea of where to go or what to do right after landing at the airport of Sabiha Gökçen (who, according to the Internet, was the first female pilot in Turkey) on the Asian side of the country.
I was still fighting against a mild hangover from the previous night; we had been drinking a scandalous amount of alcohol with one of my friends and his colleagues in a flat (which also had a huge balcony), mosly in front of the owner’s 22 years old, suspicious-looking turtle.
After getting my visa (and such a pretty one!) and wandering around the airport helplessly, I soon bumped into a guy (what a coincidence!) and his mother who kindly invited me to spend some time with them before heading to Bodrum, in order to visit my Turkish sweetheart. They were both Egyptians and said to be on a business trip in Istanbul, so when the bus of their company finally arrived, they took me to the centre and invited me for lunch as well. That was my very first encounter with Turkish cuisine and honestly speaking, I have immediately fallen in love with it.
They insisted on me staying with them in the hotel, which I was unspeakably greatful for and in the end they even invited me to visit Cairo one day.
It took about 13 hours to reach the peninsula of Bodrum from Istanbul but it was definitely worth it as the place is simply magnificent. The only problem was that I truly hate summer. I cannot stand the awful heat, the permanent sunshine and the unreasonably happy people around me spending their time on the beach, drinking cocktails and enjoying themselves half-naked - what an extroverted season! I love rain, mist, autumn leaves, silent people drinking hot wine or tea, and I like to wrap myself into pretty clothes.
Back at home, the weather was finally getting more and more chilly, yet there I was, just about to take a painfully long trip all the way to the Turquoise Coast as if I was heading back right into the summer. But what possible reason could one have for not attending such an unexpected long-distance date?
After spending nearly a week by the sea, we decided to come back to Ankara. And what a lovely city this is! The weather is cold enough to make me smile and I often see cats rolling around the corners during the day.
In the meantime, I have started writing a list for myself about the characteristic of local people. According to my researches, Turks:

- are ridiculously addicted to their electronical gadgets, especially their beloved mobile phones and computers
- often drive their mates' cars
- do not speak English well in general
- find men with mustache irresistibly beautiful and sexually attractive
- are helpful but quite ignorant at the same time
- love to eat too much but thankfully drink enough tea to compensate this adequately
- simply ignore everything that is connected to prudence or caution, therefore the risk of traffic accidents and street fights is too damn high
- respect their personal relationships exemplarily, especially when it comes to family or friends
- can hardly understand the European kind of humour

Speaking of witch, managing a relationship is not always easy, be it either a romantic or a strictly friendly one, particularly if the cultural diversity makes it nearly impossible to understand the pursuit of the brain of your foreign little lover. For instance, I found the following conversation both quite hilarious and astonishing at the same time:

- Are you religious? - he asked me one day.
- Nope.
- Therefore, you are an Atheist, aren’t you?
- Um, no, I don’t think so.
- But you just said so, you do not believe in God.
- That’s right but still, I am not an Atheist. Atheists deny the existence of God, don’t they? I do not. I’m just not interested in him.
- You must be an Atheist.
- Listen, let’s put it this way: I am still looking for my God. Is this good enough for you?
- Yeah, I guess. Okay. But it doesn’t make sense at all.
- Shut up.

Back to my precious little list, Turkish people often shout a lot or start their daily life at 3am (watching television, cleaning the entire house, listening to music, cooking and baking or having a serious conversation on politics, economy, mating rites or even the meaning of life) making it impossible for the poor European guest to rest in peace on the couch/bed/in the bathtub/on the balcony.
All in all, I would move here in a heartbeat if I only had enough cats and a lovely Turkish husband. Oh, well… the cats would be perfectly enough.


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