Henrike is a Girl and Every other Misconception

August 14, 2006
Ankara, Turkey

If I were to list every misconception about Turkey that I had, this would be a book instead of a letter. There is no way to describe Ankara without failing to capture its true essence. Not because I have fallen in love with (far from it, actually), but these last two weeks have taught me many things. People, no matter who you are, are intense and caring beings. Every single building, café, food dish, concept, and life is a testament to the complexity of the city, if not the country. I don't know if I will ever love this city as much as I loved Santiago, but I think that of all my humble travels that have gone and that are to come, this will be the most invested, difficult learning experience.

Language is the essence of culture; social interactions practically demand that you be able to communicate. Obviously, you all say. Well, I've taken my languages for granted, until the second I stepped out of a plane into the breezy, cow-horse-goat smelling air two weeks ago. Let me tell you how difficult it is to live somewhere where you know you will never be able to communicate with the majority of the people whole- heartedly. But it doesn't matter; it will never matter in Ankara. I've met people here in the past two weeks that surpass any kind of sincerity and kindness from anywhere in the world. No words can describe them. They take it upon themselves to make sure I am happy, comfortable, and they laugh along with me as the dumb foreigner who cannot speak Turkish. I thought of taking Turkish, but because I will travel in October, eight weeks of lessons will not do me any good. Rather, I will take Hungarian because Budapest will be too tough to handle for five months without any background. I've picked up a few necessary words – i.e. food and beer – to get me through my days. I don't need anything else because I work six days a week.

Yes, I said six days a week. It's not so bad, actually. I love working at a think tank, and being around such brilliant people. Really, I've never been around people who know so much, always are ready to answer my million questions (once again I'm the little kid among grown ups), and are so passionate about what they do. It's incredible and so humbling, at the same time. They also do half days on Saturdays, just like India (blegh). I get to write, write, write all day about whatever I want, and if you know me at all, it's my dream.

Ok, so Ankara. It's no Istanbul, as every sing Turkish person has told me, but it's something different. Ankara is mainly a city filled with civil servants and students, and a very secular city at that. The best way to describe Ankara is with this image: I was ambling around in this blasted heat, and I wanted to see the biggest mosque in the city. As I walked past it, I noticed a small shopping center underneath the mosque, and a café on the side. I took out my ear buds because I thought I heard something strange coming from the café, and I was right. It was one of 50 cent's songs. At first, I didn't know what to do; I mean, did people NOT see the irony/hilarity of the situation? I almost died from laughter, but no one even thought to question this strange image of 50 cent and a mosque. But that's pretty much the essence of Ankara.

When a few people took me to the big tower overlooking the city, it looks like any other city in Europe, except that there are minstrels interspersed with big buildings that allude to Islam. I don't really know what I was expecting, but I'll admit it. Part of me saw camels and dirt roads – I know, I know, very absurd and very uneducated. Ankara is nothing like that, but then again it's not really like the West, either. There is no single place that it belongs to, and that's what I think makes it so special. Ankara is mostly a calm city, busy in the usual locations, and if nothing, I've gained patience and a newfound respect for new places.

Now my favorite part: the people. I don't think it is possible for me to explain the concept of friendliness that is a part of Ankara's lifestyle. Physically, these people are absolutely gorgeous, yes, but emotionally just a beautiful. I've never had to go without anything. The guys at work are so nice – one bought my SIM card, demanded they install it ASAP, took me around town, and puts up with all my insipid questions. Another took me to do some illegal buying yesterday, helped me find some books in English to pass my time, and when I insisted that he didn't have to help me, he said, "No, you are my guest. I want to make sure you are happy." Technically, I am not his guest, I told him. He gave me his usual grin that pretty much tells me I'm a moron (this is pretty much our relationship) and says, "Not literally, but a guest in my country." Another is letting me stay at his place, and refuses to let me pay (but I don't know how long I will stay there. He is a bit of a homebody and a bit boring) but ınsatıably nice. It's so different here, and so hard to explain. Not that many girls are here, but the few that are here on occasion are just as sweet. One showed me her college hostel because I need a more social home environment and we searched all week for a better place for me. Another took me to meet her friends so I can expand my friend group; in that sense, Ankara could not be better. Yet, I don't think I will be able to love this city with the same intensity as some of my other travels. For one thing, the last two weeks (just my luck!) have brought record breaking heat. It's about 100 degrees today and I think it has cooled down from last week. Hopefully, by September, the weather will calm down.

Everything so far is an adventure for me, even if it is grocery shopping, walking around, having a cup of coffee, buying a metro ticket, or shopping because it takes a million hand gestures, tons of patience, and a lot of laughs.

I know I sound kind of all over the place, but I'm doing this secretly at work as I don't have internet at home at this moment, and they will make fun of me for not doing work if the other interns see this.