Merhaba! I have lived in Istanbul for nearly eleven months now--almost a year! That's long enough to give me at least a little credibility regarding living in Istanbul, right? I hope so, because today I'm going to write about what I see as a few defining aspects of life here. I've chosen an odd time for this post, though. If you keep up with the news at all (and by that I mean if you even bother to glance at the headlines on Google News), you will know that Istanbul has been experiencing some upheaval this summer (and thankfully, I don't mean physical upheaval--no earthquakes, please!). In the smallest of small nutshells, a protest over turning a centrally-located park into a mall turned into a protest against the current government, and in the space of a few months Istanbul feels like a different city--a little less safe, a little less stable. But as the wife of a diplomat, I don't think I should expound on political issues, so let's focus on more mundane subjects.
First and foremost, the crazy traffic! And speaking of the traffic, I take back that word "mundane." Nothing that is life-threatening should be described as boring! As a disclaimer, I have never driven anywhere other than the United States, so my standard of good driving might be a little high (although there is a frustrating amount of bad driving in the U.S.), but driving in Istanbul is complete chaos! I am not a fan of playing chicken, but some days I seem to spend more time in the lane of oncoming traffic than I do in my own! The drivers here seem to have no regard for pedestrians or for other drivers, and the surest way to get in an accident is to hesitate. Driving in Istanbul traffic is also a good way to determine whether or not you have an anger problem. I think everyone could use a little therapy after a few hours in Istanbul traffic (especially since it often is a few hours). It's not just the rapid lane changing, sudden stops, and disregard for rules that makes driving here aggravating--it's also the sheer amount of people on the road at any given time. Where do all they come from, and where can they all be going?!
A second notable aspect of life in Istanbul is the modernity and wealth. Istanbul is probably more modern and in some ways more Americanized than you would expect. There is an impracticable number of gigantic, upscale malls within several miles of my apartment, with stores representing a wide array of international brands. Everywhere I turn there are constant reminders of western influence, from the crowded Burger Kings to the Katy Perry songs playing at the mall (I actually think Turkey would be better off without Burger King or Katy Perry, but I don't get to make those decisions). There is certainly extensive poverty in Istanbul, as demonstrated by the ramshackle housing and many beggars, but perhaps I recognize the wealth more because I live in one of the most upscale neighborhoods of the city, where the men rev their Ferrari engines and the women push their babies in $1000 Stokke strollers (actually, it's their nannies who do the pushing). We live close to a big road which my husband refers to as the street "to see and be seen," because it is lined with expensive restaurants and fancily dressed people. Of course, when I walk on that street I'm usually sweaty and stinky from a yoga workout, but we all have our places in life, right? Mine is just not to step out of a Mercedes wearing Gucci. . .
There are many more things I could say about living here, and hopefully I will get around to saying them at some point, but as a last thought for tonight I should just say that living in Istanbul has not been significantly different for me than living in the States. Thanks to the U.S. government, I live in a much larger apartment than I did in the Washington, D.C. area, and I'm able to afford household help because it is cheaper (*such* a blessing!). But my day-to-day life is much the same, and it mostly consists of watching my sweet but wild child, who just turned two last month. He is a bright, intense little man, who will count to ten while he is playing in his room (but not when I ask him to), strum his pink broom like it is a guitar and yell loudly, and say "thank you, mama" (with a little prompting :-P) whenever I give him something. Although he has a temper and can sometimes be infuriatingly stubborn, he is incredibly affectionate, and while my life's plans did not include having a honeymoon baby, my son is a daily reminder of why I should be thankful that God is in control of my life, not me. And speaking of the Lord, I am so thankful to Him for placing me in such a wonderful, historical city with so much to do, see, and explore. But for today, I'm done doing, seeing, and exploring, because it's lights out, people! More to come another day. :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment