Parting Thoughts: Turkey

This is likely my last post from Turkey. Like all good things, they must come to an end. I’ve enjoyed my experience here and it was certainly not what I expected. Actually, I had no idea what to expect coming here. Before I got here I only knew a little about Turkey and I thought this is going to be great! – not thinking about all the challenges I would face. Here are some of my parting thoughts and takeaways:

Challenges
While the academic challenge was close to nothing (when I get back to UW I have to get used to colleagues and professors actually expecting something from me), the cultural challenge was huge. Because I had never lived in a foreign country before (especially a developing one), I hadn’t really thought about the mental and emotional challenge of trying to set up a new life and integrate into society even if it was only for a short period of time. Of course things would have been a lot easier if I would have had the support of a middleman of sorts (the university) but they of course completely failed at their job to do so. As I’ve mentioned before the language barrier was by far the largest barrier to overcome. Despite the little Turkish I learned and the helpful Turks who do speak English, I’ve essentially lived here as a mute, illiterate person. And while that may sound funny, it is truly no laughing matter when you’re actually living it.

But I learned to embrace the daily challenges that I faced. My thinking was ok, so I’m in an uncomfortable, unknown or frustrating situation. So what?! There are so many worse situations to be in like being homeless or in jail or fearing for my life. So no, the fact that I am mad, frustrated or annoyed over something while living in a country as beautiful as intriguing as Turkey can’t really be that bad. And usually those types of thoughts help to put things in better perspective for me.

Perspective
Greater perspective is one of the bigger things I have gained here. To be able to see things from another person’s point of view is a very valuable life skill. I have sat and had conversations here and in New York with people from all over the world. And through these conversations I have gained much deeper understanding and insights into current world trends and conflicts. I have learned a lot more about politics and economics. And through these conversations I have been able to more clearly shape my own beliefs, values and principles. And in some conversations I have felt very embarrassed and extremely proud of my home country.

Freedom of Speech
The more I travel and converse with non-Americans, the more I am able to clearly separate the things I love and hate about my own country. One thing I love is the ideals that the USA was founded on, mainly freedom of speech and true democracy. The idea that I can openly criticize, question, challenge or debate any idea or any person for the purpose of creating change, advancing new ideas or seeking the truth is a tremendously sacred human right. As an American I have this right and the belief of this right is not only deeply engrained in our society, it’s written in the Constitution. And this individual right has shaped who I am and given me the opportunity to live a life that is free, truthful and happy. I had to live in a country where this right only partially exists to realize its fundamental significance to human beings. In Turkey, insulting “Turkishness” is a crime. The idea of questioning or debating someone’s ideas or positions for the purpose of developing better ideas, seeking the truth or advancing the potential of mankind does not exist here. And I believe the existence of these rights and beliefs is what pushes the US forward and the non-existence of these is what holds back Turkey and many other countries around the world.

Democracy
Watching the presidential election from another country gave me a tremendous sense of pride for the US and the importance and significance of our democracy. Although I am personally doubtful of Obama’s economic and fiscal policies, it made me so happy to read in the news that that the presidential candidate that received the majority votes was free and fairly elected and that the loosing presidential candidate called to concede defeat and offer congratulations and also that the current president in office called to offer a congratulations and to assist with the leadership transition. That this democratic election can fairly take place and power can peacefully be transferred without protests, riots, power struggles or the intervention of another country is a tremendously great thing. I love that the US sets the example for the world when it comes to democratic rule, democratic elections and peaceful transitions of power and leadership. And then I think about places like Zimbabwe and Myanmar. If you’re not familiar with at least a brief, high-level overview of the current political situations (not to mention economic) in those countries then you should be reading more world news. The more I travel the more I realize the US does not posses all the answers to the world’s problems (although some Americans would like to think so), but at least our country has created political and economic institutions that have been successful and can serve as models for other countries to study, learn from or emulate.

Being World Wise
I love traveling. It gives me the opportunity to meet new people, try new things and learn more about myself. Traveling forces me to accept uncertain situations, embrace change and adapt to my environment. These are valuable skills for me to use in my personal life as well as my career. I’m very happy with my decision to leave Seattle for a while and spend time in New York and Turkey. Despite all the logistical and financial planning, the experience has been more than worth it and had made my life very happy and fulfilling. It’s truly a satisfying feeling of accomplishment.

My adventures are not done yet though! Next mission: Greece. Tomorrow I am flying from Istanbul to Izmir and taking a bus from Izmir to the beach town of Cesme. From Cesme I’ll take a ferry to the Greek Island of Chios. I’ll be in Greece for about two weeks and so I’ll try to send out a couple dispatches from there. Then on the 28th I am flying from Athens to Helsinki (via a crazy 12hr layover in Budapest at which I will try to pack in some adventure there) and meeting up with Matt!!! We plan to battle the cold Nordic weather with hot chocolate and Finnish saunas….but more to come on that later!