Tuesday, July 2, 2013

By Carolina

Hey everyone, Carolina here reporting from Istanbul on a rainy monday morning   :)

For the past three weeks Melissa and I have been working at Mazlumder, a human rights organization that aims to protect the rights of oppressed and underrepresented people in Turkey and the world. I had done a little bit of research on the organization prior to our arrival and found out they were a
"right wing, islamist organization", unsure of what this actually meant I was looking forward to learning about issues happening within Turkey, Syria, Middle Eastern women and of course Taksim square. We were welcomed by Abdurrahman, our internship director who is a PhD student and is very knowledgeable of everything regarding Turkey:  politics, social issues, international relations, you name it, he knows.  From our initial conversation with him, we learned a lot about Turkey and got excited for the upcoming weeks. Ahmed is the office manager, he speaks zero english but talks to us all day anyways, not sure what all he says, we like him because he keeps bringing us tea. My conversations with Ahmed consist of about 5 words, were we go back and forth asking each other how we are doing, and he repeats my name over and over again. I am incredibly thankful that Melissa is my internship buddy because her turkish is wonderful and she makes our interactions a bit more meaningful.  So, about the conservative, islamic side of the internship... Men and women are treated and regarded very differently here. We eat separate from the men during lunch and there is definitely a separation in the way we are treated compared to the men. This has been interesting to observe and be a part of, never in my life had I eaten at a separate table or room because I was a woman.There are 2 other women working in the same building, they both cover their hair with a scarf and Emile, wears all black, but not like a burka. She is my favorite at the office, her english is limited but she makes a huge effort to talk to me about islam, women in islam, and mazlumder. We have exchanged music, movies, and a couple of articles, she also gave me a book about prophet Mohammed's life and said it would better help me understand the muslim woman. My understanding of turkish muslim women is a work in progress, is hard to put aside my own views and beliefs and understand the devotion that these women have...still processing lots of information and emotions. I feel very thankful that I've had many women openly talk to me and teach me about their beliefs and ways of life, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have these conversations and challenge the many stereotypes held by americans. I'm looking forward to going home and sharing all these stories.  Today I was told that Mazlumder does not accept LGBT, this however does not mean that they discriminate or approve of discrimination towards this groups, they just don't accept it because is not part of their religion...similarities pop up with discourse in islam and christianity , interesting dialogue about this subject.

Our first couple weeks did not go as expected. Its a new program and for many of our internships the first time they've hosted americans interns, this translated into the first couple days being spent drinking gallons of cay (chai) along with a lot of sitting around and very basic turkish lessons with the staff. I think is hard for the organizations to accommodate us because we lack a very important skill needed to accomplish work in Turkey, turkish. Abdurrahman has been very sweet about us being here but he's made it clear that we are very limited in what we can do because we don't speak the language, makes sense... wish we would have taken at least an introductory language course before coming.  It wasn't until our second week that we finally received a project along with 3 other interns who are here from New York. We were to collect as many articles as we could find from international media regarding the Taksim protest, then make a comprehensive media analysis of each media source to kind of get a general understanding of the perspective each source took on the protests (either in support of the protesters or the prime minister etc.) it was interesting to read through all of the articles ,  I learned a lot and feel like a got a deeper more thorough understanding of the complexity behind the protests through this project. Taksim protests are far more than just about saving some trees, its a reflection of the divide in the demographic of the population, a struggle between those who aim to preserve Attaturk's legacy of a secular government and the strong and large conservative half that is currently in power. Its a fight against what some consider an 'intruding' government who is getting involved in peoples lives far too much, is a struggle to maintain things the same and a general fear that the islamic world may take a toll on turkey and affect the lives of many. Its an exciting time to be in Turkey and I have enjoyed listening to the many perspectives and opinions that people have regarding the government and the future of Turkey.

This is going to be a long post, as Im writing Im realizing how much has happened over the past 3 weeks so heres a 'quick' recap!

We live in professor temporary housing that Dr. Ozturk has very kindly provided for us. Its a really simple, hotel style room with 3 beds and a bathroom, everyone at the hotel is extremely nice and accommodating even though they speak very little english, they have been the greatest! We are conveniently located just a short walk to the center of the old city where the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi and the hippodrome are. Sultanahmet is a beautiful part of the city and we have many many restaurants and shops really close by, also everyone there does speaks english because we are in the middle of the tourist hub so getting directions and getting questions answered has become an easy task. The only bad things about where we are staying is that is really really hot at night and we have to open our windows which then leads to it being loud because is very loud outside, hot, loud nights get to you after a couple weeks. We are also far removed from the "real" Istanbul. Fatih, the area where we live and work is the most conservative municipality in Istanbul, there is something really beautiful and at the same time intimidating about this. At first, I was surprised as to how muslim Istanbul was, it the opposite of what I had expected taking into consideration that it is one of the largest cosmopolitan cities in the world. However, the second you step out of Fatih into places like Besektas, Ortakoy, Karakoy, Taksim and everywhere else the panorama changes and you see the "western" side of Istanbul. The dynamic of people here is very interesting, I enjoy seeing groups of friends in parks and walking with girls who have their heads covered, and others who dont, women wearing scarves and smoking but not drinking and just doing normal life just like we do in the US. Its amazing how similar we are and how we get stuck in this physical differences that prevent us from really seeing people for who they are. Earlier in the program we went to Istanbul Commerce University and spent some time with 2 female students. They spoke very little english but were so so sweet, they took us to see a museum and gave us a brief tour of the university. Although we had a language barrier, we clicked right away and made plans to have a picnic later... plans still on the workings :)

This past weekend I can say that I finally made up for lost time!!! We got out of Sultanahmet and explored the rest of Istanbul. A city of almost 15 million cannot be understood by just one neighborhoods so Ive spent my days walking and walking, trying all form of transportations, looking for the "hip" and upcoming neighborhoods, seeing islands, daily life commuting, trying foods and seeing the ancient palaces and museums that tell the stories of this region that has some of the oldest history known in history! Is an incredible feeling every time I'm walking by the blue mosque, the Bosphorus and the Hagia Sophia that everything I see is older than the country I live in, and that there has been a series of civilizations and empires that date back to before Christ.  I think of the millions of people who have been here for thousands and thousands of years and how this place is only getting more and more massive and more complex as time passes. It makes me think of evolution and preservation of the past, while adapting to the future, how we all struggle with this same issues but in different cultural contexts. Istanbul is a city of great contrasts that somehow blend together and create something so special and so unique. Is really amazing to be here, and Im so thankful for all that I have learned, all the people I've come across, and all the memories i've made . Turkey has opened its heart to me and I can say that Turkish hospitality is one of the welcoming ones Ive ever experienced! Looking forward to our last week in the internship and in Istanbul but sad that time has passed by so fast, as always just when you are starting to fall in love with a place, its almost time to go home.

Serefe to lasting friendships and great memories!

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