Sharing Stories - A Glimpse into Another's Life - Awara (wanderer) in Turkey

miakrishna — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 18:40:56 GMT

I stood there wondering what this lady was trying to say - waving a leaf and talking in rapid Turkish. She walked up to the tree plucked the fruits and offered me one. My face must have registered a look of pleasure as I bit into it, for she quickly handed me another, showing me how to choose the ripest ones. The bus honked in a distance breaking the spell of tasty fruit and sweet silence. It was time to go and on an impulse I hugged her. I was in Turkey and this was the second time I had hugged a stranger.

An hour before this fruity encounter, I was at the Divrigi Great Mosque in the Anatolian mountain town. Outside the mosque I met a lady who had come to offer her prayers, and when two people want to communicate, language is no barrier. Pointing to the ring on my finger she asked if I was married, I nodded an affirmative. Her eyes searched for my husband. I shook my head again - I was traveling alone. I surprised myself when I reached into my purse and brought out the wedding picture. I wanted to share that with her. She pointed to her house across the street and asked me in for Çay (Turkish tea). When we said goodbye much later, she said, ‘Allah korusun’ (God Bless), and we hugged.

I left her home and then met the lady with the fruits. Two trees laden with tiny white fruit stood outside a large wooden house. Young children and purdah clad mothers had come to harvest this. The fruit looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite place where I had seen it before or what it was called. Later, when I boarded the bus, leaf and fruit in hand; my fellow traveler explained that it was the white Mulberry. So I’m guessing, by pointing at her scarf, she was telling me about the silk.

Turkey has a way of welcoming travelers - everyone likes to talk and it always begins with, ‘Where from?’ To which I learnt to say, ‘Hindi-sthan’, the Turkish name for India. One of them broke into a song, ‘awara hoon…’ from Raj Kapoor’s movie ‘Awara’ (1951). Some treated me to Turkish Delight which reminded me of its country cousin - Kozhikodan Halwa from my home state Kerala. The one bite wonder, Midye Dolma (mussels stuffed with rice) seemed like a different version of the Malabari Kadukka Nirachathu. A walk through the Spice Bazaar near Bosphorus reiterated the age old trade connections between the two regions.

In Turkey, I experienced true wanderlust, learnt the lyrics of Awara Hoo and experienced the similarities that stretched beyond borders and dated back centuries.

My Scholarship entry - A local encounter that changed my life

miakrishna — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:30:04 GMT

I landed in Kuala Lumpur at 11pm and as a single woman traveller, I knew I had to be cautious so decided to call the hotel to confirm my booking. As I fumbled with the pay phone, which had instructions written in Bahasa, a lady stepped forward and offered to help. Through signs, she guided me through my first phone call in Malaysia. When I heard the phone ring on the other end, I looked at her with grateful eyes and we smiled. Thinking back, I believe that is when I fell in love with Malaysia. Early next morning I set out to explore. As I wandered aimlessly through the streets, I saw vegetables and groceries that I had never seen before – sea weed, durian, mangosteen… an endless list of local delicacies. At the local Chinese temple hundreds of baskets were hanging above the entrance door, each with a piece of paper. Mei Xing, a girl I met there told me that these were prayers that were left hanging for a day. Enlightened I stepped out, and nearly bumped into a couple who was getting their pre wedding photo-shoot done. They truly represented Malaysia and its multi -culturalism. The groom was a Sri Lankan Tamil and the bride Chinese. He had in his hand a floral wedding garland, typical to Tamil weddings, and she had a Chinese umbrella. Their wedding pictures they told me, was going to represent both their heritage. Will it be a Chines or a Tamil wedding, I wonder. Aghast, the bride answered, “Neither!!” In the night the city takes on a new look. Street sides eating places come alive with smells that can drag even the strictest dieter towards it. Here I made more friends - a Malay lady Leena and her colleagues, who were working for the World Broadcasting Channel. She asked me if I would go on camera and speak about my Malaysian experience. To the rolling camera I said, “It is easy to feel lost in a large city like Kuala Lumpur, where the language, cuisine and the customs are so very different from mine. But it is easier to make friends.”

Singlewomenbackpacker

Sharing Stories - A Glimpse into Another's Life - Awara (wanderer) in Turkey

My Scholarship entry - A local encounter that changed my life