On Saturday night we headed down to the Marina to meet with Cansu - one of the Turkish English teachers we work with. We had a table on the grass just feet away from the water's edge and skyline of bright lights. I was thinking can I afford this place? Will I have to wash all the dishes in lieu of payment?
So, amidst all the crowded tables we sat down to a lesson in Turkish culture. The main purpose to these quasi-double date we were on was to finally enjoy Raki - the infamous Turkish drink that is similar to Sambuca.
Cansu proudly began to explain the symbolism and meaning behind the elements of Turkish culture.
I was debating with Jayson the other week about tradition and religion in Turkey. I was trying to explain to Jay (with no avail) that tradition and religion (and elsewhere) are distinguishable concepts. He maintained that they were not distinguishable - until our experience on Saturday night.
Cansu might just be the perfect example how of tradition and religion are two separate yet early fascinating entities. Cansu identifies as Agnostic and has her own sentiments of feminism. She is quick to explain that she rejects the patriarchal tendencies of her country - which has also been explained to me by other Turkish women and men.
As we sat at the restaurant and were audience to a Turkish engagement party, Cansu explained the traditions of her country and answered all of our accompanying questions. Her and her friend "JJ" were amazing hosts; they poured us glasses of Raki cheers-ing each time, served us the delicious food pairings and with enthusiasm tried to expand our Turkish vocabulary. The both of them were more excited to showcase the traditions of their culture than anything else.
The lesson in Turkish culture was educating and enlightening. It also made me a little envious of the uniting force that tradition can be. As I looked around the tables I saw that some were friends and some were family. There were Turks the same age as us sitting with their parents on a Saturday night, drinking Raki and singing along to the centuries old traditional Turkish songs progressively louder and louder as the Raki started to flow. Men and women were dancing around the tables with excitement - although these songs are not on the top forty. A few competitions between tables even broke out.
To sit and watch people come together on a night just like any other by the unifying force of tradition - and tradition alone just left me in complete awe.
