This last week has been equal parts busy, educational, and fun, which is why I am only now getting around to telling you about it.
Late last Tuesday night I sent a very apologetic resignation note to my employers at internship #1 before beginning my training at internship #2 (Helsinki) on Thursday and Friday. In just two days I learned a ridiculous amount about what it means to be a refugee seeking asylum, both in Turkey and abroad. I'll share details with you as I continue to learn more about this diverse group of people and the challenges they face, but for now it suffices to say that being a refugee in this country is a grim prospect, but for nearly all of the people seeking asylum it is a much safer prospect than returning to their countries of origin.
Before and after my internship training on Thursday, I had the chance to unintentionally (and then later intentionally) march in the International Women's Day proceedings. First of all, why in the world do we not celebrate this holiday in the U.S.? Ok, sure, I know it was started by a bunch of Socialists (historically America's favorite political party) in the Soviet bloc, but haven't we gotten past all of that by now? It seems odd, or maybe entirely fitting, that a country which celebrates both Mother's Day and National Secretaries Day (now renamed the more PC "Administrative Professionals' Day") does not carve out a day for other women, for all women. You know, fellas, not all of us are mothers and secretaries anymore!
But, I digress. As I was saying, it was refreshing to see so many women-veiled women, unveiled women, Marxist feminists, Conservatives, queer women, straight women, single women, women with their partners, women wearing all pink, women wearing all black, locals, foreigners, WOMEN!-out in the streets of Istanbul en masse. It's not that you don't see women in Turkey. In a cosmopolitan city like Istanbul, they inevitably occupy a fair amount of space. Nevertheless, the amount of power and public space they occupy in comparison to men is noticeably smaller. Certain places are just not available to women. Barber shops (I think this is like the equivalent of the golf course in America, or else...the barber shops in America), traditional tea houses, the swanky sections of the hamams (Turkish bathhouses), and most of the public spaces in more conservative areas like Turkey's southeastern region seem to be absolutely devoid of all women.
Well, on March 8th, a day that I will never again let pass without critically thinking about and being thankful for my wonderful gender (more than I already am), women were undoubtedly making their voices heard and faces seen in Istanbul. Plenty of men joined in as well, whether as ardent supporters of women's rights or curious passersby, but their presence was not needed to legitimize the importance of the day. In Istanbul, Women's Day spanned not just 1, but 3 whole days of marches and protests. Men's Day will now resume for the remaining 362 days of this year. Just kidding?
Because I want to wrap this post up sooner than later, I'll leave you with a few short words of cooking wisdom. This is what you should NOT do with dried chickpeas: soak them in water, leave them unrefrigerated, and forget about them for 3-4 days. Because I do not trust my seed-sprouting skills, I think I'll be sticking to canned chickpeas from now on.
Late last Tuesday night I sent a very apologetic resignation note to my employers at internship #1 before beginning my training at internship #2 (Helsinki) on Thursday and Friday. In just two days I learned a ridiculous amount about what it means to be a refugee seeking asylum, both in Turkey and abroad. I'll share details with you as I continue to learn more about this diverse group of people and the challenges they face, but for now it suffices to say that being a refugee in this country is a grim prospect, but for nearly all of the people seeking asylum it is a much safer prospect than returning to their countries of origin.
Before and after my internship training on Thursday, I had the chance to unintentionally (and then later intentionally) march in the International Women's Day proceedings. First of all, why in the world do we not celebrate this holiday in the U.S.? Ok, sure, I know it was started by a bunch of Socialists (historically America's favorite political party) in the Soviet bloc, but haven't we gotten past all of that by now? It seems odd, or maybe entirely fitting, that a country which celebrates both Mother's Day and National Secretaries Day (now renamed the more PC "Administrative Professionals' Day") does not carve out a day for other women, for all women. You know, fellas, not all of us are mothers and secretaries anymore!
But, I digress. As I was saying, it was refreshing to see so many women-veiled women, unveiled women, Marxist feminists, Conservatives, queer women, straight women, single women, women with their partners, women wearing all pink, women wearing all black, locals, foreigners, WOMEN!-out in the streets of Istanbul en masse. It's not that you don't see women in Turkey. In a cosmopolitan city like Istanbul, they inevitably occupy a fair amount of space. Nevertheless, the amount of power and public space they occupy in comparison to men is noticeably smaller. Certain places are just not available to women. Barber shops (I think this is like the equivalent of the golf course in America, or else...the barber shops in America), traditional tea houses, the swanky sections of the hamams (Turkish bathhouses), and most of the public spaces in more conservative areas like Turkey's southeastern region seem to be absolutely devoid of all women.
Women marching on Istiklal Caddesi |
In Kadıköy, the weekend after March 8th, women march to protest gender-based murders in Turkey |