DAY
12 June 19, 2001
byVeronica
This day is a free one, which we all feel we badly need. Early in the
morning there is a ritual on the beach for Beebe's mother. Beebe sings
her mother's favorite hymn, a Rumi poem is read, and a group walks out
into the water, lifts up Beebe and, holding her horizontally, rocks
and sings to her. Without being asked, the Turkish workmen on the beach
respectfully stop their work when they realize what we are doing.
Kusadasi, a huge summer resort on the Aegean coast, is a hilly town,
with narrow winding streets leading down to the harbor. A group of us
decide to go to the authentic food market, where the Turks themselves
shop, which is quite a contrast to the ubiquitous tourist markets. The
smells are wonderful. Visually the colors and displays of fruits and
vegetables are staggering. It's fun to be there. We stop after walking
up and down the crowded streets and buy peasant bread filled with various
delights: cheese, spinach, mushrooms, eggplant, etc. We sit in a shaded
area on little plastic chairs provided by two lovely women, who appear
to be mother and daughter. The young girl has the most beautiful sparkling
eyes and engaging smile. We all feel comfortable and glad to be there.
After this delicious lunch, we head back to the Hotel Barbados, to rest
and get ready for dinner. Before leaving, however, we cast our ballots
for the Goddesses. It's fun and reminds me of all the little things
I have learned about each member of the group.
Finally, we go on a short ride to Meli's summer home for dinner. We
can now actually see what is behind the stories she has told us during
our long bus rides. Yes, there are red, yellow and pink tiles and they
are indeed splendiferous. Her house has everyone oohing and aahing.
Everywhere we look there is an antique treasure, some wonderful object
I wished I had seen first. The rugs are wonderful. The feeling is Anatolian
and beautiful, much like our little Meli, compact, lovely, bursting
with history and an endless source of stories - whether real or imagined,
it doesn't matter.
Meli calls us all up to the top patio to drink our wine or lemonade
and listen to the stories of her friends, who are educated, privileged,
English-speaking women. Each one tells us the story of her life, so
we get a real picture of what it is like to be an educated Turkish woman.
All three women were married and divorced.
We stop for a truly delightful dinner. Meli gives us the extra deluxe
ten-ounce Beluga treatment. We succumb. This is by far the best food
we have experienced so far: crisp chicken, salads of every sort, delightful
veggies, sauces, every taste a new experience. All this was then topped
with a sinful chocolate fudgy dessert. Nothing beats home-cooked food,
except maybe a five-star restaurant.
After dinner, the talk goes back to politics, covering a range of topics.
Is there any hope for an end to the animosity between the Greece and
Turkey? The women speak of their personal friendships with Greeks; they
think a political agenda is the seat of the problem. What about political
prisoners? They respond that after the Kurds' leader was captured, things
changed for the better and the terrorism stopped. How have Turkish women
fared in the political arena as representatives in government? Well,
it's not so good now, but in the 1930's there were 16 women out of 200
members in Parliament. Why did it change? What is to be done? On and
on go the questions.
Ataturk's program to modernize Turkey was begun in 1925 and continued
until his death in 1938. But the reforms were forced on the agrarian
population, which could not assimilate them so quickly, with resulting
problems that persist to this day. Even so, Ataturk is still revered.
The Turkish women speak of the unabated drift from the small villages
to the big cities, which has created considerable problems. We ask about
the military campaign against the PKK in Southeastern Turkey and the
drain on government finances (46% of their tax money goes to the military).
The financial problems opened the door for the Islamic Welfare Party
to gain a huge vote. Our conversation ranges over changing corporate
culture, multi-national organizations, women's political roles, marriage,
divorce, Turkish identity, being torn between East and West. It was
stimulating and everyone participated passionately. However, no one
was able to solve the world's problems that night.