Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Missing Istanbul

I came here to write a sad post about missing Istanbul. I'm homesick for everything I loved about it today. It's warmth, the noise, the chaos, the friendliness, the life ... maybe that's what I miss most of all, the life. Istanbul is a city full of life and the living.
But Aynur Dogan's music was playing as I wrote and it's impossible to hold onto the sadness. 'Ahmeda' is stunning, 'Ni Diyem' made me smile and I love 'Heseniko'. She's worth listening to if you can find her music.
Tarkan's 'Kiss Kiss' is another ... I defy anyone to listen to it and not smile. I introduced Gert's children to him and they loved it too.
When I'm missing Taksim, I dig out 'The Waltz of the Butterfly' ... really, it was the music that so many of the shops on Istiklal Caddesi played out onto the street and it became the music that I most associated with those days of strolling through Istanbul. Beste's mother bought me the cd on my last night there.
I miss the people ... Beste and Jason who took me home for Chechen food over in Kadikoy; Kagan and his family ... the Sweet Bayram and Ramazan feasts with them and the stories they might still laugh over when they think of this yabanci breaking things in Ankara. The kindness of Nilay, Mutlu, Evran, Lisen and Yakub, Remzi ... the stunning warmth of so many people.
And then there's the students and oddly enough, I miss them and dreamed of them yesterday, I was reapplying for a job in the first school I taught in.

Mmmmmm, so it is that today I am missing Istanbul .

6 comments:

Jay said...

It's nice though that you can have it remembered, and maybe alleviate the missing just a little.

Di Mackey said...

It was nice writing the post actually ... it started out quite sad, was deleted and redone in an improved mood :)

Mlle said...

I know this blog entry means a lot to you. Everytime I see you, you talk about Turkey at least 5 times. It's a part of you : )

And this guy in the picture is sooo cute! Did you take it?

Di Mackey said...

Of course I talk Turkey, I haven't got a cat so can't talk of cats ... ;) I guess we end up talking of the things that we love.

Yep, I took the photo ... he's the shoeshine guy up in Taksim and before I left the city, I called by and gave him all the prints I had of him. He's lovely isn't he.

L. Akal said...

I miss Istanbul too! I'm from Turkey, but born in the U.S. I only go to Turkey once every few years. Istanbul is such a wonderful place to be, I love the way you wrote about it :)

Di Mackey said...

Thank you, L Akal. :) A beautiful city it is.