WESTERN TURKEY: BALIKESIR
I spent more than one year living in Balıkesir, a city in the western Turkey (176 km from Istanbul). From the very beginning I felt a special Turkish Islamic spirit in the air, which could not be confused with any other European country I had been to. Do you wonder why? Well, it is not easy to explain… One of the reasons might have been the ezan (call to prayer, five times a day), which always reminded me of how deeply religious Turkish people are. Another reason may have been the people and the way they reacted to me: I got quite a lot of attention as I was a blonde girl with green eyes and fair skin, which was something pretty exotic to them. Despite the fact that I found Balıkesir different from European cities, I also felt it was not radically affected by the religion. For example, only around 50% of women were wearing headscarves, which made me not look like an alien (I never had even a remote idea of wearing a headscarf). What is more, the mentality of people living in the western part of Turkey is more European-like: for example, women there are not seen as only home caretakers: they are becoming more and more independent, have a sense of self-worth, take decent jobs and therefore make a living.
EASTERN TURKEY: VAN
I had a chance to spend at least one year in the eastern part of Turkey, specifically, Van. It is well-known for its lake, the largest one in Turkey (altitude – 1,640 m) and for its spectacular nature. So in what way did I find Van different from Balıkesir? Firstly, I noticed that religion played even a more important part in the East than in the West: around 90% of women in Van were wearing headscarves and I could see many more men than women in the streets. In fact, when I was working in a language academy, all my colleagues were men! That says a lot about their culture and the mentality of people as well as how women are seen there. While in the western part they are becoming more and more autonomous, in the eastern part the majority of women stays at home and does all the chores: cleaning a house, cooking, looking after kids, etc. Secondly, I felt I had even less freedom in Van than in Balikesir. What kind of freedom am I talking about? The freedom of choosing my outfit, the freedom of singing on a bus; basically, the freedom of expressing myself the way I wanted to. Therefore, you can probably imagine that the eastern part of Turkey was not an ideal home for me.
On the other hand, as I have already mentioned, Van is worth visiting for its impressive nature, historical monuments (e.g. Van Castle, Holy Cross Church) and its unique spirit.
All in all, both the eastern and the western parts of Turkey have their charm and I am thankful to life to have had an opportunity to get to know them!
P.s. take a look at the photo of a wonderful Akdamar Island in Van!
Have you been to any of these cities? Did you have similar experiences? I would love you read your comments!