Politics, Politics

Turkey held their national election last week. The Ak Party was the winner. This was the party previously in power. I don't know much about it, other than they are a much more religiously conservative party. The election was a really big deal and for weeks I was handed brochures and listened to campaign speeches mixed with Turkish folk music blaring over loudspeaker. Kizilay, the area of the city where my class is, was covered with policeman, and I have gotten very use to being up close and personal with many guns each day. I told Tim the other day I was going to start counting how many guns I saw in a day. And I don't mean the guns you see on police officers or mall security guys. We're talking the big guns.

I was very proud of myself for being able to ask my taxi driver in Turkish which party had won the election. This particular taxi driver is one of my favorites. He is an older gentleman with kind eyes. He was impressed I could say some stuff in Turkish. Because I like him, I'll forgive him for taking a "shortcut" on our way to Kizilay. His shortcut cost me an extra 10 minutes and 4 lira. I really do believe, though, he was trying to save me some time.

The next day, however, my taxi driver (who I didn't know and was a more stoic type) was saying something to me in Turkish I couldn't quite understand. I got in and said my normal, "Gunayden. Kizilay. Ziya Gokalp Caddesi, lutfen," which means, "Good Morning. Kizilay. Ziya Gokalp Street, please." Instead of being on our way, he was trying to tell me that some roads were closed and acted as if I couldn't go to that street. I didn't understand and just indicated with my hand we should proceed. Well, we got there fine (I knew we would because I knew the road we needed to take wasn't closed) and I thought he just had misinformation. So, a bit later, my class starts. About 5 minutes into the class, I hear many loud male voices, chanting and yelling. It was a bit scary, I admit. Our teacher, though, doesn't seem to be alarmed. She stopped class so we can look out of the window to the street far below our classroom. Thousands upon thousands of people (98% men) were marching, chanting, singing, and carrying Turkish flags and pictures of another political party's leader. Come to find out, this leader and some of his assistants were killed in a helicopter crash last week before the election. This was especially important because he was apprarently slated to be the next Ataturk. He was, I think, a bit more progressive and less religiously conservative then the current president. It seems like a very tragic thing to lose someone who could have been a great leader for Turkey. The people marching were honoring this fallen hero of their's. It was surreal to see such a huge sea of people below our window. They just kept coming and coming.

On an American political note, Obama is coming to Turkey next week. A lot of people here in Ankara are bugged because he's changed his plans around and messed up their spring breaks. Many people had already bought their plane tickets, when they found out that he was coming and that the goverment employees would need to stay for his visit. So, many people changed or canceled their tickets. Now, he is no longer doing a "Meet and Greet" here in Ankara, but doing it in Istanbul, instead. Personally, I think this is not very smart because there are way more Americans goverment workers, not to mention the ambassador, plus the dept. of defense people here in Ankara. There is only a consulate in Istanbul. Strange decision.

Well, I'm off to a rehearsal for a musical. More writing to come!