The name or label of this trip was originally “Tomebamba–Bosphorus 2019“, just the name of two rivers and the year. But it was more for me than a tourist trip. The travel to Turkey or the idea to live in Middle East was the beginning something big; in my mind, bigger than myself.
Table of Contents
Why did I travel to Turkey?
Part of a big Dream
Around the year 2012, when I was writing a few sketches and drafts about a fiction book that I was imagining, I visualized a long trip. It was needed for the book so the stories didn't look like off-the-shelf narratives, but authentic one that have actual contact with the language and culture.
For this reason, I established an ambitious goal: I have to live at least 1 year in every continent. How am I going to achieve it? Stick around in this blog and subscribe to the newsletter to find out, because I'm planning to share my stories, achievements and failures, here.
There are many countries to choose from
I was looking for a country for my first destination.
- It shouldn't be too exotic for me so I became overwhelmed by culture shock.
- It shouldn't be too familiar for me so I didn't learned anything new.
I have lived most of my life in America and 11 months in Europe. I wanted to try a different continent.
Republic of Turkey
When I lived in Germany from 2008 to 2009, I felt how (some) germans had scorn towards turkish immigrants. Somehow, the sense that turkish culture had ‘inferior prestige' sticked with me.
But years afterwards, I found myself researching countries in internet, reading the almanac, asking other people about their trips, etc. Turkey popped out as a very interesting starting point because people told me that it was a modern country. But why? Should it matter to me?
The Counter-Government that changed it forever
Doing the research, I found about the origins of the modern turkish republic and its first first president: Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. After World War I (1914-1918), he formed a counter goverment and an army. They fought against many invaders in the Anatolian Peninsula during the Turkish War of Independence (1919-1923).
Atatürk reformed heavily the country. He changed the alphabet, enabled women the right to vote (among other rights), it changed the constitution, abolished the sultanate, modified the turkish language (yes, the language!) established Hagia Sophia as museum and ceased as mosque and much more. You can find a complete list of changes in this article.
Turkish uses the Latin Alphabet
Latin alphabet is used in many western countries, like in my homeland Ecuador. Since this is the only alphabet I can read and write with, it will be easier for me to learn a language that shares the same alphabet. The turkish language qualifies in this criteria.
My ex-girlfriend was in Turkey
Saeli and I applied for a scholarship in Turkey but only Saeli earned it! I would have liked to be part of the same experience (so I can travel to Turkey) but it wasn't posible.
Even though we broke up a few months before, on October 7 of 2019, I decided to travel to Turkey anyway. I wasn't sure if I was going to live in the same city, let alone be together again.
I wanted to seize the opportunity that Saeli was already there to help me with the initial push, like dealing with culture shocks or other problems that I could face.
A handful Experiences that shaped the Travel to Turkey
Food
When I was in Germany, I fell in love with the Döner Kebap. I couldn't resist it! Once, I ended up eating it 5 times in a week. My favorite!
When I was back in Ecuador, I discovered shawarmas made from immigrants from Pakistan. They tasted so well!
Was it a coincidence that I liked both foods from Middle East so much? Or perhaps there was something special that I have to learn by myself?
Culture Similarities with Turkey
Turkish TV Dramas are popular in Latin America, such as Fatmagül suçu ne?. I read once that the viewers find many commonalities with the culture of Turkey. Interesting because there are more than 10000Km in distance, language are vastly different (Spanish and Turkish) and the most practiced religion are not the same, although both are originated in Middle East (Catholicism and Islam).
Then there isn't much to think about, right? Let's travel to Turkey.
My Goal
The product of the travel to Turkey was, actually, myself. Yes, what I wanted to bring back home was me with a few changes and with:
- the knowledge of the culture of this country.
- the language of the Turkic tribes (just Turkish for the moment ^^)
The same way that I have learned to get involved among the germanic tribes back in 2008-2009 and learned their language, I wanted to repeat this experience in Middle East. It was my start in a series of journeys!
Read the Stories of my Travel to Turkey
Right about my story to the modern Republic of Turkey. I write about my experiences in the country with the language, religion, food and culture. Click in the button below:
As I write the post and stories about Turkey, links below will be become available. In order to never miss a new post, make sure to subscribe to the e-mail newsletter of voyageLlama.
Posts during October 2019
Posts during November 2019
Posts during December 2019
Posts during January 2020
Posts during February 2020
Posts during March 2020
voyageLlama's Index of Content
Click on the following link to browse likewise content in the blog in voyageLlama. This index will help you see what you are looking for in a bird's eye view:
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