I should be writing a paper right now, but as has become my habit here I am procrastinating. It's only two pages. I can do that in no time... Now, on to my main topic: spring.
I've never really understood how wonderful seasons are until now. That seems really strange, but it's true. Winter honestly doesn't exist in Texas. Spring is 1-2 weeks before the six-month summer and is only renowned for horrible allergies. Fall is just wet. Here, however, spring is a time when class attendance drops, tulips bloom, people go for long walks along the water or lay in the grass smoking, playing tavla and talking about how they should be going to class. It's a beautiful thing.
A stray dog sleeping in his doghouse in Bebek
I myself became caught up in this springtime celebration today, and have the sunburn to prove it. Yes, it's barely April and I have a sunburn. I know, I'm pale. It happens. After class I dropped off my books, grabbed my ipod and went for a stroll down in Bebek. Well, I started out in Bebek, ended up almost in Ortaköy which is a pretty long ways away. Bebek is a really rich area of town so people watching is very interesting there. There were lots of young moms taking their children out to the playgrounds, old women taking their afternoon walk in jogging clothes, and young businessmen walking along the water in designer suits.
This is where I digress for a moment. Some of the conversations I overheard made me think about language for a little while and the way that bilingual sectors of society communicate. One of my professors jokes about Boğaziçi Turkish, in which students at Boğaziçi Üniversitesi randomly insert English words into Turkish sentences. Sometimes these English words are shortened, which makes slightly less sense. For instance, "facebook" can become "face" in Boğaziçi Turkish. This should not be confused with Boğaziçi English, in which you do not "throw a party" or "have a party." You "make a party." To these two, I would like to add Bebek English, in which Turkish words are randomly inserted into English sentences. For instance, I overheard someone say "çünkü it's just going to get stolen again." When I was closer to Ortaköy, a businessman answered his iPhone "Efendim? Yes, how can I help you?.... Ne? They did what? Hayır. No. No that's not good." I give these examples not as a criticism of anyone's grasp of a language. I think of no less of anyone for wanting to make a party. I just find the mixture of languages interesting. If the person you're talking to speaks both languages, I suppose it does make sense to switch back and forth.
tavla = backgammon
çünkü = because
efendim = sort of like sir, but used to answer phones as well
ne = what
hayır = no
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