Teaching abroad give me new eyes. That in itself is a gift. During this Ramazan season, I try to stay attentive to what is really meant by ideas we use. The word 'familiar' nests inside it the word 'family'. The modern sense, "those connected by blood", from the 1600s, according to The Online Etymology Dictionary, superseded a simpler 'members of a household'. So here is where I start.
Living in Türkiye I see the strong sense of community and the love shared with friends and strangers. In the best standard of Southern American life, my Turkish family retains its character while giving me a warm place at the table, and making its family a bit bigger for my benefit. I remember the kind faces and smiles from the family at Mantı Keyfi, my co-workers and students. People I met only once gesture to me at malls for fellowship, friends from the old neighborhood invite me to dinner like I was family, people who used to take pictures of me because I was 'so different' want me to meet their mothers, fathers, children, and light up when I remember them. How like family is this family here -- some are so sweet, some are strange, some are less-than-friendly, some only want to see me happy -- how much they remind me of my own family. That gestalt image is not strange at all! How familiar it is to me.
In this photo is the 'taksi' stop near KültürPark, near Zafer in Downtown Konya. I would love to see and hear about places that are near to you, a place you see everyday but can overlook with the haste of your schedule. Tell me what is new to your eyes, what is familiar, and what part of it makes you new again. Moreover, what part lies outside of your vision that you would love to see and talk about to others?
