A Worldy Education in the Strangest of Places
You’d think I was in Los Angeles with all of the people dressed in fashionable black, but the hundreds of people coming at me all with pale skin and dark hair – no blondes or anorexic actresses in sight – tells me otherwise. When I am not trying to speak to Turkish people in Italian (by accident), sometimes I try French since believe it or not, their language has French origins. If you don’t believe that, then tell me why they play Celine Dion here – yeah, I thought so, there is no other reason except camaraderie to explain that one.
Today I went to the shopping mall, but not just any one. Cevahir is the largest shopping mall in Europe and second largest in the world , losing out to Beijing’s Golden Resource’s Shopping Mall. It’s definitely the biggest one I’ve ever seen, and the dizzying amount of shops you can cram on six floors of glass and marble would make anyone head to Starbucks for a breather and an espresso. Shopping is non-stop with a few name brands, some American, a supermarket, at least thirty shoe stores, cosmetics counters, drugstores, home furnishings, and the bottom floor seemingly dedicated to all things manly: electronics and applicances. You might ask what’s the use in going to a shopping mall when I shouldn’t be buying more things I can’t carry with me or buying clothes I could buy elsewhere in Europe. The answer: education. You can learn a lot from a shopping mall (as much as a supermarket – more on that later). Some key words and phrases: indirim (sale), yarim kilo (half kilo), çikolata (chocolate), gomlek (sweater), and yulaf (oatmeal). I also learned the phrase for a Starbucks Tall Caramel Macchiato…uh…Tall Caramel Macchiato. Starbucks drink names, muesli, and waffle don’t seem to translate into Turkish. Elsewhere I learned kahve (coffee) from McDonald’s and portakal (orange), vişne (cherry), and şeker (sugar) from the supermarket. If you haven’t already figured it out, I don’t even own a language book, or after two weeks remember how to say thank you.
On my walk to the super shopping mall, I saw a man who reminded me of my childhood days when I desperately wanted a nose job. He was cursed with a honker I couldn’t even describe, save the fact that at first, it looked like those fake ones you attach to your nose as a joke…but as I got closer I realized it was his. It was a brief flashback, but enough to remind me that fixations fade and eventually you either love or grow into what you have. Anyone from Notre Dame, feel free to scan the Freshman yearbook picture and send it to me to post.
Tags: Education, Istanbul, Languages, Turkey, Tag Index
cristi.farrell