It was her first visit to this country, and it looked as if İstanbul had brought out the big artillery to welcome her: It was one of those perfect summer evenings that this city is so good at producing. Food was plentiful and delicious. On one side, we had a view of the Bosporus Bridge with its ever-changing colors. In the distance, we could see the lights of the old city twinkling in the twilight. After nightfall, we enjoyed the fireworks, an almost daily performance in the summer.Like most newcomers, my dinner companion found Turkey delightful and interesting. Coming from across the Atlantic, she admitted having had concerns about traveling alone to a Muslim country, but these vanished when she arrived. The people she met were friendly, and if anything, the personnel at her five-star hotel were almost too helpful.
She asked a few questions, wanting to learn more about the country. That evening, I envied her the sense of excitement that comes with discovering an entirely new place. I wanted to see Turkey through her eyes.
After two decades in a country that has become home, one cannot expect to retain the same wide-eyed enthusiasm as in the first few days when everything was new. Maintaining that open mind is perhaps even harder for journalists, who follow the news closely. This inevitably entails aspects of a country that do not make it into the tourist brochures. What we gain in experience and knowledge over time, we lose in freshness and perhaps in curiosity. Keeping these alive and avoiding becoming jaded becomes harder.
It's also difficult to escape from politics in Turkey. The country constantly appears to be moving from one major development or crisis to the next. The latest headlines are inevitably discussed around the dinner table with friends, and much as one would like to enjoy the moment, the relentless news assault always seems to interfere. Or perhaps I just have the wrong friends. Almost any subject will eventually lead back to the issue of the moment.
The tab in the restaurant will lead to comments on the outrageous cost of the wine and on taxes so punitive that they seem designed to discourage the consumption of alcohol. A chat about the European Union accession process inevitably leads to rightful complaints about European prejudices, but these are often accompanied by accusations against “the others,” which seem to suggest that misconceptions and mistrust are just as predominant within the country's borders as they are outside. When the prime minister announces that Parliament will not go into recess before it has passed several EU-related laws, it's hard not to wonder why the government waited until mid-June to decide that these laws became necessary.
For all the jaded feeling that comes with having heard the same political statements and the same promises for many years, Turkey remains for me a fascinating country. When I have doubts, I look at the young generation. Teenage Turks are so different from the adolescents I met when I first arrived: more relaxed, confident enough to express their individual preferences through their dress style -- which for girls can mean with or without headscarves -- more colorful and, above all, more open to the world. It is through its youth that this country's progress in recent years can really be measured, even if decision makers mostly choose to ignore their point of view.
İstanbul, certainly, is as irresistible today as when I first arrived, perhaps precisely because it is in sync with the youth and evolving constantly. Still, there are times when I would love to have enough distance to be able to leave the political baggage behind and rediscover Turkey anew, just like a tourist.
