In Turkey, there is a thing. A thing that tourists may not notice at first. It wasn't something that caught my attention immediately. On the contrary, I found it quite relaxing. It is only now, after working here for three months, that I start to notice frustration. Everything is slow.
Nothing is rushed. Perhaps with the exception of building construction. But, for example, Tas, Umit Hoca and his friend Ali and I drove to Konya to see the Mevlana festival celebrating the famous poet Rumi. We stopped at three different places to clean our car windows. Each time took 15 minutes. I have no idea why windows are so crucial. There is 100% visibility yet there is an unstoppable urge to clean the windows- which of course, in total, adds a good hour to any trip. It is the same when you take a bus. Around 1 or 2am, if you are on a bus in Turkey, and there are many overnight buses, there is a thirty minute break for them to bathe the outside of the bus. The bus isn't really the issue. It is a microcosmic example of the larger trend of inefficiency. Things get done when they get done. There are timetables, but they are more of a suggestion. It's not that nothing runs, it is just inefficiently run. Everywhere you go, you must stop for tea. There is little communication and expected times of completion or arrival are fairy tale guesstimates. Meh. It is, I suppose, an American per-disposition to expect highly efficient processes- to become dependent on timetables and schedules and things running on time. Maybe this is some powerful life lesson: that the American way may be great for business and success but life isn't meant to be rushed. The little moments are meant to be enjoyed slowly. Life is luscious. And ironically, the slow lusciousness of life has slipped into mine- this blog took me an hour and a half...stopping, starting, resting, thinking, talking. Everything is slow.
Nothing is rushed. Perhaps with the exception of building construction. But, for example, Tas, Umit Hoca and his friend Ali and I drove to Konya to see the Mevlana festival celebrating the famous poet Rumi. We stopped at three different places to clean our car windows. Each time took 15 minutes. I have no idea why windows are so crucial. There is 100% visibility yet there is an unstoppable urge to clean the windows- which of course, in total, adds a good hour to any trip. It is the same when you take a bus. Around 1 or 2am, if you are on a bus in Turkey, and there are many overnight buses, there is a thirty minute break for them to bathe the outside of the bus. The bus isn't really the issue. It is a microcosmic example of the larger trend of inefficiency. Things get done when they get done. There are timetables, but they are more of a suggestion. It's not that nothing runs, it is just inefficiently run. Everywhere you go, you must stop for tea. There is little communication and expected times of completion or arrival are fairy tale guesstimates. Meh. It is, I suppose, an American per-disposition to expect highly efficient processes- to become dependent on timetables and schedules and things running on time. Maybe this is some powerful life lesson: that the American way may be great for business and success but life isn't meant to be rushed. The little moments are meant to be enjoyed slowly. Life is luscious. And ironically, the slow lusciousness of life has slipped into mine- this blog took me an hour and a half...stopping, starting, resting, thinking, talking. Everything is slow.
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