Care & Share
İrem and I discovered a common interest in dancing music and poetry, and from then on, 16 years ago in secondary school, we decided to perform on stage together every week. We would rehearse at each other’s houses several times a week and on the occasions we practised at her house, she would meet me at the traffic lights near her house. We worked on our performances in her living room, which also contained a big library. And we would we take a break from rehearsing when her mother called from the kitchen, inviting us to come and enjoy the delicious pastries she baked. Her father, Mr Çakal, was a journalist and he taught us how to read poems fluently when he arrived home from work in the evening. Her older brother had a school desk in his room and when he was out, we used to read the love letters he hid in it. Reading aloud the enamoured words he shared with his young girlfriend felt much more like real poetry than the texts we were asked to read on stage at school.
Read more...
The Sound of Istanbul
The people from Istanbul talk loudly. Until we are sure that the other person can hear us, we talk as loudly as we can. But it’s hard to be sure that you are being heard because of the noise of trams, the horns of frustrated drivers, shouting street traders, music playing from stallholders competing to play the latest albums or the drums of gypsy boys and girls busking in the streets. In Istiklal, by far Istanbuls most famous street, you can't avoid being part of this noise. Trying to talk to someone can be a difficult task as all these noises converge to become the carpet of sound that is so intrinsic to life in Istanbul – a carpet that feels warm and inviting underfoot.
Taxi!
The other night when we took a taxi home from the pub, our taxi driver told us stories about his wife that were so funny, our laughter could be heard ringing through the streets. He said that she is Kurdish and that when he gets home, she is more concerned about what he has earned than the fact that he is home safely after having driven all night.