Wednesday, March 16th, 2004

Yesterday after work, I drove with Ebru, Hasan and Mustafa (Bir) up the nearby mountain to a place named Sözlük. We had a marvelous late afternoon view of İskenderun, which you can see here:



It was an interesting place. The contrast was huge: shanty villages next to opulent summer getaways. Apparently rich people in the area have two summer house: one by the sea, for when they want a swim, and the other up in the mountains, so they can stay cool.

Hasan really wanted us to go to a very run down little village. We arrived and maneuvered our way through the tiny streets, lined with old men sitting near the doors of their houses, and plenty of old ladies with baggy pants and headscarves (something you don’t see in İskenderun). Finally we turned up at a crumbling foundation that was mostly a pile of rubble.

“This is my mother’s old house,” Hasan proudly stated. She had lived here a long time ago. Hasan actually grew up in the area, but in a different (and hopefully much nicer) house. It was very interesting to see this teacher, who is fairly comfortable by Turkish standards, standing in the surrounds of his no doubt poverty stricken childhood. What a change to go through. His family must be very proud of him.

It was a fun time, and also very profound. I feel like I understand a bit more about Hasan now.