"Where are you from?" the woman next to me on the tram asked hesitantly. It is a seemingly innocent enough question. However, it is one that foreigners living in, as well as visiting, Turkey are asked several times a day.
At first, we welcome the chance to try our hand at practicing our budding Turkish language skills. It does not take long, though, to discover that there are many reasons this particular question is posed. After a short time living here, we learn to size up the inquirer in a couple seconds following the question. Does this person look like another tout trying to lure us into their nearby shop in an attempt to sell us items that we really do not need, or want, for vastly inflated prices? Is this a student, earnestly hoping for a chance to test their own new language skills in a foreign tongue? Do we seem lost or confused, and this is actually a Good Samaritan, ready to come to our rescue? Could this person be simply offering friendship, with no strings attached?
In the tourist areas of Istanbul, the question generally elicits no response from me. It did not take too long before I felt comfortable ignoring what, at first, seemed to be polite questioning. Most of us, who have lived here for any time at all, recognize this as just another tactic aimed at starting a conversation, all in the hopes of making a sale. If someone stops and answers the initial question, then pressure is applied to come in and have a cup of tea and chat. This, inevitably, leads to an unwanted sales pitches. A few of the sales people who have used this line to try and tempt me into spending cash in their stores, though, have become friends over time.
There are the occasions, however, when this simple inquiry is the chance to make a new acquaintance. As it turned out, the woman sitting next to me on my recent commute on the tram is a teacher of traditional Turkish arts. I was interested to learn more about her and her work, but unfortunately for me, by the time we began talking, the tram was almost to my stop. Reluctantly, I exited the tramcar, but not before we had exchanged contact information and promised to get in touch at a later, more convenient time for us both.
Name and address supplied.
