While reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, one image that came to my mind was of Turkey. Reading the Outliers really took me back to when I was just a little girl growing up in Izmir, Turkey. I moved there when I was just 6 months old and stayed till I was six years old. Although the memory is blurred I remember more than I could ever image. I have also visited a few times over the summer once i got older. The houses look almost identical. Although it has changed in construction (to fix up the towns), the culture and the social structure hasn't changed a bit...
We had a summer home and on top of that we had an apartment, in the city of Izmir, as our original home. In the same apartment complex, actually right across from where I lived, lived my grandparents. It was almost as if we lived all together. They weren't miles or days away, they were just a few footsteps away. Everyone in town was so friendly. Everyone greeted everyone. If someone saw you sitting on your front porch they would say hey and have short conversations and you just automatically, without even thinking about it, invite them over to join you. If you were going to the store you would inform your neighbors and ask them if they need anything. In the evenings you have people over for tea. You would talk to you neighbors from porch to porch. This was just the way the social structure was, it was a part of our culture, everyone influenced each other. It really was magical. As a little girl I have never felt alone until we moved back to America. I always just assumed that everywhere would be the same way because I have never seen nor learned it differently. I learned that I was wrong and that things change due to our surroundings...
Hey Suzy,
ReplyDeleteI really like the experience you shared about living in Turkey! It's really interesting to see how different societies interact with each other throughout the world. It must have been sad for you, as a little kid, to assume that every society interacted the same, which is probably what made you feel so alone. In America, the society is really individualistic and less group based/group friendly. Maybe with your newfound sociological awareness, however, you can try to get the same familiar feeling of "group" by discovering who is important in your own society, your life. :)
Dani
Not many people can relate to living in a place like Roseto and I think it is so amazing that you got to experience that. It must be really different to know first hand what we are actually learning about in class, that your life is truly shaped by the environment you live in.
ReplyDeleteThats really neat how you could connect to the story, it's like you lived in Roseto itself! Thats amazing that you have an experience when you were 6 and still remember it! It's also really cool that you experienced a place like Roseto and then moved to America and had an experience that showed how your surrounds effect the way you live.
ReplyDeleteVery cool example! Thanks. The challenge for us is knowing this, how do we create this here in our lives - especially since most people in the U.S. don't realize this.
ReplyDelete