Wild Turkey

I ended up in the middle of the Ankara protests yesterday without trying.
I watched the news, but it's only in Turkish and it didn't show Ankara, only Istanbul and Izmir (I escaped the protests in Istanbul and Izmir, without trying). I asked at the hotel before going out for the day if there were protests, they said no, only in Istanbul. I went to the Archaological museum and the Citadel in a quiet part of town with.normal shopping and Saturday activities until about 4pm, then went to the subway to go see the last major monument, the big Kocatepe Camil mosque in Kizilay, which is south of where I was staying in Ulus, one of the largest mosques in Turkey and the symbol of Ankara. There were crowds in the subway, but it was Saturday, and the station agent sold me a ticket like normal. I got down to the platform and the train going North was crowded, with passengers crowding that side of the platform. When that train arrived, the air filled with a funny smell and everyone started coughing and covering their faces.
When my southbound train arrived, police appeared and told me in Turkish not to board, and to exit the station. I went up with everyone who was required to alight the train. The station agent didn't have any information about trains not letting people on and wouldn't give me my money back (I'm so damn cheap! It's not healthy). I didn't try longer than 30 seconds, it was clearly time to leave, and get fresh air.
I walked a couple of blocks South into Kizilay and found myself in the middle of the protest, which was thrilling. I took some video that's better than what's on the tv news here. I saw the hoses and teargas cans being launched from far away and up on an overpass. It just got shitty when the teargas blew in with the wind. It made me cough and made my eyes sting for a little bit, but nothing serious. I had a hospital mask and my mosque headscarf around my face. No harmful or long term effects. Other people had swollen red eyes and needed lemon juice. The crowd had an ebb and flow of movement of people and a varying of intensity of chanting, yelling and clapping. Some people had firework flares, some people had ski or swimming goggles and bicycle helmets.

Not many Turks in Ankara speak English. One guy in the street said "hey mister, I mean lady, where are you from?" Turks are basically white (not Asian, not Indian) but they can tell I'm whiter, Western European, or Swedish they guess. That guy thought the riots are good, the gov is too conservative, it's just a waste of money when they break glass bus stops, burn garbage and benches in the street, throw litter, break the windows of a bank, break windows on an abandonned police car... My response was that's the value of an urban planning charette, listening to what the people want/need, consensus. Plus what all that police manpower, tear gas, riot vehicles, trash clean up, ambulances and ER care all cost. That's the value of the Democratic process. That's what I learned in Turkey.

The coffee guy at the Istanbul bus depot had OK English. He said about the same thing. If people no like, they protest, no problem. Government is too conservative. You are city planner in America, you get consensus, that's good.

In the Istanbul bus depot, safe and sound, surrounded by old Bulgarian traveling men. On my way to Bulgaria to meet my German TAMU MUP friend Sonja, husband and todler. I have lots of old friends and babies to visit on this part of the trip. Every other shop in Turkey sells wedding dresses. White, gold, seafoam, salmon... lots of tuille, miringue, sequins, feathers, ribbons, glitter, beadazles, tacky stuff. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something: "dress like a fairy swan sparkle princess more often Karen!" and spend more time with kids, like my friend Jana's little boy. Jana calls me Auntie Karen :)