People watching in Turkey

People watching is something I really enjoyed doing while living in Turkey.

Sipping Efes Pilsen Beer in Istanbul and Ankara
Oftentimes on a summer weekend I would go into the busiest district of Istanbul or Ankara and sit at an outdoor café nursing an Efes Pilsen beer and watch the people walk by. It’s amazing what you can learn about a culture by doing this. I found the Turkish people to be very family oriented and committed to their children. They appear to be strict disciplinarians but very loving when it comes to family members. Older people are very well respected and treated like royalty. I saw very little graffiti on public buildings and shop owners did not appear to worry about staying open late. Although Turkey has taken on many of the “western ways” such as “Burger King” and “McDonalds” and loud music, it is still an ancient way of life that respects tradition and love of the flag.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
They very much adore Mustafa Kemal with a passion and embrace the parliamentary form of democracy. Mustafa Kemal, also known as Ataturk, founded the Republic of Turkey in 1923, was an army officer, revolutionary statesman and served as Turkey’s first President. Ataturk’s political, economic and cultural reforms, referred to as Kemalism, still influence the way the Turkish democratic state is run today.

I love the country and will return at every opportunity.