[June 24, 2010, Adana, Turkey]
I wake up to the sound of the howling wind, the lightning flashes in the far distance, and a slamming door. I sit up in bed, my heart racing.
What is this?
Unexpected weather. That’s all it is. Had it been in a northern country in the middle of the winter, it would have been totally normal. I would be nicely cuddled under the covers, with the heater on, with tightly insulated doors and windows… A storm brewing outside? Not a care in the world… It is expected.
But here? In Adana, Turkey, at the end of June? Totally unexpected. And it makes me worry. Global cooling? (Hey, ‘global-warming-worry’ is now getting old. I need a new worry 
)
We have been here for only two weeks and I have been annoyed with the warm weather, the cold weather, the power cuts, the leaking water tank, the hot water, the cold water, the slow internet, the road rage. Where is the western civilization? I don’t want to feel any fluctuation in weather temperature. I don’t want to have to deal with the water temperature or the water pressure of my shower. I don’t want power cuts. Lights go out when I flip the switch—not randomly! And internet: the slow speed is killing me—okay, I can handle that, but then how do I handle the fact that I can’t access youtube?
WESTERN CIVILIZATION! Where the heck are you?
I look outside the window. The crazy wind has gone; it is eerily quiet. Lovely view outside: the lake shimmering with twinkling city lights in the distance; the moon looking old like a shriveled potato near the horizon. The usual frog chatter is missing and there is utter tranquility on our side of the lake— but now I hear drums in the distance… If I were on a safari in Africa, the sound would be expected, but here? It sounds creepy and annoying. (See? I have found something else to be annoyed with.) Are we in a tribal country? No. So what are these drum sounds? Can somebody please make them stop? It’s getting on my nerves! WESTERN CIVILIZATION! Where the heck are you???
…
[July 6, 2010, Amsterdam, Netherlands]
The Netherlands has beaten Uruguay 3-2 and now is in the World Cup final.
Sitting at home in the heart of Amsterdam, I hear the ‘western civilization’ go utterly wild outside.
I was out earlier today with my children and made every effort to get myself back home before 7 pm, because I wanted to avoid that overly enthusiastic crowd eagerly waiting to fill in various pubs and cafes to watch the match beginning at 8:30 pm. Cycling towards home before 7 pm, the streets were already busy with people clad in all sorts of orange gear—hats, wigs, glasses, stockings, etc. (you-name-it-they’ve-got-it!). The police was slowly taking their positions in strategic spots to prevent any enthusiast turning into an aggressor/aggrevator. Traffic was already turning into a mess with reckless cyclists and pedestrians… I had to keep an extra close watch on my 10 year old kid. Uhm, western civilization, where the heck are you???
And now the noise emanating from the whole city sounds like a torrential rain mixed with saxophones, drum beats, disco beat, honking cars, police sirens, car alarms going off… It is to be expected, though, right? We are in the World Cup final!!! Party, party, party, western civilization!
May I be annoyed? It is 11:15 pm and I would like to go to bed and sleep. Can somebody please stop the madness outside?
HEY, BUT THIS IS EXPECTED!!!
I guess this is the secret of western civilization. Even the madness and the craziness are planned in such a way that they are EXPECTED. Most about everything is EXPECTED. Nothing unexpected happens. (We had a water outage for one hour yesterday – the first that I have encountered in the last two years and even THAT was planned. Oh, the beauty and the predictability of western civilization…) And when something unexpected happens, it is because of dear Mother Nature. She strikes down with a hurricane or an earthquake or a volcano… How unpredictable and inconvenient… Shame on you Mother Nature, for bringing uncertainty into our lives!
While we were in Turkey, we spent time in a village up in the mountains. My dear hubby pointed out to me that the people were really poor. I had to agree and disagree with him. Yes, they LOOKED poor given the western civilization standards: shabby clothes, old shoes, no iphones, no fancy cars, old motorcycles, bad roads, no banks —not much of a cash flow anywhere… But then, I thought they were rich in a way we would never be. They ate off of their land fruits and vegetables that tasted nothing like the stuff we get here – nothing sprayed with chemicals or pesticides… They cut and ate their own sheep and chicken, who roam free–because there is no money to fence them in… They bake their own bread in old fashined stone ovens with wood from the forest—no money to buy any fancy fuel or fancy ovens… They make their own clothes… These people were self-sufficient and were able to live without the luxuries that I have become addicted to in western civilization.
Western civilization, what have you done to me? Given me the magical paper money (and lots and lots of it), so that I can spend it on stuff that will make me happy (what would I do without my laptop?), so that I can buy any and every kind of insurance to reduce the evil uncertainties that may sneek up on me…
Western civilization has given me the illusion that I have control over my life and things that happen in my life. Nothing unexpected happens anymore. I live in my fish bowl.
I go to Turkey—an aquarium —and immediately I start missing my little fish bowl. Oh, the sweet illusion…
Tags: Adana, Amsterdam, farm life, Netherlands, Turkey