So much has happened. So much changed. Born and bred Istanbulite, living by choice amongst olive trees in the Turkish North Aegean but now I am a resident of Greece, more specifically, living in Thessaloniki.
What happened? What changed? I am a proud Istanbulite, believing in my heritage, feeling blessed to have been born in this part of the world, belonging so much to my roots, fascinated with everything this geography is providing us with.
Now relocated to Thessaloniki, what initiated this move?
First, I have declared myself a dinosaur because now I reached a certain age that one finds herself to be where exactly one understands the differences in generations. I am so deeply dissatisfied with working with youngsters who really have no passion for anything. Really. They don’t want to be working for anything they yearn for. They stare at their smartphones, get mesmerized by what they witness there, yet never do anything about these lives they yearn so much about. They are dreamers but they don’t realize to reach those dreams you have to put up an effort. Most of the time reaching your goals needs very hard work, determination, and stamina. Along with these you must have ethic, respect, and morality both for yourself and others around you.
That’s where I’ve declared myself a dinosaur. Because these are my generations principles. This new age doesn’t seem to have any principles anyway. Big dreams but no reaching out, no realisation.
Okay, fine. It is not up to me to change this new generation and I don’t want to change myself to be able to fit with them. I am happy with who I am, what I have accomplished so far and will do from now on things I’ll do by myself. Neither in a team, nor leading a team. No more hospitality business, no more service sector. That means I need to focus on things I can do individually. Like writing. Like recipe developing.
Which is more than welcome, I should say. The older I get, not that I am old in any way, but speaking figuratively, I find out I tire more easily; standing on my feet for 12-14 hours days are almost impossible for me now. I am 56 and had almost 30 years of standing all day long behind a stove and working the line, leading a kitchen, and managing a restaurant and being responsible for everything and everyone in it. I had enough. Enough of customers, enough of staff, enough of the constant stress.
Why did I start this line of work anyway? Desperately passionately needing to cook. Ok. Now I can cook. Just cook. Not be a chef. Just a cook.
Oh, the relief of it.
Returning to the passion itself which drove me to this line of work.
Thank God the passion is still there. Burning.
So back to why I left my country which I passionately loved. Also left my beloved olive groves, not going to be able to grow old amongst them. It is such a heart break.
Why?
Our current political system in Turkey does not let me be as an individual. I am not allowed even to sympathise with anyone who is not thinking the same way they do. I am not protected by law and legislation. The justice system is not working. At least not for me or for the likes of me. If you are siding with the current regime then you are fine, if not, I am sorry for you.
Turkey has never been a real democracy. We and the world complained of the power the army held. But look now what happened? The very ones who have promised us and the world that this will change, and Turkey will lean towards democracy, human rights and a better economy are exactly the ones who have built a dictatorship for themselves.
The governing bodies don’t have respect for anything, they just want to make money, more and more of it. They love the power, and they don’t care what happens to this beautiful ancient land. It is the land where wheat, olive trees and grapes originated. Wheat, olive oil and wine started in this geography. So many civilizations, so much history.
But now, and for the past 20 years, no one cares. No policies for agriculture, no protection of land, no reform in education, no allowance of the individual rights, no justice.
Isn’t it the idea you select a governing body to legislate in your name and further the means to a better future? I don’t feel as if I have a future. They are ripping off my olive trees and passing plans for development.
When I say my olive trees, I don’t mean literally my trees but the olive groves of the Northern Aegean. When I say ripping off, yes literally so. The olive tree and its juice the olive oil is not just some agricultural product but a way of living in these parts. It is the livelihood of almost 70 percent of the area’s population.
The president passed a decree for allowing land development in said certain areas. At the same time he annulled the foundation {Vakiflar} for olives. This is a centuries old establishment that works like this: people donate their olive groves to this foundation by their own will, so this foundation can rent that land to willing third parties who cultivate the land, harvest the olives either for cured olives or olive oil, and then the rent is paid by a certain agreed amount of olive oil to the foundation which in turn sells that olive oil and distributes grants for thousands of underprivileged students.
The government is now liquidating the foundation’s assets which are primarily olive groves and selling those lands to its partisans to develop building projects.
I wouldn’t call this a coincidence, would you? It is a very calculated and very cruel manoeuvre. It is ripping our land of its heritage. They are not realizing the more they allow to build on our olive groves they are destroying and destructing our future.
So, what will happen now?
Why would I want to live in this country? Just because I love it and was born to it?
Does my country take care of me as its citizen? No.
By means of justice? By human rights? As an individual? As a society? No.
I am heartbroken.
I have left my homeland.
One day, I hope, things might take a turn for the better and I will return to it and age gracefully amongst my beloved olive trees.
If there will be any left.
I hope you get to return too. I feel similar about Canada. It used to be an ok country, but now we are being squeezed into poverty by inflation, dooming the next generation. The major of the country are sheeple, claiming willful ignorance Behar l because it could be worse....
We could all stand a global reset.
İcler acisi.. Sizin kadar emek vermemiş olsam da, 31 yaşımda İngiltere’de yasamayi secmis biri olarak, ve buraya gelip de yemegini suyunu yadirgayip, boyle guzel bir cografyayi birakmak zorunda kalmanin verdigi hayal kirikligini paylasiyorum sizinle. Şimdi, korkarim bir mucizeye ihtiyac var. Dilerim orada da huzurlu bir hayatiniz olur, sevgiler.