Just like Jasmine & Aladdin... a whole new world

"I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your heart decide?

I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride"

Sorry I had to find those lyrics. Wait a second! I'm in Turkey if anyone can get a magic carpet ride it's gonna be me! Sorry Jasmine, you're out. Just because you can belly dance doesn't mean you have anything on me. Have you seen my running man....oh baby.

Well if we were to compare cities in an Ikea setting, Toronto would be a nice office display with everything strategically placed and Istanbul would parallel the kid's ball room at high noon. Every kid for themselves… Sane, Insane.

This place is amazing and grows on me every day I am here. The cobble stone streets and copious cafes really make the city very charming. Don't get me wrong, its crowded, hot and city like but once you veer off the main strip you can find just about anything. Aladdin??? For example, just last weekend I discovered there was an amazing 3 level bar/disco directly across the 4 meter alley from my work. Hello party. Luckily my associate was kind enough to introduce me to 'Owl' last Saturday night. I think Danielle and I were walking home on Saturday when the sun was coming up... and the streets were still full. Now that’s a serious difference right there.

Most people in the area I live in are quite modern. The women are dressed to the nines and people are quite liberal. On occasion I'll catch one or two women fully clad in their burqua's but that’s the exception. We also get serenaded by the lovely daily Muslim prayers. I sometimes wonder what they're saying. The mosques are truly beautiful and the architecture makes you marvel.

Oh I've also noticed the amount of stray cats around the city. Nobody owns them but everyone leaves food randomly out for them. It leads me to believe there is a sense of community and caring one might not detect right away. It’s something deeper than we have at home. I think people here depend on other people where as at home it’s every (wo)man for themselves.

Well that’s it for now… it’s 7:45pm on a Friday. I’ve got a date with Aladdin in 15!

Counter Culture

Culture for me is defined normally in each particular region of the world by shared patterns of living on a day to day basis. I believe many cultural attributes are based on socially constructed norms derived from historical ideas and attached values combined with a mix of contemporary ways of thinking. The communication era has definitely diluted culture for better of for worse and has left us as Canadians with a conglomerate of different ways to live.

Ultimately, my culture can be partially defined as 'counter culture', in the most innocent sense of course. =) I don't like to follow the crowds. I am individualistic. I look to nature, art and spirituality to guide my life and values. I have also realized there is a major divide between what Canadian society deems important and what I place value on. That epiphany has change my goals and in doing so has enriched my life, relationships and experiences (this being one of them). My culture can be described as contributing to society and taking the time to appreciate the people and animals in my life. I will always try and choose the morally responsible path.

I am constantly trying to break free from a culture that places importance on wealth over happiness, culture over nature, men over women, and work over play.