by Linda Rogers
kuku: female genitals
lokum: turkish delight, gelatin candy
mavi: blue, a well-used word in a country defined by blue sky and
bright seas
Merhaba: good day, a greeting
mezze: small plates of appetizers that precede a meal
Mevlevi Sema: Sufi dervish ceremony, banned under the secular
regime but recently rehabilitated as a tourist attraction
minerale su: mineral water
orospu: prostitute
Ölüdeniz: dead sea lagoon area near Fetiye
pasajı: covered market
piliç: chicken or “chick” when referring to young women
portakal suyu: orange juice, su meaning “water.”
Qur’an: Muslim holy book, the Koran.
rakı: anise liquor. In Turkey, there has been tolerance toward alcohol consumption, but that is changing.
Sarayı: a palace
saz: a stringed instrument
simit: doughnut or bagel shaped bread with seeds, sold by street
vendors, some of whom carry trays with dozens on their heads
sofrası: buffet restaurant
Sultanahmet: historic district of Istanbul where Topkapı Palace,
the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque are situated
sumak: an acidic spice
teşekkur: thanks
tünel: underground rail car in Beyo lu, which takes passengers
from the waterfront to the top of the hill
tuvalet kağıdı: toilet paper
yabancı: foreigner
Yok!: Get lost!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to those who are showing compassion and welcoming refugees from the horror in the Middle East, the hundreds of thousands who kept on caring about Iman al-Obeidi and the sanctity of life, even after she, like the Arab Spring, broke under pressure, and thanks to Sarp Keskiner, Vefa Karatay, Tugrul Aray, Berk Sirman and Cagdas Dinc, musicians and Ottoman philosophers, the Department of External Affairs, Sweet Papa Lowdown, Jeff Shucard, Doug Rhodes and Kris Bowerman, The Pink Harem, Naomi and Hannah Shucard and Françoise Levesque, Sinan and Selda Sakizli and Baykus Studio, Eva and Jack, who shared one Turkish journey, John Trigg, Balkan specialist with British Intelligence, Halkan Akdere, who blessed my shoulders and guided me down the mountain, Musa Dagdeviren, chef and owner of Ciya Sofrası and keeper of Turkish tradition, and Mandoturk, aka Rick van Krugel, who flies on a magic carpet when he is playing music and always lands on the right notes.
And with gratitude to Exile Editions: Barry and Michael Callaghan, Gabriela Campos, and Nina Callaghan, for their transformations.
Linda Rogers of Victoria, B.C. is a broadcaster, teacher, journalist, poet, novelist and songwriter. For fiction and poetry she has received 10 writing awards. Her journalistic work ranges from reviews, interviews and critical essays about literary, musical, dance and visual artists. She has edited several anthologies, and her work has been translated worldwide. She has served as President of the League of Canadian Poets and the B.C. Federation of Writers and was Canada’s Peoples’ Poet in 2000.