There are lots of Turkish flags flying around here, from flagpoles and hanging from balconies. No, I'm not commenting on them being Turkish flags - thanks for the vote of confidence - but on the number. There are more national flags on display than I am used to seeing outside of the US.
There are also a surprising number of Tweety Bird decals adhesed to store and car windows. Admittedly, the number is only about three, but it's still surprising to me. I know, American popular culture is everywhere, but why Tweety? Sure, everyone loves a bird who talks like the clergyman from The Princess Bride at 78 RPM, but how did it beat out the big names like Mickey, Snoopy, and Bugs Bunny? (Actually, there may be a broader Looney Tunes thing going on, as I saw Bugs shilling some candy-bar-like thing.)
And it just wouldn't be commentary about another country without mentioning roads and driving habits. Sadly, the drivers and roads around Ankara are fairly predictable and broad (the latter applying only to the roads). There are several places where the lane dividing lines simply disappear, but the traffic seems to flow along in 2.5 lanes without much fuss. (Confidence born of such situations may account for the relatively casual treatment of the lines when they are presents, but it's nothing to make the heart race.)
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Symbols of Turkey
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1 comment:
1. I wonder if there are always so many flags flying around Turkey or if it is because you happened to fly in around the time of a fairly serious political crisis in Turkey.
2. Drive around Houston a few years and you stop noticing the ubiquity of U.S. flags... but you are right, outside the U.S. there doesn't seem to be as much flag reverence (although I would argue that national pride is expressed in other ways.)
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