Thirsty Flower

She looked at the green leaves of the flower she had been given about half an hour ago. It all had happened so quickly. Before even saying okay or no, that old woman had already left this flower to her. She couldn’t do anything for a while, looking after the old woman. Then she turned her head to the flower in her hands, thinking what the hell had happened in minutes. She went back in her mind, minutes ago...she was sitting on the bank, looking at the blue sky and the shining sun above. She didn’t know if she was happy or not then. Something quaint was disturbing inside. She ascribed it to her exam. Maybe she would fail, as she always hated physics. Then she looked around to watch the hurried people from a corner to another , to catch the ship or the bus. In this boiling heat of the summer, all these seemed so tiresome and silly to her. Then she saw an old woman with grey hair and very pale skin. She was coming to her. When she was in front of her, she stood for a while, looking at her deeply . She gave the flower to her lap, saying : ‘keep it well...it is valuable for me...’ All she said was these eight words... Then she was gone through the people.... Who was she? What was this flower? Why was it so valuable to her? And why was it ‘she’ to keep this valuable flower? Was this a joke? Instead of getting answers to all these infernal questions , she drowned into them. When she got rid of her stupid-looking, she thought to throw the flower away. Who would care of a strange flower which was brought by a stranger, telling to keep it well, because it was important for HER!!! What an absurdity!!! She stood up, leaving it on the bank and walked away.... but just before going even not two meters, she fell down... Her two palms were bleeding. She looked at the ground to see if there was any stone or other shit that had made her fall... But the ground was perfectly clean. She looked once more at her palms, which were holding the flower a second ago. She realised something, that she had to take it with her. So did she. After some couples of minutes, she thought that all these were illogical. Who would believe that she was punished, because she didn’t mind an old strange woman’s request? She went to a quiet place and threw the flower down on the ground. As the flowerpot fell into pieces and the flower was strewn around, her thoughts and anger about it went away. She turned the corner, taking a deep breath. But she had forgotten to look around to check if there was any car coming. A huge Land Rover crashed her wildly and flew her to the wall there. After hitting the wall, she finally fell down on the ground, getting the last stroke... she died with this three steps... the last thing she recognized before gliding up through the sky was the piece of the flowerpot and near it was a branch of the flower... She exhaled the breath she had taken in while turning that infernal corner, her last breath on the earth, when the roots of the flower started to suck her fresh and tasty blood, what it had fancied from the beginning ...

the Black Sea

The Turks, the genteel nation whose name has been on the pages of the history for more than three thousand years….and Turkey(also called Anatolia), the precious land that Turks have ruled for about a thousand year.
Since, the Turks, we, and Turkey, our home, have a very long and old history, our culture is also extensive and noble. Settling in the middle of Asia and Europe, Turkey gathers every kind of cultures. While traveling from north to south or west to east, you can clearly recognize the differences… differences of life styles, livelihoods, foods, clothes and even sometimes the materials used for buildings. For example, in the Blacksea side, houses are wooden, but when you go to the East, you’ll see stone and clay ones. However, none of these ways are completely diverse from the general qualifications of the Turks. Various ways and styles but all reaching same points.
All the time of our history, we have been known for our hospitality and friendliness. We have been also known as good cooks. With delicious tastes addressing to every gusto, Turkish cuisine is already in a high position on the list of world’s cuisines. Almost every city has got a special meal or original ways of cooking. As I said, Turkey’s like a puzzle, you can draw lines between cities and their cultures, but they’re nothing alone, since they’re needed for completing the whole.
Like the styles of foods showing differences depending on place by place, our taste of music is also changeable. We have lots of kind of traditional music. As Turkey has seven regions, the Marmara, the Blacksea, the Mediterranean, the Aegean, the Middle Anatolia, the East Anatolia and the South-East Anatolia, we can count seven main kinds of music.
Starting with the Blacksea, we hear the sound of ‘tulum’ ( a special instrument of the Blacksea) and ‘kemençe’ (another special one, also called kemancha in English). On the whole, the Blacksea music is fast-rhythmed, that’s why people start to dance the ‘horon’ ( a folk dance of the Blacksea coastal region) While dancing, they wear some special funny costumes. For men, black trousers, a black waistcoat, black high-topped boots, a white shirt and a black cap. For women, colorful costumes with ‘peştemal’s. (cloth wrapped about the waist, usually colored in claret red, white and navy blue) Also they use some gold coins as a necklace. The lyrics of the region music are generally about love between two people, a lover suffering from his darling’s reluctance torturing him, or another one extolling his darling, a girl complaining about her casanova boy. And so on… Nonetheless, sometimes words don’t suffice for the human feelings, then only the rhythms of ‘tulum’ and ‘kemençe’ echoes among the high and steep mountains of the Blacksea. This time is when you feel the murky and melancholy air of it....
The people in the Blacksea part, whose livelihoods are, ninety per cent, from the sea, cook traditional meals with sea-products, specially with anchovy(tiny fishes, called ‘hamsi’ in Turkish). Bread, pilaf (rice cooked), or deserts with anchovy….They also use genuine Blacksea butter and cheese for meals.

As for something about history, like aforementioned qualifications of Turkey own, the Blacksea’s history is also old, too, as well as any other regions. You can easily see the original and unspoiled culture, as people here are still aware of its value. They still wear traditionally, talk traditionally, cook traditionally, and live traditionally. If you go to the Blacksea side, you’ll be gracefully welcomed, since they were told by their fathers that ‘a guest is a gift from God’. And again as a traditional common thing, but this time it’s out of date, the women generally don’t work, they don’t have any jobs like a doctor, teacher, nurse..or something… Because the most majority of them are not educated at university. Today it looks very silly. So by day by, they are changing their minds and fathers let their girls go to university now. Since we need to keep in step with time, even we face to change our old customs. However, that doesn’t mean that women sit in the house all the day, on the contrary, the Blacksea women are known as hardworking and proficient. They work in the yields of tea, corn or collard…
And …lastly… the traditional Blacksea festivals. They’re celebrated in summer on mountain pastures. Thousands of people from every part of Turkey come to join these festivals. Most of people wear ‘horon’ costumes, as they dance it. It’s really funny to see thousands dancing the ‘horon’ in a very very long line on the green endless land of mountain pastures. The sound of ‘kemençe’ and ‘tulum’ is heard only, and you let yourself go with the rhythm, starting to take steps regularly and shake your shoulders. The festivals generally last for a month.
All these lines were some basic information about the culture of the Blacksea to give you an impression. Needless to say, you should go see and breathe the air there. Why Blacksea? Because it’s my village, my region. But I would also be pleased, as well, to tell you about any other valuable region of my country another time, if you will…. :)

Another year has flown away..To me, it meant both sadness and happiness. As it was life own, was a part of my life...2009,when I met my 18th birth year, in which I developed from being a child into an adult and came of age.(at least, that’s what science and laws say)

Now, these days, we have just embraced the year ‘2010’. I can see new shinny hopes in people’s eyes. For ages, people always desire fabulous things for new years. As we , humans, never incline to be satisfied with what we have. It’s good to have some purposes ... But it’s really bad when we all get blind , surrounded by them ... Without even living the beauties of today and enjoying it all, we drown in the hurry of life, for our tomorrows !!! No...that’s not for me... I like living my day with every kind of things and different feelings -as I think, working stupidly just for tomorrow makes life monochrome, with no piece of human feelings, and also monotone- but when the day finishes, I like putting my head on my pillow, thinking about no worry of tomorrow... I know, unfortunately, we all have some problems, all kinds of things for tomorrow, nagging us even days and days before... But generally , I do try to control my thoughts in case they run after tomorrow, leaving me all alone with the rest of the day and a stupid, empty brain :)

According to the things I have babbled up to now, I have no serious plan for the new year. I prefer instant arrangements ... So ,in that way, I can find an opportunity to make someone a surprise or receive unexpected things. However, I’m not a one who has no aim from life or who thinks, without knowing how many years left, working and trying to built something is silly. On the contrary, I do have some expectations... And of course, I have a ‘to do’ list :) For my nearest future, 2010, passing my prep. School, I want to start my own department and be very good at software engineering. Maybe in the summer, I can go abroad to practise my English and also to work. Generally , these two are the ones I hope to happen this year. Simply, I like my life and enjoy it. I like every people I have in my life... For them, I also wish happiness, no doubt that seeing them happy will make me happy, too ...

It seems, I’m gonna live my life as usual, and especially after 2009, it’ll get better and better (for some reasons:))

So...my last words ...With every taste of real life, Welcome 2010 !!! :)