Generation of ’natural ambassadors’ grows
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Sedat Kirt
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 29, 2008 00:00
The increasing number of marriages between Turks and foreigners in recent years has created a generation that could be a "bridge" between Turkey and other countries. Children born in the early 90’s are now young boys and girls. And in Turkey’s near future, the "mixed" generation will be in different positions, jobs, or businesses, even at the high levels of the state.
Awareness of our "mixed" population adds richness to Turkey’s international relations and helps build sincere friendships and excite the society living in the coastal areas where most of the Turkish-foreign families live together.
If sociologists worked on the mixed generations of Turkey, they would notice how different and mixed a population we have; Turkish-British, Turkish-German, Turkish-Scandinavian, Turkish-Russian/Ukrainian, Turkish-Dutch ... Such research could also exhibit how this young generation feel themselves about carrying two nationalities, how they are treated by other young people, in which ways they can be helpful for Turkey and their other nations relations.
Life not easy
A letter from a British "bride," who married a Turkish man nearly 25 years ago but divorced later, explains how this interesting generation grow, how they feel, how their future will be and how they can contribute to the mutual relations of both nations. As a mother of three mixed-blood children, she thinks that life is not as easy for mixed-nationality children. Although there are many difficult situations with relationships in society, she thinks her children are very good ambassadors and defenders of Turkey abroad...
"The experiences that I have had with my own three Turkish/foreign children have been developed over the last 20 years or so, as all three of the children have moved between the UK and Turkey. For example, all three have spent time living in both Turkey and the UK and attending schools in both countries. However the majority of their lives have been spent in Turkey and as they were all born in Turkey, they primarily consider themselves to be Turkish first and English second.
The most interesting aspect of their 'mixed' upbringing would be their pride in being Turkish first - they have all been very dedicated and proud to be Turkish and have worked hard to ensure that their friends and teachers in the UK know about their Turkish backgrounds and about Turkey. Broadly speaking, their English friends and teachers have been welcoming, understanding and interested in their Turkishness! A lot of them have been to Turkey and are interested in learning odd words, looking at photos and maps and are genuinely interested and find it fascinating. Unfortunately this has not worked so well in the opposite direction - when returning to Turkey from the UK all the children have been careful not to promote their Englishness to their Turkish friends and teachers! Regrettably, it seems that Turkish children and teachers are not so welcoming, understanding or interested in the children's Englishness! In fact, within Turkey there is a clear prejudice against foreign children - so our children have been compelled to 'hide' their English connection.
’Sometimes upsetting’
Actually educating my children in Turkey has been quite upsetting sometimes. I remember Zeynep forbidding me to show my face at the lise she was attending in Antalya as they were so against 'foreigners' and she felt that it would weaken her status as a 'normal' Turkish student. I often wonder if this comes from the education itself; the wars, how the Turkish drove the 'foreigners' out from Turkish soil, etc. which goes all through the Turkish education system; it might also be something to do (especially in Marmaris) with the foreigners coming over, taking jobs that a Turk could do; also jealousy may play a part -Turkish people seem to think that children of mixed parents somehow have more money than a Turkish-only family Ğ of course this is all very sad. Solution: of course there will always be an element of this kind of attitude - it is the same here in the UK with some people! But now look what Zeynep has just done for Turkey; she insisted on having her wedding with her American boy friend in Marmaris and very proudly played ambassador to 15 Americans taking them all around Istanbul and the Marmaris area over 21 days explaining all the history and geography, apart from all the money that was spent into the Turkish economy, plus my family group came over from UK, all 10 of us. All went away back to their own country with a super insight and understanding into the country they knew so little about, all vowing to return. They themselves will now explain to their own friends that the Turkish people have a fantastic culture, history and country that must be visited and explored and so the chain goes on and on. These children make very good 'natural' ambassadors, but the way of thinking needs to be changed on the part of the Turks towards foreigners and the best place for this to begin is in the schools.
I'm always promoting Turkey here in the UK at any chance I get and I'm the biggest defender if something is said out of place.
You might well know about the influx of Polish people into the UK as workers - just like the Turks went to Germany many years ago. The English education system now has translators, public documents written in Polish, special English lessons for students/children studying in England where their first language is not English, etc. thus enabling the Polish to integrate better and be accepted into English society whilst still being able to keep their Polish identity with pride. These examples could be used in the Turkish education system.
As far as religion is concerned, these mixed marriages create an environment where the children grow up between Muslim and Christianity, thus having an understanding of both and experiencing both sets of customs, again a good ambassador.
At home these children are watching Turkish and foreign TV channels from a very early age, they are traveling on airplanes across the skies between their parents' countries, seeing a million and one different things, experiencing different cultures, foods etc. The list goes on and you can see the comparison, so as these children develop into adults you can see how they can become automatic ambassadors and defenders of Turkey if they are nurtured in the correct way, instead of being treated like an outcast due to them having a foreign parent. It needs to be understood that it is not the child's fault that they are brought up differently but due to a natural blending of the two cultures at home.
Also the word 'melez' is read as 'half-cast' - in other words, 'only half Turkish;' in other words, 'second-class citizen;' in other words, 'not complete,' or 'not real Turkish blood' therefore 'inferior.' I never refer to my children as Melez. This has been my experience anyway."
If sociologists worked on the mixed generations of Turkey, they would notice how different and mixed a population we have; Turkish-British, Turkish-German, Turkish-Scandinavian, Turkish-Russian/Ukrainian, Turkish-Dutch ... Such research could also exhibit how this young generation feel themselves about carrying two nationalities, how they are treated by other young people, in which ways they can be helpful for Turkey and their other nations relations.
Life not easy
A letter from a British "bride," who married a Turkish man nearly 25 years ago but divorced later, explains how this interesting generation grow, how they feel, how their future will be and how they can contribute to the mutual relations of both nations. As a mother of three mixed-blood children, she thinks that life is not as easy for mixed-nationality children. Although there are many difficult situations with relationships in society, she thinks her children are very good ambassadors and defenders of Turkey abroad...
"The experiences that I have had with my own three Turkish/foreign children have been developed over the last 20 years or so, as all three of the children have moved between the UK and Turkey. For example, all three have spent time living in both Turkey and the UK and attending schools in both countries. However the majority of their lives have been spent in Turkey and as they were all born in Turkey, they primarily consider themselves to be Turkish first and English second.
The most interesting aspect of their 'mixed' upbringing would be their pride in being Turkish first - they have all been very dedicated and proud to be Turkish and have worked hard to ensure that their friends and teachers in the UK know about their Turkish backgrounds and about Turkey. Broadly speaking, their English friends and teachers have been welcoming, understanding and interested in their Turkishness! A lot of them have been to Turkey and are interested in learning odd words, looking at photos and maps and are genuinely interested and find it fascinating. Unfortunately this has not worked so well in the opposite direction - when returning to Turkey from the UK all the children have been careful not to promote their Englishness to their Turkish friends and teachers! Regrettably, it seems that Turkish children and teachers are not so welcoming, understanding or interested in the children's Englishness! In fact, within Turkey there is a clear prejudice against foreign children - so our children have been compelled to 'hide' their English connection.
’Sometimes upsetting’
Actually educating my children in Turkey has been quite upsetting sometimes. I remember Zeynep forbidding me to show my face at the lise she was attending in Antalya as they were so against 'foreigners' and she felt that it would weaken her status as a 'normal' Turkish student. I often wonder if this comes from the education itself; the wars, how the Turkish drove the 'foreigners' out from Turkish soil, etc. which goes all through the Turkish education system; it might also be something to do (especially in Marmaris) with the foreigners coming over, taking jobs that a Turk could do; also jealousy may play a part -Turkish people seem to think that children of mixed parents somehow have more money than a Turkish-only family Ğ of course this is all very sad. Solution: of course there will always be an element of this kind of attitude - it is the same here in the UK with some people! But now look what Zeynep has just done for Turkey; she insisted on having her wedding with her American boy friend in Marmaris and very proudly played ambassador to 15 Americans taking them all around Istanbul and the Marmaris area over 21 days explaining all the history and geography, apart from all the money that was spent into the Turkish economy, plus my family group came over from UK, all 10 of us. All went away back to their own country with a super insight and understanding into the country they knew so little about, all vowing to return. They themselves will now explain to their own friends that the Turkish people have a fantastic culture, history and country that must be visited and explored and so the chain goes on and on. These children make very good 'natural' ambassadors, but the way of thinking needs to be changed on the part of the Turks towards foreigners and the best place for this to begin is in the schools.
I'm always promoting Turkey here in the UK at any chance I get and I'm the biggest defender if something is said out of place.
You might well know about the influx of Polish people into the UK as workers - just like the Turks went to Germany many years ago. The English education system now has translators, public documents written in Polish, special English lessons for students/children studying in England where their first language is not English, etc. thus enabling the Polish to integrate better and be accepted into English society whilst still being able to keep their Polish identity with pride. These examples could be used in the Turkish education system.
As far as religion is concerned, these mixed marriages create an environment where the children grow up between Muslim and Christianity, thus having an understanding of both and experiencing both sets of customs, again a good ambassador.
At home these children are watching Turkish and foreign TV channels from a very early age, they are traveling on airplanes across the skies between their parents' countries, seeing a million and one different things, experiencing different cultures, foods etc. The list goes on and you can see the comparison, so as these children develop into adults you can see how they can become automatic ambassadors and defenders of Turkey if they are nurtured in the correct way, instead of being treated like an outcast due to them having a foreign parent. It needs to be understood that it is not the child's fault that they are brought up differently but due to a natural blending of the two cultures at home.
Also the word 'melez' is read as 'half-cast' - in other words, 'only half Turkish;' in other words, 'second-class citizen;' in other words, 'not complete,' or 'not real Turkish blood' therefore 'inferior.' I never refer to my children as Melez. This has been my experience anyway."