Cypriot Wedding

After the pre-wedding ceremony, I got the chance to go to a wedding, interestingly, not the one for the same person :) I was told that the wedding was semi-Cypriot as there were some differences between the usual ones and the one that I got to attend. Apparently, Cypriot weddings are celebrated in an open air saloon and without serving dinner. We were sitting inside, mostly because of the high number of Turkish participants, and for the very same reason food was served, but I was told that everything else is as Cypriot as it gets.

We got there a bit earlier than most guests, because I was the driver and I can never be late, other wise we would have followed the tradition of being late that everyone else followed. When we arrived in the place that the wedding ceremony was held (a nice and small saloon between Lefkoşa, the capital city, and the main airport, Ercan), the tables were already set, and on all of them there were meze, appetizers that are served with alcoholic drinks in Turkey and Northen Cyprus, and different options of drinks. This was the point where I realized the reason I was chosen as the designated driver for the two hour drive back to the residences!, everyone wanted to drink as it was the start of the traditions. 

After some drinking, the bride and the groom joined the event, they circled around the stage for multiple times for good luck and then went to every single table and thanked the guests for showing up and the participants wished them a happy life together :) There was a very creative method of gathering the money that guests wanted to give the bride and groom as gifts which I really liked. Back in my country people put the gifts in envelopes and gift raps with their names on it which makes it really difficult for a person who does not have a good financial situation, because they have to keep face, but in here there was girl walking behind the bride and groom and people would add their gifts to the basket she was carrying, anonymously. Closer family members would personally hand over the gifts however. 

After talking with the gusts twice, the bride and groom went to their special seats, there was a toast for them and then were invited to the dance floor by the band. After a couple of songs, others joined them in the center and that was the program till dinner time (which was the non-Cypriot part!) Same continued after dinner, which was again a surprise for me, cause back home dinner is the sign that the weddings over.

We left the place at 12.30 mostly because we had to, otherwise I am sure we would have stayed there for a longer time...

Kıbrıs Gecesi / Cyprus Night

Like many other cultures in the world, the night before the wedding holds its own traditional ceremonies. Hollywood has changed Northern Cyprus in the same way that it has changed the cultural elements in many other parts of the world. These days, bachelor parties, specially for the men, can be seen similar to the Western countries in the new generations, such as going to strip clubs. However, the traditional version of these parties can still be seen widely in the country. The ceremonies include, damat tıraşı (shaving the groom), gelin kınası ve seremonisi (bridal henna and ceremony), yüz görümlüğü (money paid to see the women's face) and halk dansları gösterileri (traditional dance performances). The Turkish influence can be easily seen in these performances, but definitly the Cypriot touch exists in them. Brief description of these traditions are as follows;

damat tıraşı: This can be considered the Cypriot version of bachelor party, the grooms friends gather around and have him shaved and prepare him for the big day.

gelin kınası ve seremonisi: This part is for the bride (gelin) and the women accompanying her, which include family members and friends. Putting henna on the bride is actually a very common practice in most of the Middle Eastern cultures, as it used to be a traditional version of makeup and believed to bring good luck. 

yüz görümlüğü: After both bride and groom are ready, it is not that easy for the groom to get to see her :) He has to pay up! This again is a very common part of the ceremony in the region, mostly the groom and his close family, sometimes brides family in a few cultures as well, give the bride some money and gifts so that she would unveil. (This was the best video I could find online for it)

halk dansları gösterileri: Like many of the Cypriot programs, dancing is a big part of the ceremony. Different groups of boys and girls come to the center and dance the traditional dances. An example of which is attached bellow. 

Finally, there is delicious Cypriot food, which is a whole different story and I will talk about a few of the items soon. But for now, let's just get ready for the wedding ceremony. :D

Northern Cyprus Presidential Elections

Even though Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey and therefore, no other nation recognizes the country, and as a result their elections, still there was a great enthusiasm in the election time on the northern part of the island. 7 candidates campaigned in the elections; The four major candidates in the first round of the elections were, incumbent President of Northern Cyprus, independent candidate, Derviş Eroğlu who was supported by the National Unity Party and the Democratic Party, Speaker of the TRNC Parliament, Sibel Siber, candidate of the Republican Turkish Party, Independent Mustafa Akıncı who had the support of the Communal Democracy Party and the United Cyprus Party, and finally Independent Kudret Özersay. Out of the 7 candidates 3 of them Mustafa Onurer from Cyprus Socialist Party and two independent candidates Arif Salih Kırdağ and Mustafa Ulaş, did not make the news like the others and ended up getting around 1% of the votes altogether in the first round of the elections.

In the first round of the presidential elections in Northern Cyprus, which can be identified as the most important political event of 2015, on 19th of April, Derviş Eroğlu and Mustafa Akıncı made it to the second round having gained 28.15% and 26.94% respectively. Sibel Siber and Kudret Özersay with 22.53 and 21.25 % of the votes, did well but were not successful enough to make it to the second round. After the defeat of their candidate, Sibel Siber, Republican Turkish Party, which holds the majority in congress, announced their shock from the results and Prime Minister Yorgancıoğlu stated he would determine the leader of the party and he would not run as a candidate, they also supported Akıncı for the next round of the elections. Kudret Özersay, however, said he would support neither of the candidates. In the first round Akıncı gained 3 out of the five districts in Northern Cyprus, namely;  Lefkoşa , Girne  and Güzelyurt and Eroğlu won it in two: Gazimağusa  and İskele.

In the second round, held on 26 April 2015, Akıncı swiped all 5 districts and gained an overall 60.50 % of the votes, which forced Eroğlu say goodbye to presidency and announce his retirement from politics.

The message of the votes were clear, the rightist candidate who won the majority vote in 2010, was defeated by the leftist candidate. This meant that people wanted change and in the victory rally held in İnönü Square of Nicosia, Akıncı made it crystal clear that he wants to deliver this change. After thanking the supporters and calling the elections a success for Cypriots, he repeated some of his promises, such as trying to achieve gender equality, giving political parties their freedom, and made his famous remarks regarding Turkey, which did not make the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, very happy. Akıncı said that the mother daughter relation between Turkey and Cyprus should turn into a mutual relation and a fraternal one.

Akıncı's comments had Erdoğan's reaction the very next day, “Do his ears hear what he says?” was his response to the comments. This was broadcasted in Erdoğan's press conference before he left Kuwait. “Even working together as brothers has its conditions. We paid a price for northern Cyprus. We gave martyrs and we continue to pay a price,” Erdoğan said on April 27. “For Turkey, northern Cyprus is our baby. We will continue to look at it the way a mother looks at her baby,” he added.

Akıncı responds, whose interview with CNN Türk was interrupted for  Erdoğan's press conference coverage, responded immediately, “Doesn’t Turkey want to see its baby grow up? Should we always stay a baby?”. He continued that he will stand by his words. 

Akıncı finished the interview soon after this, saying that he had to answer Erdoğan's phone call. On which Erdoğan congratulates him and asks whether Akıncı will have his first presidential visit to Turkey, and in return Akıncı responds, only if he was officially invited.

Soon after Mustafa Akinci was sworn in on 30th of April as the fourth president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and visits Turkey on May 6th. After the 2 hour long meeting between the presidents, in a joint press conference, Erdoğan states that Turkey will support TRNC at all times, and he hopes that 2015 will be the year of a solution.

Only a week after the visit to Turkey, which postponed the original arranged meeting between the presidents of both sides of the island, on May 14th, Akıncı and Nicos Anastasiades come together for a new push for reunification. For confidence-building measures, TRNC removes the required visa document procedure for the southerns to enter North and in return Anastasiades provides the Turkish counterpart with the plans of the mine fields in Northern part of the island. The two presidents agreed to have a minimum two meeting per month with eachother.

Only a week after the most promising start for negotiation start for reunification, for the very first time, the presidents of both sides, walked together on both sides of Nicosia, A.K.A. Lefkoşa , togther on May 23rd.

*All the mentioned information in this article has been gathered from data collected from various news organizations referencing Reuters or Associated Press.

29.03.2015 strawberries strawberries strawberries

One of the most amazing restaurant experiences of my life happened in Northern Cyprus during my stay in the island. One of the METU NCC faculty members' originally from cyprus, arranges bi-weekly hiking trips for university's staff, on the 29th of March, gathering together at 8.45 "island time" (meaning 9-ish), we left the campus for Yeşilirmak , a village near the town of Lefke for a hike' lunch and strawberry picking. 

When we got to the beginning point of Limnidi trail in Yeşilirmak around 9.45, we had to wait for almost half an hour for other groups of hikers to join us. Everyone parked their car in the parking area and after listening to some speeches from the restaurant's manager and the mayor of the city, chose from the difficult and very difficult road options. Although the official guides ranked the difficulty of the road as orta or moderate, they trail was more difficult than that, but of course, not impossible. The guide advised the first option, therefore, everyone took the safer path. 

I think the road was designed to make everyone as hungry as possible by the time they get to the restaurant :) The length of the road was approximately 10 k.m and was estimated to finish between 3 to 4 hours but with the many stops on the way it ended up being a bit more.  The hardest part was the beginning and it became a lot easier after the first hour. 

There were many interesting moments in the walk, two of which stood out the most. First was the the shrine for burning the olive tree leaves. Long ago, the king of Cyprus had sent his sick daughter to this part of the island to die, but searching for her after a year, found out that she was  completely healthy, later believed to be for the effect of water coming through the mountains in the area. A shrine was put over there and when there is a passerby, they usually burn some olive leaves there to try to keep the evil eyes away.

Second was going through the very beautiful and sometimes special flowers of the islands, specially the arpa Çiçek, which we were told were specific to the island.

About 5 hours after the start line we finally reached Vuni king restaurant and were greeted by the staff with some Turkish coffee. I could not believe the number of costumers and the size of the restaurant. It was bigger than the campus' main cafeteria! Starting with the tradition of Mezze or appetizers including yogurt, humus, olives, etc., we eagerly awaited our roasted chickens. It was as delicious as chicken can get ,of course it has to be taken into consideration that the starvation caused by the long walk helped the taste! When done, we were given some Turkish coffee and directed to an arranged sync dancing program staring children as young as 7 to adults.

After the dance program by the sea, we returned to the restaurant for another cup of coffee and moved to strawberry farms and picked some. The process was tiring, time-consuming, tedious and totally WORTH it. The fresh strawberries in the photo are living proof of that.

We had another Turkish coffee before the drivers went back to the parking lot with the restaurant service provided for this purpose. When they returned we had another coffee and left the place just after, you guessed correctly, one more Turkish coffee. 

The experience is definitely recommended for anyone who ever gets the chance to be in the north-west of the island.

Finally, many thanks to my great friend for most of the photos. Technically, she is as great as a friend gets :D

The following documentaries can be helpful in getting to know the history of Cyprus, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the 1974 conflict that started it all. They have been chosen from different sources, so that they are representative of different ideas and perspectives. Personally, I think that this issue is the first one that people who will visit Cyprus learn! The very first conversation in Cyprus could be about the division and what happened in 1974 and how the island is still divided. 

Documentary | The Island of Cyprus - National Geographic

North Cyprus Problem Documentary (English language)

Domantary : The Cyprus Problem, Still devided 1974

Homeland (Turkish Cypriot Documentary)

Hello everyone

This blog is a cultural journey project for ENLT 521, Cultural Aspects of Language Teaching at Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus. The guideline of the project can be found at the end of this post.
I chose Northern Cyprus as the culture that I want to investigate because I recently moved here to do my master's degree and I found this place more than amazing. Therefore, in the process of gathering data for project, I decided to share this fantastic experience with everyone with the purpose and the hope that this information can be helpful. The project will be closely connected to Shaule's (2010) Deep Culture experience definition, which he has superbly explained in his book,  A beginner’s guide to the deep culture experience. Beneath the surface;

"Spending even a day or a week in a new place can open our eyes to the world. ... Longer stays involve more hidden challenges, such as learning new ways of communicating or thinking, and involve a deeper learning—one that touches upon the habits of our unconscious mind. Cultural learning at this level revolves around the hidden programming of the mind called deep culture. Deep culture influences our thinking and values in ways that we generally aren't aware of. We rely on it in everyday life to interact, communicate, and interpret others’ actions. It is integrated into our thinking at such a basic level that we take it for granted. ... People who adapt deeply to life in a new country— especially if they must learn a foreign language to do so— often report transformational experiences ... . That’s because longer sojourns bring us into contact with people who, despite our common humanity, have deep culture settings different from our own. Trying to make sense of these deep culture differences requires us to look beneath the surface and notice patterns of behavior and thought that are not obvious at first glance. And in the process of learning these deeper lessons about our cultural hosts, we bring to light previously hidden parts of ourselves. I call this a deep culture journey. It involves a trial-and-error process of entering into another cultural reality—the world as seen from the point of view of our hosts. We gain a new perspective that can develop to the point that we feel that we have created a new self. We may even become bicultural. Some people experience this as a conscious shift between different selves and different social realities. They've created a new set of deep culture patterns in addition to the ones they grew up with."

Shaules, 2010 

In this project, I will try to go as deep into the culture as I possibly can and find the cultural patterns and if possible compare the similarities and differences with my previous experiences. The hope is to be as objective as possible while writing the posts but as mentioned in Giroux (2004), the complete objectivity, specially in cultural studies, is not possible and unwanted (or even sometimes wanted)  biases may occur in writings of such projects. I will also try to include some general information about the island in general and the northern part in specific.

Finally, the reason for calling the website NCC experience is for the nice ambiguity that it can have. It stands both for Northern Cyprus Cultural experience which is the main focus of this blog and also, Northern Cyprus Campus experience which is the one that I am currently studying in and is one of the main sources for gathering the data.

Any question or criticism of the exiting posts can be written in the comments or be sent to nccexperience@gmail.com. I would appreciate all of them.

CULTURAL JOURNEY: 

Students will pick a culture that they are new to or don’t know anything about and explore that culture following Shaules’ pattern and guidelines in his book. The final project will include the following parts: Introduction—Explaining the reason for choosing this culture; personal interest, social connections, etc.) Weekly Journal Entries (at least 10 entries)—The writer is expected to keep weekly entries for this assignment, talking about a different aspect of this culture. For example, one week the writer may watch a movie from that culture and comment on it; another week, s/he may interview a cultural informant about controversial issues in that culture; or attend a social event carried out in a community that consists of people from that culture. Conclusion—The writer reflects on his journey through this culture and talks about his experience and learning in retrospect. IMPORTANT POINTS to consider while completing this assignment: 

o The writer is expected to triangulate his/her data to come up with a picture of the culture in question. In order to do that, the writer should use at least 3 of the following sources of information: Library sources (books, articles, book chapters about general and specific aspects of the target culture); interviews with cultural informants (2-3 people, at least, talking about a variety of issues from family relationships to politics), media sources (Internet pages, news, movies); personal participation in social events (e.g., celebrations, family life). o The information from these data sources should be incorporated into the weekly entries when relevant. Some may be used in the Conclusion part. o The writers are expected to submit a copy of their sources, audio-files of interviews, and video files of media sources, etc. along with their final projects. It is the students’ responsibility to keep a back-up copy of their sources.

Shaules, J. (2010). A beginner’s guide to the deep culture experience. Beneath the surface. Boston, MA: Intercultural Press.

Giroux, H. A. (2004) Cultural studies, public pedagogy, and the responsibility of intellectuals, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 1:1, 59-79