Traveling to Foreign Countries / Turkey
I have been lucky to have many opportunities to travel outside the United States, as well as cultivating many cross-cultural relationships within the USA. This past year I volunteered for three months on various organic farms in rural Turkey, and the cultural environment there was completely different from anything I was familiar with. The main barrier I faced was that I was a foreign, non-Muslim woman working in the fields with labourers who were mostly men. In addition to dealing with the language barrier, I was forced to adapt myself to Muslim village culture.
When I arrived at the first farm where I worked in Turkey I felt slightly unwelcome because most of the people did not speak with me or even look at me. I later learned that this is typical behaviour towards a woman, especially a foreign woman, in Turkish villages. Although I felt alienated, it was a form of respect that the men I worked alongside avoided looking at me or interacting with me. Over time, as I learned more Turkish, I began to make conversation with them, being careful not to send any mixed messages, and limiting conversations to practical items. I also made special efforts to cultivate friendships with the women of the farm.
Through observing and asking questions when appropriate, I quickly learned what behaviour was appropriate, while also trying hard not to compromise my sense of identity. This meant that I did not wear a headscarf, but I did wear very modest clothes. The first things I sought to learn in Turkish were traditional expressions of thanks and respect, and these were received with particular appreciation and respect in return. Although I worked on these farms as a foreign volunteer, I integrated into the culture of the workers by constantly finding ways to help them with their work, to work as hard as they did, and to bring them tea, which I learned is a very important gesture of friendship in Turkish culture. I worked hard in the fields and when I came inside proceeded to cook and make tea for the other workers, as is expected of any Turkish woman. I also worked very hard to speak as much Turkish as possible, even creating a makeshift language exchange with the workers who were interested in learning English. We would practice counting and using basic expressions in both languages in the fields and at mealtimes. When I left Turkey I truly felt a part of the community on the farms where I worked and I received heartfelt goodbyes, thoughtful gifts, and gestures of respect.
This experience taught me that it is important not to jump to conclusions about other cultures and traditions. Many foreign volunteers felt offended by the workers because they felt ignored, excluded, and the female volunteers felt that they were being treated in a sexist way. I learned that it is important to observe and to ask questions about a new culture instead of judging differences. By stepping back and avoiding judgment of the situation, I came to understand, appreciate, and integrate myself into Turkish culture, which was incredibly rewarding and memorable.