Small Signs of Humanity in Istanbul, Turkey
That I don’t often see at home in the U.S.
Last month, I was lucky enough to visit Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, with my two-year-old daughter and parents in tow.
It turned out to be a challenging place for my toddler (and her caregivers) but that’s a story for another time. It was also a city of many contradictions, much noise and even more cats.
But what struck me the most on this trip was seeing how much humanity there was all around me, despite the obvious challenges the country, the city and its citizens were facing.
Now, we live in a wealthy(-ish) community of Santa Monica, California, and, ironically, humanity is not all that visible here. “Every man for himself” definitely seems to be the way of life in this part of the U.S. Not to say that I don’t meet nice people every day (I’m out a lot because — toddler), but they’re nice in different, less genuine ways. And what not to be nice about if you leave in beachside California?
So it was all that much more surprising to see those who are nowhere as well-off as my fellow citizens display much greater kindness towards each other and my family, even if the treatment of tourists in public places was some of the worst I’ve ever seen.
