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The beginning.

Not Only a Mud Home

27/11/2016

31 Comments

 
 It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Dawn can be much like dusk. Only colder. The darkness capitulates. A ridge of mountains pulls itself out of the night. Clouds distinguish themselves from the sky. And the world exists once more. It’s never the same world as yesterday. The night changes everything.
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The ridges I spotted as day broke on the 7th of November, were the mighty caps of the Bey Mountains. Snow hadn’t reached them yet, their treeless heads were still brown. A road threaded through them. The road I was on. It plunged north westwards to the city of Izmir, slicing through bygone cities and ancient burial mounds.

Rotty’s furry head poked over the armrest. I stroked between her ears. Panting a little, she nuzzled the arm of our driver. Through the windscreen I watched bands of sky turn from lead to steel. The twine of the road grew clearer. This was my last dawn in Turkey. For a while at least. After almost twenty years, I was leaving the land of my heart. Because my heart had moved. Though where?

Twenty years is a long time. I was 26 when I moved to Turkey, a young woman very different from the mud-home building, wilderness-loving witch I am now. I married here, divorced here, moved homes, built and lost businesses. I had woven friendships, networks and communities over the years. I knew the ropes. Understood the rigging. Could make my way through the coded warrens of Turkey’s various systems.

It’s a lot to leave behind. More than just a mud home on a beautiful hill.

Yes. More than that.

It began with a carob tree whispering across the ravines of time, and a bulldozer growling at my fence. It began when I imagined building another home and felt a flurry inside my heart. It began when a friend of mine sent me photos of land the other side of Europe, when I cast my eye upon the Atlantic coast and sensed something inside me hungering. Yes, that’s where it began.

But it has been transmuted into something else. For the world has shifted into another shape. I’m not the only one moving. Turkey is on a road too, and like me it’s changed direction. One midsummer night there was this mysterious coup, and since then a good 70 000 people (at least) have been arrested. Opposition newspapers have been closed, opposition politicians arrested. It’s pretty much a fait accompli. They are discussing the reintroduction of the death penalty as I write.

I no longer enter much political debate. It’s too uninspiring. (And depending on where you live, too incriminating). The serious study of a tree or a bird offers far more light than the intellectualised bickering or emotional ranting of the political domain. Besides, it's not the focus of this blog, nor my area of expertise. But for what it’s worth (and it might not be worth much - though let's face it, few of the official pundits seem any more capable of prophecy) this is a snippet of my perspective from the inside.

Some say Turkey will become Iran. Others say Afghanistan. One or two are in complete denial and pretend nothing at all is happening. I seriously doubt Turkey will become Afghanistan or Iran. The leadership is far more ambitious (in case you hadn’t noticed). This isn’t the nineteen nineties, either. In the new world, Turkey is financially sturdy (currently 18th largest economy in the world, with a higher GDP than Saudi Arabia and Switzerland) and in possession of some business savvy. Lest we forget, it also holds the 10th most powerful military in the world, fourth largest in NATO. Socio-economically speaking, I’d start looking vaguely in the direction of the U.A.E, if you want to see where Turkey’s trajectory is headed. The U.A.E with a hefty army, a lust for importance, and a toe inside Europe.

Oh well (sigh). I expect international business will carry on as usual, regardless of human rights (Britain is already talking about trade deals with Turkey). And if you keep your head down and your mouth shut, you might just be able to pretend all is sort of alright, until they drag off your neighbour for questioning that is, or build a shopping mall in your back garden.

But for many citizens of the country, for those who can’t shoehorn themselves into the narrow social constraints of what is deemed acceptable by those in power; for women, for the ethnic minorities, for the secularists, for those who adore Turkey’s incredible nature, the artists, the LGBT community, child brides, anyone who wants to think outside the box and speak their mind, and for whom Tommy Hilfiger and a macchiatto simply aren't enough compensation...for them? Right now, the new Turkish dawn isn’t too rosy.

This has all been brewing for years of course. But like a slow-swelling boil that finally bursts, the explosion of pus is startling. I sense something I haven’t felt in Turkey since my very first visits back in the late eighties. An undercurrent of unease. And the hurried closing of mouths.
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Photo by Ercan Karakas http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6122011&nseq=1077
Staring through the windscreen on that early November morning, I imbibed Turkey's natural beauty one last time. The jagged upsurges of mountain rock were petering out, leaving the hills to deflate on the plains. Our jeep hummed up a gear. The sun peered over a summit, and in an instant the waves of the valley were gold-plated. The road spawned factories and conurbations. The temperature rose. Pulling off my jacket, I stretched, then reached for my bottle of water. I noted, despite this parting of ways, how inspirited I felt.

There is something inordinately therapeutic about the road. It is a continuum of reason in a mad world. A rolling sequence of reassurance. The landscape changes. Mountains disappear. Orchards flick in and out of view. Cities sprout. Flocks of birds fly overhead one minute. Fighter jets roar over the next. But the road is still there. Moving. From one place to the next. Holding your feet and guiding your soul.
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Rotty getting ready to jet-set. Adnan Menderes airport, Izmir.
The steel tube of Izmir airport pulled into view. I turned to stroke my dog still grinning on the back seat, wonderfully oblivious that she was about to fly across Europe. As we pulled up to the shiny rectangles of the departure doors, I realised something. The only other time I had set foot in Izmir airport was the first time I visited the country way back in 1988.

Smiling, I opened my passenger door. I was leaving Turkey by the same gateway I had entered almost three decades apart. Once again the lightning of coincidence was striking my path, and the scene was set for kismet. For a journey from East back to West. To new lands that whisper. New rocks with old memories. And a new Eden.
31 Comments
Nermin
30/11/2016 01:09:01 am

Good luck! Love reading and seeing your creations. I can feel the love you have for the land and the people.

Reply
Atulya
30/11/2016 01:08:59 pm

Thank you Nermin. Yes, much love indeed..

Reply
Turkey's For Life link
30/11/2016 09:59:31 am

Very best of luck to you in your new adventures. Loved reading this, despite the fact you're leaving Turkey. We're living in 'interesting times' to say the least. Take care.
Julia and Barry x

Reply
Atulya
30/11/2016 01:10:43 pm

Yup. And it's going to be 'interesting' wherever we are, I think. Very best wishes to you both too! I shall be following your posts on dear Lycia:)

Reply
BacktoBodrum link
30/11/2016 01:13:00 pm

Good luck with whatever the future brings. Those of us still dug in here will let you know how we fare too,

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Atulya
30/11/2016 10:17:00 pm

Thank you Annie! I'll be watching and reading between the lines for the news:)

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Ann Thijs
30/11/2016 04:14:36 pm

I said it before and I say it again: you are such a gifted, inspiring writer!
And I admire how you are able -in spite of the difficult moments - to surrender to the flow and let it take you to wherever it goes...
Already looking forward to your next blog.
Meanwhile best of luck to you and Rotty :)

Reply
Atulya
30/11/2016 10:18:01 pm

Ah thanks for this Ann. Really nice.

Reply
Donna Trimble
9/12/2016 08:18:33 pm

An excellent read per usually Atulya. Loce your writings. I look forward to your next adventures for yourself & Rotty. So glad she all healthy again😊

Reply
Atulya
12/12/2016 11:59:37 am

:) Yes she's fully fit. Such a relief.

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Andrew
9/12/2016 08:21:29 pm

That fleeting fleck of nervousness... is to be respected... acknowledged and thanked for the gifts it will bring you.

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Atulya
12/12/2016 12:00:37 pm

Yes. It's the sign you've stepped out of the comfort zone, and that's where the magic happens:)

Reply
Ed Hoffman
10/12/2016 12:49:51 am

Well you did it, I believed you could.
But, I hoped you couldn't....

Reply
Atulya
12/12/2016 12:01:35 pm

Ah, yes. I did. And I will build it again. :)

Reply
Richard Darrah
10/12/2016 09:07:05 am

Your not a witch.

Reply
Atulya
12/12/2016 12:02:31 pm

Oh I am. Most definitely.

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Noelie
10/12/2016 10:51:58 am

Hi Atulya and Rotty!! Best of luck in your adventures!! I'm rooting for you...and waiting eagerly for your next blog!! Take care!! Thank you for writing, I love it! ;-)

Reply
Atulya
12/12/2016 12:03:23 pm

Thank you Noelie!

Reply
Hardy Moore link
14/12/2016 11:50:08 pm

Good luck to you. All of life is a struggle.

Reply
Atulya
15/12/2016 11:04:21 pm

Noooo, it's an adventure:)

Reply
Mike link
15/12/2016 09:50:35 pm

Happy to see your post, looking forward to following your next endeavor. God spede !

Reply
Atulya
15/12/2016 11:03:50 pm

Ah apologies it got to you late. I messed up my email list this time.

Reply
Mike link
16/12/2016 12:14:59 am

Accepted, you bad little witch, just don't let it happen again, ha ha.

Sandi Berumen
27/12/2016 12:13:05 pm

Once again I am a little late to the party. Life is just getting in the way of things I really want to do. Here we are once again at an ending and a new beginning. I know how hard it is to leave the familiar behind, that known pattern of living and friends and interactions. You tell it quite well, as you always do! You have left a lot behind, but then, you have so much in front of you. The direction of Turkey -- who really knows -- scary times for all and not just there. Fortunate timing for your leaving I think in the overall scheme of things. Exciting too though as a whole new chapter of your life opens up. I look forward to following your new adventures, trials, tribulations and joys. I hope you had a terrific Christmas (both you and Rotty -- so glad he is still with you) and that you have a terrific, God Blessed New Year!!

I am also making major changes in my life.
God Bless, Take Care and Stay Safe!,
Sandi

Reply
Mike Cook link
27/12/2016 06:18:52 pm

OK, Sandi, was this just a teaser or are you going to keep us posted on how your MAJOR changes are taking place???? Mike

Reply
claudia armstrong
8/1/2017 11:08:11 am

Love your telling of the tale Atula! Haven't tuned in for a while and was enthralled...sitting on the edge of my seat in fact. :) Can't wait to hear about your new adventure. It can only be expansive and filled with magic when you follow your passion and your heart the way you do.
Claudia

Reply
Atulya
11/1/2017 10:46:25 pm

:) Thank you Claudia.

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Dave
16/2/2017 10:35:30 pm

Well... I've missed a lot. Truly best wishes to you and Rotty. I have been w/o home internet for the past 1.4 yrs- since moving to Co. (usa) so lost touch w/the blog. I will enjoy catching up... reading your posts.

Reply
Atulya
3/4/2017 01:03:26 pm

Hello there Dave! I missed this comment in all the drama of the past months. And I'm sure you 1.4 years without internet was heaven. If I wasn't writing, I'd unplug tomorrow:) If you want to follow the new journey it's over on http://www.themudhome.com/on-the-road. Nice to have you back!

Reply
Carla DeLauder link
22/2/2017 12:56:16 am

Your mud book just arrived and is sitting on my desk next to my laptop. So is a chai latte. I'm going to be sipping and reading just as soon as I post this.

I've been wondering how you're faring in Turkey with everything that has been happening there. I found your blog mid-summer last year and read everything you posted. The book is engaging and I dread turning that last page when I'm done.

But it seems your story carries on on new soil. I'm so looking forward to learning about your new adventure. As I get older, I become increasingly attached to my new need for one place, one home. I'm anticipating that my next move will be just that. I love home and being home, but I do feel the occasional call to travel and explore.

Here's to hoping the new year is bringing you great joy and a feeling of place and belonging where ever it is that you're now calling home.

Cheers.

Reply
Atulya
3/4/2017 01:01:29 pm

Ah Carla, yes what a journey. Just seen this comment. Missing my one home a lot right now. The story carries on though.. Right now I'm on the road and you can find my latest posts here. http://www.themudhome.com/on-the-road

Reply



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    Atulya K Bingham

    Back in 2011, I found myself camping alone on a remote Turkish hill. There was no power or water on the land. It was the start of an adventure that profoundly changed my beliefs about what is enjoyable, or possible...

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