Alex Smith
The end of the season nears and to those people who have been working extremely long days in all of the bars, cafés, shops and various businesses it will provide the opportunity for a well-earned rest but also, in most cases, a quite dramatic drop in income.
The months between the beginning of May and the end of October provide the only source of income to many in Kaş so the long days and nights put in by the majority are hardly of any surprise. The well-earned rest though does not come without one last major effort on the part of all the restaurateurs on the 29th October in the form of Republic Night.
Republic Day Children in traditional costumes
There are a great many holidays that the foreigner has to accustom himself to here in Turkey, the majority of them being of a religious ilk but Republic Day, along with Children’s day, is an exception. It is purely a secular celebration which is held on the same day each year and is not, like many of the religious holidays, a moveable feast. Quite simply it celebrates the foundation of the Turkish republic in 1923 and is embraced with extra special warmth and enthusiasm here in Kaş. I’m not sure but I’m guessing that this year’s celebrations will have an added poignancy following the recent deaths of 26 Turkish soldiers out in the east of the country in the on-going conflict with the PKK.
Meydan preparation for Turkish Republic Day
Whatever the case Kaş will be the place to be on this particular night. It is customary for all the restaurants to take over the Meydan with long rows of tables in an evening which has also come to signify the end of the tourist season. There will be eating, drinking and making merry all against the backdrop of marching, singing, fireworks, the wearing of traditional garb and of course the inevitable speech making. The Turkish flag will be everywhere and if previous years are anything to go by then all the diners will be issued with small Turkish flags to wave at every opportunity.
(Note: There was no “official” celebration events such as school children, marching bands, nor live dance music in the meydan by the Kaş city officials because of the earthquake in Van. Many restaurants still served meals in the meydan but the atmosphere was subdued.)
Meydan nighttime celebration of Turkish Republic Day
The Turks are not slow to demonstrate the love of their flag and country and this night provides the ideal opportunity for them to do just that. It is quite a sight and one which many years ago contributed to the beginning of my love affair with Kaş. Over the years I have introduced many friends visiting the town to this particular evening’s festivities and they have all been swept away by the general atmosphere and feel good factor generated by the occasion.
October also marks a personal milestone for me as it was in October 2007 that my wife and I finally took the plunge and came to live here in Kaş permanently. Four years down the line I think we can both honestly say that it is a decision that we have never regretted nor even questioned. Recently a friend who visits regularly used the phrase “living the dream” in reference to my life here. I’m not sure about that, if that was truly the case I’d be leading the line for an all-conquering Blackburn Rovers side (who would have different owners and a competent manager) and have a decent side-line playing lead guitar for an extremely well respected rock band. Given all that is the stuff of fantasy though, I’m more than willing to be settling for the attractions of Kaş and all that I describe here in this column. As they say in Manchester “It’ll do me”.
One thing which I am not particularly proud of after being here for four years now is my lack of competence in the language. Now I have never been a linguist, grade 9 French and Latin at O level back at school will testify to that, but after being here for this length of time and being honest with myself I should be able to converse more freely. The fact is I am limited to the exchange of pleasantries and the misuse of verbs. I have been lazy. Probably because of the fact that it is possible to get by here without working Turkish. So many of the Turkish people in Kaş speak English of necessity as they deal daily with non-Turkish speaking tourists and it is so easy to take advantage of that. I have a number of Turkish friends but speak to all of them in English. On the occasions when I am in the company of non-English speaking Turks my conversation is both extremely limited and childlike.
On arrival in Kaş we both attended Turkish lessons at the local education centre which were initially of varying quality and usefulness. With persistence though, both we and the lessons began to improve but then the lure of a weekly Thursday walk began to consistently win the battle for my attention away from the classroom. I drifted out of the lessons and my Turkish language development stalled at an embryonic stage leaving me able to say “Hello, how are you, I am living in Kaş etc.” to any goat herder I chanced to meet on the trails. This time round (the lessons cease for the summer and resume in October) I have resolved to return and be tutored by Kate, an Australian woman living here who will be taking some of the sessions. Kate just completed a TEFL course to add to her expertise in Turkish acquired over the years living here with her Turkish husband and two children. I hope I can stick with it and develop my skills but aren’t everyone’s intentions always good at the beginning of a new term?
