Travel: Day 26 - Bitter Sweet Istanbul

I knew it’s the real deal the moment I realized signal was criminalized in Turkey.

Hey I’m not a saint. I knew Turkey is pretty fucked, but this fucked? I’m ignorant, just like people I rolled my eyes at in Belgium. Gonna name this blog ‘Karen’s blog’.

First day in Istanbul - haven’t met a lot of people, or anyone - but my airbnb host alone is way cooler than ANYONE I’ve met in Belgium. I’m grateful that he speaks pretty good English, at the same time sorry for asking so many questions that makes him speaks so fucking much English.

I don’t think an expat can ever really truly know the culture of a place, the good ones could get it 99%, but never a hundred. I also judged expats who are like ‘OMG I LOVE THIS PLACE’ yeah everyone would if they can afford a private hospital when they get sick or if they have your westernized circle.

But I love Istanbul.

You can tell at least a significant part of a culture by observing how they treat stray animals. In Istanbul, almost EVERY HOUSE has got a bowl of water and food at the balcony for the catS. I always knew Turkey is the heaven of cat (as well as cat slaves), but man, I didn’t know people treating all the cats better than my ex-partners treated me. That’s something.

Once upon a time okay those images were taken in chronological order:

1. Cat spotted me

2. Cat likes me so much and prolly more than my father loved me

3. Cat thinks I’m slave which of course I’m not

4. (Other) cats being fed by that nice lady

5. Cat being bullied :(

6. OH MY GOD after a few attempts the lady then used body language to tell me she’s gonna get some wet food from the kitchen and will give it to me to feed Cat??!!!!!

As judgy as I am, now I totally understand how those expats that came to Hong Kong for six months 25 years ago. More to experience and feel. Chao.