A man regularly brings bread to the village with his van from the bakery in Gumushacikoy. He takes me back to the town and from Merzifon I hitchike to Samsun. A lawyer in criminal affairs drives me; his name is Savas, which literally means 'war' in Turkish. I think out loud saying that the desire to join the EU might bring about changes in the Turkey, which will cause the people to forget about the most essential human qualities. I take as a basis urban life in France, Germany, England for instance, where the profusion of products, the apparent lack of nothing, seems to be spoiling a sense of true value among the people; The most natural values of sharing, being with others and enjoying the natural bounties of air, sun and fresh food are often replaced by the desire for the best look, the sweetest car or the latest high-tech gadget.
"Turkish culture and people are defined by the country side. The traditional values of hospitality and the love of the country are deeply rooted. This cannot be fully displaced by consumerist lifestyles" says Savas
I stay a night in Samsun. I am surprised at the very clean and beautifully designed coastal promenades in the center. The next day I continue East along the coast to Giresun where I meet Muzaffer, a fellow couchsurfer. He is hosting another guest, Sang-Eun (alias Inwho) from South-Korea. Inwho has arrived in Giresun after two years of travelling from Korea with his bicycle. It is highly inspiring to talk to him. Experience and hardship seem to have made him resistant to any sort of uneasiness in no matter what surroundings. Any wisp of the slightest expectation seems to have left Inwho ages ago. The way things come is the way things are; if things seem bad they are surely always sufficient to continue onwards.
Sang-Eun is a film director. He is planning to travel around the world in five years and make a documentary from the footage he takes. His equipment is sponsored by three outdoor companies and his camera follows him in almost anything he does. You can visit his homepage here: http://rrmbyinwho.tistory.com
"What is the driving force, the inspiration behind the journey; why are you going". I ask
"Why not?" he answers "There is no concrete aim or inspiration".
I think of my own situation. Is it so different? I don't have an agenda, I am not here for business, there is no concrete aim, I am not expecting a tangible result - There are however those driving ideals...
I ask: "Isn't it so that at one point a seed seems to be planted in the mind, the desire for experience, for adventure for a way of life, perhaps minute and inauspicious at first, and that in time a plant starts to grow from it? Eventually this plant is well grown and its fruits ripen: the results ensue. When and wherefrom the original seed has come is maybe forgotten; but is it even relevant?"
Inwho agrees and smiles: "Yes it is like that"
We receive such seeds regularly, weekly, daily, but heed perhaps but the minutest fraction of these. There might be seeds of weeds and seeds of mighty fruit trees among them, but in each and every moment we are the ones that choose which ones we wish to water and to give sunshine. With Will and Determination a seed in the most unfriendly of environments can grow to a beautiful and harmoniously branching plant.
In the evening we go out to the beach with friends of Muzaffer, Caglar and his Fiance. We share experiences of traveling in different countries and learn of each others mindsets.
"Turkish culture and people are defined by the country side. The traditional values of hospitality and the love of the country are deeply rooted. This cannot be fully displaced by consumerist lifestyles" says Savas
I stay a night in Samsun. I am surprised at the very clean and beautifully designed coastal promenades in the center. The next day I continue East along the coast to Giresun where I meet Muzaffer, a fellow couchsurfer. He is hosting another guest, Sang-Eun (alias Inwho) from South-Korea. Inwho has arrived in Giresun after two years of travelling from Korea with his bicycle. It is highly inspiring to talk to him. Experience and hardship seem to have made him resistant to any sort of uneasiness in no matter what surroundings. Any wisp of the slightest expectation seems to have left Inwho ages ago. The way things come is the way things are; if things seem bad they are surely always sufficient to continue onwards.
Sang-Eun is a film director. He is planning to travel around the world in five years and make a documentary from the footage he takes. His equipment is sponsored by three outdoor companies and his camera follows him in almost anything he does. You can visit his homepage here: http://rrmbyinwho.tistory.com
"What is the driving force, the inspiration behind the journey; why are you going". I ask
"Why not?" he answers "There is no concrete aim or inspiration".
I think of my own situation. Is it so different? I don't have an agenda, I am not here for business, there is no concrete aim, I am not expecting a tangible result - There are however those driving ideals...
I ask: "Isn't it so that at one point a seed seems to be planted in the mind, the desire for experience, for adventure for a way of life, perhaps minute and inauspicious at first, and that in time a plant starts to grow from it? Eventually this plant is well grown and its fruits ripen: the results ensue. When and wherefrom the original seed has come is maybe forgotten; but is it even relevant?"
Inwho agrees and smiles: "Yes it is like that"
We receive such seeds regularly, weekly, daily, but heed perhaps but the minutest fraction of these. There might be seeds of weeds and seeds of mighty fruit trees among them, but in each and every moment we are the ones that choose which ones we wish to water and to give sunshine. With Will and Determination a seed in the most unfriendly of environments can grow to a beautiful and harmoniously branching plant.
In the evening we go out to the beach with friends of Muzaffer, Caglar and his Fiance. We share experiences of traveling in different countries and learn of each others mindsets.
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