Today I had several minibus rides navigating through the small towns on the western coast of Turkey to get to the beach. I was surprisingly successful but have to share with you this one little experience. During one ride the lady sitting right behind me got into an argument with a guy a few rows ahead. I think it was about politics because as she stood leaning over my shoulder, she was waving a newspaper and pointing at it.
It got pretty heated. A few times I was afraid I might get whacked in the head. Then she got up and started pacing in the aisle. It was quite impressive to see her hands waving and hear her tisking away in disagreement when he tried to disagree.
Eventually she settled a little and went back to her seat. I thought we were finished but then the driver chimed in something and off we went again.
About 15 minutes into this a young lady got on and looked back at me with the woman leaning over my shoulder again. I gave her a helpless look as I tried not to burst out laughing. She sat down with eyebrows raised, shaking her head.
This continued on until we reached the woman's stop. The man raised both hands in a surrender/agree to disagree movement. The woman got off, still muttering under her breath.
Even though I felt a little awkward being stuck in the middle of that while I tried to avoid eye contact with the angry man staring back in my direction, I also kind of enjoyed it. You see for a month I've been in the middle east where women are submissive and seen, not heard. So it was kind of nice to see a stout old Turkish woman not afraid to give a man a piece of her mind. Get 'em lady.
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Of course you would enjoy this moment, Liz. What I wish for more Americans is perspective. We have made some amazing progress in this country regarding women's rights. Leaving this country and seeing how so many others live I think would provide the necessary perspective. Thank you for sharing this story. -- Richard
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