Culture Shock Strikes Back

Annum's Katie'e, yes Amerikatsi em, usough em Hayastanum... ama Türkiye çok ozledim.

Probably one of the more rare language combinations... Armenkish? Turkenian? It's the easiest example of my current bizarre strain of culture shock. Although suddenly living with and being constantly surrounded by 13 other American students who are all continually speaking in English and making pop culture references and talking in 4 syllable words about Ameican politics and foreign policy is a whole separate (and completely exhausting) culture shock issue. But as for Armenia and Turkey, they are far more similar than they would ever admit, but there are enough differences to keep my on my toes. A breakdown:

Language:Armenian and Turkish, despite being sandwiched together for over a millenia, have almost nothing in common. I've found two words that are similar: "nargile" meaning hookah, and "peynir" meaning cheese. They also both have the "click" that means no, but the Armenian click is more subtle and less definite. But the grammatical structure, pronunciation, and vocalizations are completely different- Armenians even have their own alphabet (unbelievably frustrating). More interestingly, in the same way the Turkey has many people who speak a bit of English, simply because they studied at some point in school, Armenia is filled with people who know a smattering of Russian- logical, since it is a state only 17 years free of the Soviet yoke.

Religion: Obviously, Turkey is Muslim and Armenia is Christian. But as far as my experiences go, Armenians seem to take religion far more seriously than most Turks I met- granted, I spent most of my time in Ankara and Istanbul, major modern cities, rather than the more conservative, religious villages in the southeast. But on the same token, I'm currently in Yerevan- the capital, albeit tiny, city and arguably most progressive part of Armenia. I got to visit Khor Virab, a 1600+ year old church on the Turkish-Armenian border, with a beautiful view of Mt Ararat (think Noah). I also attended Sunday morning service at an Armenian Apostolic Church, which was quite an experience. Very serious, very decorous, very intense. Supposedly somewhat similar to Russian or Greek Orthodox, there was a lot of chanting and I've never crossed myself more often in a 2 hour span in my life.

Personal Space: It's been endlessly entertaining to me to watch the other Americans (particularly boys) here get squeamish about personal space- and not even invasions of their own, just other people touching or kissing each other casually. For me, Armenia has been strange because they are FAR more reserved than Turks. They greet each other with a kiss on one cheek, rather than two, and often it's an air kiss. They don't generally hold arms, although women here interlock fingers more often. Armenians don't smile as much, or laugh- especially in public, they are extremely reserved and formal. Turks also stare much more- I've only noticed people staring once or twice here, like on public transit, because I'm completely used to it. My classmates complain that they feel like they are constantly being stared at... I think the main difference lies in that when you catch an Armenian staring at you, they look away, and when they talk about you, they hide their mouths behind their hands. Turks as a rule are much more blatant, and definitely have no problems maintaining eye contact.

Appearance: Very similar. Like the staring thing, I no longer notice unibrows. Seriously, not at all. They're pretty common, which amuses my classmates, but I didn't even realize what they were referring to when we first arrived and they commented on the hairiness and such of people here. If I could average the country out, I'd say Armenians are a bit lighter than Turks, but I've met blond Turks and extremely dark Armenians, so there's really no rule here. Turks are more concerned with fashion and hairstyles, and take more fashion risks, whereas Armenian men wear more hats, women wear higher heels, and clothes are FAR more revealing- the amount of skin I saw during church was absolutely distracting. (What's that? Oh yes, I did just spend six months in a {mostly} conservative Muslim country)

History: Well obviously both groups have been in the area a while, and have had very different experiences. But what I've found more fascinating is that both nationalities have an obsession with their history and ethnicity. Turks are TURKISH, and they obsess about Ataturk. Armenians are ARMENIAN, and obsess over their historic lands. Among other things. But it's a bit like seeing a familial trait- similar to how my father and his brothers enjoying delving into geneaology, both Turks and Armenians have an eye focused intently on the past.

Food: Doner. Lahmacun. Ayran. Even Beypazari sucuk. Unbelievably delicious produce, including cucumbers, tomatoes, apricots and sour cherries. Turkish food is still my favorite (no iskender, kokorec, manti or midye here), but it's really not too far off. The amount of ham is a bit weird, and my stomach definitely reacted strangely to it at first. Also, Ankara was filled with American fast food places- McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, Arby's, Starbucks. I haven't seen a single familiar food name since I've been here. My guess would be Armenia's Soviet past- for all I know, half the restaurants with Russian signs are well known chains in Moscow. (Reallllly starting to wish I had taken Russian lessons from my ex-roommate in Ankara.)



Like I said, I miss Turkey. A lot. I'm trying not to hang out too much in my Turkish bubble (populated by me, my Turkish friends and students' facebooks, & my collection of Turkish music), but it's tempting- especially since the alternative is a herd of Americans, and nobody likes that. My classmates are just starting to understand my adoration of this part of the world, although I'm 100% aware that if I tell one more story that starts with "Well this one time in Turkey..." they will duct tape me into a closet and leave me there for the next 3 weeks. It's strange, sort of knowing what to expect and sort of not. The insane driving, irregular power and water, and the idea of communicating complicated thoughts without speaking a common language is all very familiar to me... but cultural details are very different.

I've visited an art museum, a historic cultural landmark, attended a week of classes, and picked up bits of the language... yet I've only met one Armenian who was not introduced to me as a tour guide or teacher, fluent in English language and customs. One. Such is the American bubble.