Something Sincere
Something Unpredictable

I'm listening to an interview by author Mert Özmen now, who wrote a book called "The Girl
Who Grew Up Listening to Sezen Aksu Songs." This is the second of his three-book sequel, and it's about the '80's in Turkey. The first one was about the '70's, and the last one will be about the '90's.

The '70's, as the author put it, was about revolution. It was about the conflict between far left and far right. It was about people with dreams. My parents went to high school and university at this time, so I heard a bit about it. But because it was about dreams, it wasn't real. And the dreams were broken with the '80 coup.

The '80's, however, were more individual, more personal, more real. Just because of that, they were more sincere. The author says that they were about love, not revolution. They were firmly based on real emotion. And nothing addressed this emotion as well as Sezen Aksu songs.

I think this is why I will be drawn back to Turkey whereever I go. I will miss the songs, I will miss the cheesy dramas. I will miss this feeling, it would be called corny, arabesque elsewhere, but it can be real and sincere, hopefully. Borne out of the beauty, chaos, energy, and irony of my country.

The ideal would be to be rational when it comes to business, but never lose that feeling.