http://www.turkishpress.com/turkishpress/news.asp?ID=16418

From the Sabah newspaper:

Minimum Wage Fixing Commission increased minimum wage to be valid as of January 1, 2004 by 34.1 percent to net 303 million 79 thousand 500 Turkish liras (TL). Cost of minimum wage, which will be gross 423 million TL for workers above 16 years old, for employers is calculated as 560 million TL.

Basically, what the above is saying is the Turkish worker on the official minimum income can now enjoy just over USD $200 in take home money every month.

With 2004 brought a new ‘uniform’ at work. As well as different shirts and ties, Serkan and I now have cardigans to wear!!!!

I can’t remember the last time I wore a cardigan. Go the cardie!

I now have a telephone at home!

A Christmas gift of a ‘Panaphone’ telephone from my bosses Ahmet and Sevil facilitated this. My number is +90 324 ASK TO RECEIVE. Local and inter-city calls to landlines will now be much cheaper with this phone than with my mobile/cep/handy/cellphone.

The past few days were cold and almost continuously raining.

The annual rainfall of Mersin is 650 mm. 90% of this figure fall in 7 months, from October to April. Only 60 mm in total falls between May and September.

The average daily (24 hour) temperature in January is 11.7 compare to 28.8 in August.

Bring on April and May!

Lunch

Yesterday I went to lunch with Hakan and Mutlu, two friends I had not seen for a long time. We went to Goksel(?) tantuni restaurant, northwest of the landmark Taksim International Hotel. It was my first visit to this restaurant and the tantuni was great! As Hakan’s family business supplies flour to this place, the meal was free.

Election

In the city there were honking vehicles, banner advertisements, buses with loudspeakers, the works – all part of a local government election not even happening until March!

Liberation Day

On the way back to work Republic Square contained many company, political party and community group signs standing in the rain. When I asked Hakan what they were for, he said the display was commemorating “Mersin’s Independence” (actually, Mersin’s Liberation). The French and British armies, who had invaded in 1918, left Mersin on 3 January, 1922.

Mersin

On the 31st, work finished at the early time of 4pm. I made my way home, cooked a great pasta dish with sucuk (a Turkish spicy sausage) and vegetables that Orhan came to share. I showered and finished and readied myself for the night. We caught the dolmus (minibus) to Orhan’s house and said hello to his parents, sister and Indian neighbour Sait. I also had time, before my train to Adana, to eat some delicious chicken and lamb shish and sample Tequila. Before we got to his place, Orhan did not know Tequila and described the spirit as “Mexican Whisky”. After Orhan’s place, I caught the 20:44 train (1,900,000 TL, 70 km, 75 minutes) to Adana, arriving at 21:59.

Cazara in Adana

Waiting at the station were Polish AIESEC trainee Magda, Mexican AIESEC trainee Ali and Turkish legend Nebi. A few minutes previously, Nebi had narrowly survived being hit by a car – the open beer bottle he held was still intact though! We walked to ‘Cazara’, an alternative music nightclub in the centre of Adana. Cazara is Magda’s haunt. Entry was 20,000,000 TL, including 3 drinks and unlimited snacks (popcorn, mixed nuts and carrot strips). Upstairs the DJ was playing, downstairs the band had yet to start. Downstairs we headed.

Music

The music on the downstairs PA was promising – they even played Def Leppard’s ‘Animal’. In fact, they played this song on the PA 3 times before of after the band. The relatively small room was very crowded. After a while, Maria, the Portuguese trainee arrived. The band started and played a good selection of western and Turkish rock. Apparently they are the house band. The singer is also the drummer, a rare combination. He is also an English teacher, so he actually sang the proper lyrics clearly. All night I was trying to remember who the singer reminded me of and yesterday I finally recalled – Bill Murray the actor (Groundhog Day). The other members consisted of bass, lead and rhythm guitarists and a female singer who came on during the second set. They did not accept my request to play ‘Stairway to Heaven’.

Midnight

The midnight countdown was a few minutes late but that was fine. People were having too much fun to worry about exactitudes too much. At around midnight I brought out the 250 ml bottle of Zubrowka vodka. Zubrowka is a famous Polish vodka from eastern Poland. The bottle has a picture of a bison on it and every bottle contains a blade of grass. Alicia, my Canadian friend, had given me the vodka as a gift when she visited in October – thank you Alicia. I brought the vodka to Adana because it is Magda’s favourite drink. She mentioned this fact in email on the 30th. I did not tell her I had a bottle. When the bottle was brought out she was surprised and delighted. It is coincidental that I have both tequila and Polish vodka on the night I meet Mexican and Polish trainees. Zubrowka and tequila are extremely rare in this part of Turkey.

After Cazara

At about 2:30 am downstairs was losing its vitality. The band had finished earlier and most people were leaving. Maria, Ali and I heading upstairs and outside. We entered a neighbouring nightclub for a while, however this place was almost dead. Virtually all places in the immediate area were dying. The time had come to start walking home. On the way to Maria’s place, I shouted the other a meal at the Stadyum Kebab shop. I ate liver whilst Ali and Maria had Adana kebap (3,ooo,ooo TL each). Salad, turnip, pickled chillies and pide (flat) bread accompanied the meat. At 4 am the food was well appreciated. After dropping Maria off Ali and I walked all the way along Baraj Yolu (Dam Road) to his place on top storey of a 4 storey building. On the way, the first bus of the morning passed us. At 6:30 am it was time for both the sun to dawn and for me to sleep.

The Next Evening

5 pm brought my final rising. Ali was cooking some delicious rice in kitchen. After the meal came time for the inevitable, delayed, not-looked-forward-to re-wearing of the clothes worn the previous night. The stale smoke smell my jacket, jumper and trousers contained could have neutralised nuclear waste. I said goodbye to Ali and caught the orange bus back to the train station in time for the 19:15 fast train (57 minutes, 1,900,000 TL) to Mersin. After another bus I was home. Orhan was there and we drank a cup of tea whilst both the washing machine cleansed my clothes and the water heated for my much-awaited shower.

That was New Year 2003/2004!

Survivor found after more than 8 days under the rubble!

ABC link

I ventured to Adana for this NYE – my first NYE in Turkey. It was a great night and morning. You will have to wait until tomorrow to hear about it, as I am about to go home and cook some soup on this this very rainy and cool evening.