{"id":1645,"date":"2014-02-13T21:48:27","date_gmt":"2014-02-13T19:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dknolte.com\/?p=1645"},"modified":"2014-02-15T21:29:32","modified_gmt":"2014-02-15T19:29:32","slug":"genuine-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dknolte.com\/?p=1645","title":{"rendered":"Genuine People"},"content":{"rendered":"

A<\/strong>s with most of the Turks at the Embassy, they will do their best to speak English, whereas I do my best to show them I am attempting to speak Turkish.\u00a0 They say Good morning<\/i> to me and I say the equivalent to them in Turkish, G\u00fcnayd\u0131n<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Nadia, a young girl who comes in to clean our office is going to school in the evenings to learn English.\u00a0 I come in early and she will already be there vacuuming the building.\u00a0 She will smile and proudly say, Good morning, Dwaine Bey<\/em>. (Dwaine Sir)\u00a0 And she smiles, not because she\u2019s a smiling person, but because she can say that phrase, better and better every day.\u00a0 She is genuinely proud of what she is doing with her life, and rightfully so.\u00a0 Doing janitor work at day and University at night.\u00a0 I would like to see what happens to her in ten years.<\/p>\n

The Turks exhibit an interesting sense of humor.\u00a0 A few months ago, I was giving instructions to the Local Guard Force on the use of a certain piece of equipment.\u00a0 Since the information was vital, I had a supervisor translate my instructions to them.\u00a0 He is a little friendly guy with a childlike face.\u00a0 Only about 5 feet tall.\u00a0 At one point in the translation, everyone burst into laughter.\u00a0 He looked over at me smiling and said, \u201cI told them, you said I was a very handsome man.\u201d\u00a0 I gave four of the sessions and every time afterwards, I had to sit with him and have a glass of \u00e7ay (tea).<\/p>\n

One of the guards has a very western accent, almost like he stepped off a wagon train.\u00a0 I asked him if he was born in Turkey, and he smiled and said, Yep<\/em>.\u00a0 Evidently, he is asked that often.\u00a0 Further conversation with him, I find he worked with American construction crews for several years, which is where he learned English.\u00a0 Most construction crews from the States are Southerners.\u00a0 Sometimes, while talking to him, he will place both hands on his oversized belt buckle with his feet slightly apart just as you would see at a horse auction down in Houston, Texas.\u00a0 His name is Brock.<\/p>\n

We have two local men in our crew who are specialists in their fields.\u00a0 One is sent worldwide to work on the special doors and windows at our embassies.\u00a0 Called FE\/BR doors \u2013 Forced Entry\/Ballistic Resistant.\u00a0 He is young and very good at what he does.\u00a0 He arrives after a terrorist attack within hours to start repairs.\u00a0 The other is also a Turk who travels to our posts with us.\u00a0 He is a very interesting individual.\u00a0 I had met him three years ago while I spent a few weeks in Turkey and was impressed with him, not just by his abilities, but his personality.\u00a0 His name is Aydin.\u00a0 Not to be confused with the similarly interesting RST, Atyen, I worked with in Ethiopia.<\/p>\n

Aydin has a unique ability to get things done.\u00a0 Will not hesitate to make something happen when needed.\u00a0 Likewise, he expects everything to happen on time, and if it doesn\u2019t, you will hear about it.<\/p>\n

An example:\u00a0 In most European cities, it\u2019s not uncommon to ask a waiter to run across the street and purchase a pack of cigarettes for you.\u00a0 Or a neighbor lady to ask a shop keeper to run an errand for her.\u00a0 One day at a restaurant, Aydin stopped the waiter and asked him if there was a bakery nearby.\u00a0 He was rather confused, but stated, Yes there was one around the corner.\u00a0 Aydin then handed him some money and asked him to go and purchase a loaf of bread for him.\u00a0 \u201cBut we have bread here!\u201d was the reply.\u00a0 Aydin waved his hand across the table and stated, \u201dI do not see bread!\u201d\u00a0 Aydin had bread in seconds.<\/p>\n

It took about a week or two before Aydin got used to my Nolte sense of humor.\u00a0 On the way home after a particular tiring trip, I told him, My wife is going to be very upset with you.\u00a0 He had a baffled and slightly worried look on his face, and asked, Why?\u00a0 I said, because I\u2019m going to tell her you worked my ass off.<\/p>\n

It took two, maybe three seconds for the smile to form on his face, then stated, I\u2019m telling my wife also!\u00a0 Since them, we tell each other that at least once a trip.\u00a0 His wife is a Ukrainian beauty, and together they have two vibrant little girls, each with a distinct personality.\u00a0 These three women are the loves of his life.\u00a0 If necessary, he would stop the world for them.<\/p>\n

Everywhere we go, whether in Ankara, Istanbul or Adana, people come out of the woodwork to see him.\u00a0 He must have more friends than a little boy at school with a bag of candy.\u00a0 They will do the usual hug\/hug on the cheeks, and then the orneriness comes out.\u00a0 They will grab each other and tussle a bit.\u00a0 Actually, it\u2019s Aydin the one who pesters them and everyone else is skittish.<\/p>\n

I met his father several years ago.\u00a0 A very gentle man with sharp intelligent eyes. \u00a0He speaks English very well, like his son.\u00a0 His name is Feekrit.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure the spelling is not right, but the pronunciation is there.\u00a0 Feekrit worked as a housekeeper and maintenance man for the American Intelligence Community when he was young and learned his English from them.\u00a0 A very interesting man to talk to.\u00a0 I think I have him convinced to take time and write his memoirs for his grandkids while he is still a young seventy something man.\u00a0 I used my mother as an example for him.\u00a0 I will continue to harp on him to do that, because he has stories that will go to the grave if he doesn\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n

You know, that can be said for everyone of us.<\/p>\n

At the restaurants here, the waiters will greet you at the door.\u00a0 Several of them, standing in a line as if we are kings.\u00a0 After dining, on the way out it\u2019s not uncommon for the owner to stand at the door and visit a few minutes before you leave.\u00a0 We shake hands with him and nod, sometimes a slight bow.\u00a0 In the States, the restaurants want you in and out so the tables can be reused; but in this country, they are genuinely happy for us to be there.\u00a0 I guess that best surmises what I feel about the Turks.\u00a0 Genuine.\u00a0 Many times the waiters will bring out a special dish for you to taste to see if it is any good.\u00a0 (It\u2019s always good) \u00a0And every meal includes a small curved glass of \u00e7ay.\u00a0 A few places will charge for it, but most include it with the meal.\u00a0 And the second cup of \u00e7ay is always expected.<\/p>\n

\"chai\"<\/a>Yep.. I kinda like this place and anyone who comes to visit us will find these people just as genuine and friendly.\u00a0 And they can expect to drink lots of \u00e7ay.<\/p>\n

Keep kicking butt.\u00a0 D.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As with most of the Turks at the Embassy, they will do their best to speak English, whereas I do …<\/p>\n

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