Don't take candy from strangers sweetie…or do?

Happy holidays!
     This past week was a winter wonderland here in Kayseri. It snowed almost every day, and had an absolutely Christmas feel to it. So, in this season of candy and yummy treats, I decided I would share a narrative on a little difference between the two countries I have called home.

     The other day Tommy and I were taking the tram home after tennis practice when a woman and her young son sat down across from us. There was an elderly woman next to her, and another one next to me. As soon as the boy sat down, both women pulled out bags of chocolate from their purses and gave the boy a few pieces. At first the little boy, being young and shy, didn't take the candy, however, his mother nudged him, urging him to take the candy and to say thank you. He went on to drop both pieces on the ground, but that's not the point. The point? In the United States we are taught from a young age to fear strangers, to not trust them, and to NEVER take candy from them (a lesson reinforced on TV shows and commercials all the time). But here in Turkey the mom encouraged her son to take the candy, and judging by the fact that both women carried bags of chocolate with them in their purses, it's not an uncommon thing to do. The week before, Tommy and I had been on the same tram after tennis. We were speaking english to each other, and an elderly woman noticed. Once we got off at our station, she came up to us with a bag of apples and offered one to each of us. Both of us were immediately a little suspicious due to our American born and bred wariness of strangers, but she meant no harm, and the apples were delicious. She had simply noticed that we were two english speaking teenagers on a tram in Kayseri of all places, and she wanted to do something nice for us. I think this is something for us Americans to take note of. Yes, there are bad people in the world, but the large amount of us on this earth are not bad. We are simply living our lives, and enjoy doing nice things for others. This giving nature is a much larger part of Turkish culture, and I am learning a great deal from it. I hope to keep it a part of my life even after this year is finished! Iyi günler, good day!

Xoxo, Izzy

Me making snow angels!