So join me as I share with you a pictorial view of my TurkishFest 2010 experience! By the way, this is my first attempt at doing a photo essay for a blog post.
--- TurkishFest 2010: A Photo Essay ---
All images are my own. It was a beautifully clear day, but very much on the humid side. It was still warm though mid-October usually means cooler weather is on the way. It was the first time I remember going to Jones Plaza.Setting the Mood.
I get a lot of blog hits from Turkey, so I am semi-familiar with Turkey. I've heard (and even recited) its instrumental national anthem. I've heard of cities such as Istanbul (one of Houston's Sister Cities, Ankara, and Izmir among others. I am a fan of Istanbul Park, home of the Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix. But I don't know much else about Turkey. That's why we have events such as TurkishFest. It is a chance to become introduced to another culture and its entertainment.
The stage for TurkishFest features two Turkish flags as there were a number of different performances. At one point, my camcorder (Insignia NS-DV1080P) acted funny, and so I had to take out the rechargeable battery and put it back in. It worked perfectly since.
One of the performances on stage was a rather soothing Turkish melody. Once in the show, a boy as young as about 11 (or maybe 7) was playing a wonderful stringed piece.
I don't know a single Turkish word, so someone will have to help me translate the text in the center of this image.
As I mentioned before, it is always great to be part of cultural events such as TurkishFest. It gives you a chance to become introduced and indulged to the culture of another country in a fun way.
As the late afternoon delved into evening, the occasion was still as hot as the weather that day.
This guy in the center and this girl (wearing the T-shirt that has a big heart and the Turkish flag on it were the two announcers for the occasion. A lot of people were probably just minding their business as they continually talked to the crowd.
I don't exactly remember this, but the lady was singing with a nice drum deal in the background.
Wearing Turkey.
In addition to listening to music and seeing various performances, I've found a fair share of images highlighting on some of the ways visitors shown some love for Turkey and dressed for the occasion. The most common accessories I've seen (but was unable to take pictures of) were girls wearing scarves around their waists with coins on them. I did, however, find a lot of red and white. Here is a look at some of the various outfits of people showing some Turkish love...
One such way to dress for the occasion is to show some love for the Turkish capital of Istanbul. I saw another black shirt with Istanbul on it worn by a woman, but I was unable to snap a good image.
This was one of many different red shirts I saw at Turkish fest. These shirts reflect the red and white as well as the crescent and star that makes up Turkey's flag.
At one point, I did notice this white polo shirt with the teal collar. This is reminiscent of Turkey's football (as in soccer) uniform.
Under a cute casual blouse, this woman wears a lovely Turkey shirt underneath.
Finally, here is a young girl sporting an elbow-sleeve Turkey T-shirt.
TurkishFest: What I Couldn't Show You.
The majority of this blog post relates to images that I've taken from the show. I got to meet my first person from Tukey. He was a software engineer who is from Istanbul but lives in San Antonio for just over a decade. He wondered about my Insignia camcorder. I couldn't pronounce or spell his name, but he was very friendly. He even asked if Facebook or Twitter is the most popular social media. I told him that it depends. If I had to choose, I'd say Facebook. If he's out there reading this, I say hello to you!Even though it's TurkishFest, I saw a flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina at one of the tents providing food. I had a pretty delicious gyro or pita from one of the tents.
My little stepbrother was entertained at the thought of Turkish coffee because he thought it had turkey in it. But... it's regular Turkish coffee. :-)
--- If Any Turkish Folk are Reading This... ---
I want to say hello to all of you from Turkey. I get a fair share of blog hits from Turkey, so I might as well have the opportunity to say hello to all of you from Turkey and of Turkish decent. I always welcome an international audience in all of my work. It is the only way I can feel totally satisfied that my work is branching out and is being respected by a global audience. There is still a whole lot I wish I knew about Turkey, but I do know I get a lot of blog hits from Turkey.So to all of my Turkish readers, let me say "merhaba salem!" And also (translation provided by Google Translate):
"Merhaba hepiniz, ve benim blog okuma için teşekkür ederiz!" (original text: "Hello to all of you, and thanks for reading my blog!")
So I hope you (and you non-Turkish) folk enjoyed my photo essay of TurkishFest 2010! To learn more about TurkishFest here in Houston or to see other resources, here are some links for you to check out:
* TurkishFest Houston
* American Turkish Association of Houston
* Turkish Culture Foundation
Thank you for reading! Subscribe to my blog via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Click on the graphics below to subscribe to both of my blogs, and also Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page:
* Subscribe to John's Blog Space!
* Subscribe to John's Shop Space! (http://jbmshopspace.blogspot.com)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment