VOICES columnist Amy Idem, originally from Lancashire, lives with her husband and three children, in Idil, in Turkey’s southeastern province of Şırnak. She writes about her cultural and life experiences here, and on her blog: https://memyselfandidil.wordpress.com/

Out of the woods?

DUE TO recent events in İdil and throughout Turkey, for the last three weeks our weekly market had been cancelled as it was seen to be at risk of terrorist attack due to how extremely busy it gets. 

If this had happened a year ago, I can’t say I would’ve noticed. And if I had noticed, I would have been pleased that I could now walk through town on a Tuesday without being pushed, shoved and stared at like I have three heads.

I have never been much of a market goer, I have never enjoyed them in the tourist resorts, and the one here in İdil is much the same as the first market I ever went to in Turkey.

The only difference being I don’t hear any of the classic phrases such as “cheap as chips” or “cheaper than primark”.

I don’t actually do any grocery shopping at all here, our family owns a small supermarket, which my husband works in.

I merely dictate to him what we need and at night time he brings it home. I have never felt the need or want to visit the market. Until 6 months ago.

I visit my friend’s house almost daily, she is actually the wife of my husband’s cousin and we have become very firm friends. She swears by the market for everything, fruit, vegetables, clothes and kitchen equipment.

This was the first time I had ever felt any particular urge to go, I thought if she was such a believer in the powers of the market, then surely I could give it a go too.

Then the market moved, to the main road in İdil, meaning that it would be much easier for me to walk through with my double pram. Therefore there would be less of the pushing and shoving that I so hate. I decided to give it a go. And I found myself converted!

I bought an array of items, that were so incredibly cheap it would have been stupid for me not to. That’s my excuse anyway.

There was a much bigger selection of fruit and vegetables than there is in our shop, some I didn’t even realise were available in our town. And since that day, I have been going to the market most weeks and topping up our shopping.

Going to the market is almost like a social event here, we all get ready, leave together, we laugh and joke all the way there and while there we end up bumping into relatives and people we know.

It quickly became the highlight of my week and if I couldn’t find anyone to go with or woke up too late, I’d be annoyed that my weekly trip wasn’t going to happen.  

Which is why when I learnt that it had been cancelled, I was both shocked and disappointed that it had come to this.

My friend and I spent many a day complaining about it and wondering what we were going to do about it, although we realise that the council were only thinking of our safety.

This week it was fully reinstated, and despite feeling ever so slightly on edge and glancing around that little bit more than usual, we were able to do our shopping and emerge safely.

This could have been a sign that things are getting better in İdil and I was prepared to take it thus.

Until this morning when we learnt that someone had been killed in the early hours on the other side of town. It was a harsh reminder that we are not out of the woods, and we have a long way to go.