By Lauren Duhon, SSH Correspondent
Traveling abroad can be overwhelming. Listening to foreign languages and being unable to decipher any familiar words becomes tiresome. You seek for some sort of familiarity, but you often don’t find it, especially if you are traveling alone.
Walking around by yourself as a young woman is even scarier. This is my situation this summer in Istanbul, Turkey.
I’m living here for several weeks, and I find myself fearing the unknown as I try to navigate the streets to work and other places around the city. The people I sometimes encounter add to the fear. I have had the misfortune of being harassed often since I arrived last week. I feel like a target for harassment with “I’m an American” stamped on my forehead. I receive dubious looks from passersby everywhere I go. Men mumble things to me as they stand there inspecting my every move. I don’t need to know to Turkish to know they are saying something offensive.
I’ve sat on the bus and felt my privacy diminish as men invade my space, inching closer and closer. I’ve noticed countless guys slow down their pace as they walk by to check me out. In one instance, I even had a guy follow me to work and get in my face trying to grab my attention. The worst was when I heard him say “Masha’Allah” under his breath in a sensual tone, which literally means “God has willed it” or praise to God. Words can’t even begin to explain how wrong that is, and the sad thing is that isn’t the first time I’ve heard that used in a derogatory way.
The unfortunate truth is that more of these instances will occur during my stay. And, being unable to speak Turkish, I’m unable to verbally defend myself. The only thing I know how to say in my defense is “çok ayıp”, which is a way of harshly saying “shame on you” to my understanding. I’m forced to keep walking and feel vulnerable. I shouldn’t feel afraid to ride the bus or walk freely in public places. I should feel comfortable with exploring a beautiful city that not everyone gets to experience.
As a foreigner, many people have welcomed me into their daily lives and routines, but the harassment I have faced is far from the hospitality I have received.
Lauren Duhon is a student journalist from LSU in Baton Rouge, La. She’s interning at Today’s Zaman this summer.
