Back in Izmir

 We’ve already been in Izmir for ten days, but we’ve been quite busy. The first five days we stayed in temporary accommodation, as Fr James the chaplain, was still in his apartment. But we have now moved in – and it’s all very familiar! As is Izmir, and St John’s – though, as always, there are some new members whilst others have moved on.

I've preached twice; on our first Sunday Fr James celebrated. The congregation are fairly easy to preach to, though it is quite a big building, so the congregation of 25-30 are  bit spread out. And for at least half of those attending, English is a second or third language, which can be a bit of a challenge! That’s one reason liturgical worship is preferable, as it becomes familiar for all the congregation, who can understand what is being said and done. It’s encouraging that there are a number of new young Turkish men and women attending quite regularly; we met with a couple of them on Sunday after church – and had some interesting conversations.

 We arrived at the end of Ramadan, and the beginning of the Eid/Bayram holiday, which has been extended to over a week. Most supermarkets and restaurants stayed open, but the streets were quieter in the morning, and public transport much busier for the latter part of the day, as people took advantage of the good weather and the holiday, together with free transport on a couple of the days. We’ve only had one full day off, and went to a lovely spot on the bay to the south of the main city. Most of the many picnic tables were occupied by families enjoying picnics of various complexities (some had portable stoves to brew the tea without which most Turkish meals are incomplete. The atmosphere was relaxed and convivial; there is little rowdiness or anti-social behaviour.

 Apart that is, from the increased number of electric scooters and bicycles which come at one from most directions. Izmir is a large and busy town, and the local area has narrow roads, along which many large cars and countless scooters and bikes weave their way. The scooters are rented by the hour, and then apparently abandoned all over the place. One is always looking over one’s shoulder to see what is coming (the scourge of electric motors is that they are silent!) It seems to be a matter of honour for drivers not to use their indicators – and it is rare for a driver to slow down to allow pedestrians to cross the road. If you stand back you will not be thanked in anyway. Walking in Devon one almost invariably greets those one passes with at least a smile, and usually a good morning. But here – and this may be equally true of English cities – there is little eye-contact.

 It is good to be back here; my understanding of Turkish is still depressingly poor, but we seem to get by. Outwardly, the economy seems much the same, but the country has experienced massive inflation over the past couple of years, and prices have risen. We’re barely affected, because the exchange rate has also changed – we get around 5 or 6 times as many lira to the pound as we did in 2016. There have been political changes too; President Erdoğan is still in power, but his country-wide support has lessened. In other ways his control may have increased; there seem to be more police in evidence, and life is more difficult for most refugees and asylum seekers. But for most people, life goes on. We always feel safe and comfortable when out in the streets, apart from the litter which is ubiquitous, on land and in the sea.

 This is a shorter visit than usual. Perhaps that’s not a bad thing, as we are a little slower and less energetic than we were 8 years ago. But we always have a warm welcome at St John’s, and feel almost part of the furniture. We’ve had a couple of sessions, listening to and praying with some church members. In addition, there is a weekly Evening  Prayer on line, and a Bible Study which gathers some to the church office, whilst others follow on Zoom. It seems we still have something to offer, which is good. Pray for the rest of our time here, that we can make good use of it.