Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines. (we’ll explain this later)
I woke up this morning to Dr Eszter Tarsoly’s 8.10am Moodle announcement, sending us a sweet reminder of the lecture venue and telling us that she couldn’t wait to see us. Where else can you find such dedication and passion?
We kicked off the third day of our programme with an interactive discussion on British migrants in Europe with writer Ben Aitken. He shared with us that the proper way to make British Fish and Chips is to grill the lemon. And that Polish weddings are actually so lit that they don’t actually start till past midnight.
This was followed with a more academic-based lecture on the basics of the discipline of anthropology and its ethnographic methods and intents. It was a good exposure particularly for those who know very little about/do not study anthropology as we learn that it is more than just fieldwork and statistics. It’s about being a good listener and putting yourself and others in perspective, and establishing a connection with the other in order to truly learn about their culture, and why they live the way they do. It was also especially thought-provoking when Zora presented us with some scenarios we could potentially face in the process of film-making, which reminded us of how important it is to be able to be adaptable to changes and uncertainties.
After the lunch break, in our daily one-hour language class, we were exposed to the languages spoken in Turkey which include Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, and Armenian. Cavinda (our language teacher) also emphasised that Turkey is very diverse in nature due to its geographical location between the East and the West.
Perhaps most importantly, we also learnt how to shop for vegetables. By watching a music video made in the 1970s, with the singer Barış Manço’s Freddie Mercury-like hair, accompanied with a couple of dancing ladies in floral bikinis. With this, we are expected to be able to start a conversation centred on buying vegetables by next week. Here goes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmcy_woJmyM
Overall, it’s been a very fulfilling day. We are heading out early in the morning to Stoke Newington tomorrow (TGIF!) to take some aesthetic photos for our blog and hunt for interviewees for the documentary.
Görüşürüz (see you later)!
European London 