So I´ve been in Diyarbakır for about a month, and it seemed appropriate to write a blog post. The month has gone by both quickly and slowly. Before I arrived in late September, I had noticed increasing violence in the SE, and this has only escalated since my arrival. Diyarbakır has so far been pretty isolated from these events, besides a few protests here and there. People however, are obviously concerned about the growing violence.
It will be really interesting to see what impact the earthquacke has on this conflict. I sense a growing discontent with the state due to state response, and the poor construction which caused many of the buildings to collapse. Granted, poor construction is probably everywhere in Turkey, but in an area that already feels neglected, this earthquacke is bound to heighten regional tension.
But enough about politics. Things that are pleasant in Diyarbakır: the fact that there´s a bakery on every street. Going to the butcher and actually getting meat off of a whole animal. The extremely unnerving generosity of the people here. If I could just find some decent espresso....
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