Sounds of the City

I spent my Fourth of July completing a copious number of fill in the blank and reading comprehension questions. For obvious reasons, Turks don't fuss over the Fourth of July. Big Brother's independence day is just another day, complete with the regular sounds of fireworks at 10 pm. Several of my classmates were blase about missing the Fourth, which of course means they have never done the Fourth right. Blase just doesn't go with illegal fireworks, hiding from the police, margaritas and coleslaw.

The noises outside my apartment windows are strangely orienting. On account of the heat, the windows are always open which means there is an incessant stream of American pop, Euro trash or Latin beats streaming in (today it sounds like the Dirty Dancing sound track). I have no idea where this music comes from and it contrasts strangely with the call to prayer played five times throughout the day.

At night the sounds become stranger. The nightly fireworks have become commonplace but the shrill whistling that begins at 12 am and often continues for an hour has yet to become less eerie. Like the music, the sound's source is a mystery. Finally, there's the awful sound of fighting cats and dogs. Istanbul is replete with stray animals and while they seem docile enough during the day, the nighttime snarling makes me wonder why there aren't more maimed animals wandering about.