Hayir, Evet

Hayir. Evet. Those two words have been the wallpaper to my first month here. They cover the walls in the streets, overhang between buildings on large banners, and litter the streets in collages of discarded pamphlets. Hayir. Evet. Bold black and red. They decorate bus stops and fill the air, projected from the speakers of campaign vans, that tour the neighborhoods blasting music and campaign slogans incomprehensible to me. In fact, they were the only words I understood from the buzz of the political swarm that has descended on Turkey: "No" and "Yes." So I have started to look into it a little bit. Sunday, I've learned, Turks will be voting on a referendum to decide whether or not to alter their constitution. I am still wrapping my head around the implications of both the "yes" and "no" votes. This website gives a concise and clear summary of the significance of Sunday's vote: http://www.euronews.net/2010/09/02/turkey-s-referendum-on-new-constitutional-future/.