This is the story of what happens when you decide to dress up like your favorite Turkish soap opera stars…
Yesterday we were in Skopje for another Hub Day. We were told the night before that we could dress for an early Halloween celebration. Of course some fellow volunteers and I immediately discussing what we could dress up as in such short notice. Thursday was a holiday in Macedonia, so most of the stores were closed, so no chance of buying supplies for a costume. Then my friend Rebekah and I had a brilliant idea…
Yesterday we were in Skopje for another Hub Day. We were told the night before that we could dress for an early Halloween celebration. Of course some fellow volunteers and I immediately discussing what we could dress up as in such short notice. Thursday was a holiday in Macedonia, so most of the stores were closed, so no chance of buying supplies for a costume. Then my friend Rebekah and I had a brilliant idea…
I think I’ve mentioned how I watch a Turkish soap opera with my family-especially my host dad and brother. The show is called Сила (Cee-la). You can Google this and it is called Sila in Latin letters. Every night, Monday-Saturday, don’t bother contacting me because we’re busy. You would find us curled up on the couch at 7:45 ready to watch the new episode. Each night they give a 15 minute recap of the previous night’s episode so if you missed on an episode, no worries. You can piece together what happened the next episode. |
Here’s what you need to know about Sila:
-It’s extremely cheesy and terribly acted
-Similar to American soap operas, we laugh when the characters are crying, and believe me, they cry A LOT
-The episodes are drawn out and dramatic
-Macedonian language is dubbed over the Turkish language, so the mouth doesn’t match the words
-As terrible as the acting is, they speak slowly and help us (fellow volunteers) learn Macedonian
-For some reason, many of us can't stay away :)
If you’re interested in the plot line, here’s a recap of Sila:
Sila is the main character and she, at a young age was sold to another family and grew up with who she thought were her biological parents. Then, circumstances change when she is in her early 20s (we think; maybe late teens). She is stolen back from her original family and is forced to marry a Turkish man, Boran. Sila hates her life and is crying at least 80% of every episode. But as the shows continue, Boran displays acts of kindness towards Sila and she contemplates her feelings for him. But, one night she escapes for the day with her old boyfriend and Boran finds out. He gets drunk, forces himself on her when she returns home, and she is traumatized. Fast forward a bit and Sila runs away to Istanbul with her boyfriend and is away from Boran, however, she realizes she loves Boran but flashes back to the good and bad times. Because Sila ran away from home, it’s Turkish tradition for Sila’s father to kill her because she disobeyed the law. However, she finds out she is pregnant by Boran’s child and shocked us all! I have gasped many times, catching myself off guard with how into the show I am.
SO the moment you've all been waiting for. What was my and Rebekah’s brilliant idea? Well, to dress up like Boran and Sila of course…
-It’s extremely cheesy and terribly acted
-Similar to American soap operas, we laugh when the characters are crying, and believe me, they cry A LOT
-The episodes are drawn out and dramatic
-Macedonian language is dubbed over the Turkish language, so the mouth doesn’t match the words
-As terrible as the acting is, they speak slowly and help us (fellow volunteers) learn Macedonian
-For some reason, many of us can't stay away :)
If you’re interested in the plot line, here’s a recap of Sila:
Sila is the main character and she, at a young age was sold to another family and grew up with who she thought were her biological parents. Then, circumstances change when she is in her early 20s (we think; maybe late teens). She is stolen back from her original family and is forced to marry a Turkish man, Boran. Sila hates her life and is crying at least 80% of every episode. But as the shows continue, Boran displays acts of kindness towards Sila and she contemplates her feelings for him. But, one night she escapes for the day with her old boyfriend and Boran finds out. He gets drunk, forces himself on her when she returns home, and she is traumatized. Fast forward a bit and Sila runs away to Istanbul with her boyfriend and is away from Boran, however, she realizes she loves Boran but flashes back to the good and bad times. Because Sila ran away from home, it’s Turkish tradition for Sila’s father to kill her because she disobeyed the law. However, she finds out she is pregnant by Boran’s child and shocked us all! I have gasped many times, catching myself off guard with how into the show I am.
SO the moment you've all been waiting for. What was my and Rebekah’s brilliant idea? Well, to dress up like Boran and Sila of course…