186: Young Turks: An Unconventional Love Story

We never know when—or even if—and where love will find us. It happened to find Nazife Uner of Izmir, Turkey, as she travelled home from high school in the early 1960s. At that time in Turkey most marriages were arranged by family members, but the mysterious stranger of fate seemed to have orchestrated Nazife and Mustafa’s relationship as their eyes met on a ferryboat one afternoon 57 years ago. One could call it love at first sight, but sometimes a simple, silent glance speaks powerfully. After Nazife transferred to a bus for the final leg of her journey home, she looked back as the bus began to push off to see if Mustafa was in pursuit. He was. And after their eyes locked for a second time he began to run after her bus. Listen as Nazife shares the rest of her and Mustafa’s unconventional Turkish love story and learn how dedicated devotion can overcome even the most ingrained cultural customs.