CHAPTER 6

"They're fine. Their situation is the same as in Italy, but in my country, the spread of COVID is slower compared to here."

"Yesterday, my parents told me they're okay too. How about your parents?" Rose asked.

"The same, it's the same in Turkey. Now I hear that my country is experiencing severe inflation," Aslan said, sitting on the sofa and looking at Rose, who was not far away.

"Oh, really? How come? As far as I know, in the era of Erdogan, he's considered a figure who fought for the glory of Islam," Rose said, looking at Aslan, and they exchanged glances.

Aslan patted the sofa next to him, inviting Rose to sit beside him. "Come here; let's talk."

"Oh, okay," said Rose.

Rose then sat beside Aslan. She enjoyed talking to this man because their conversations seemed to flow naturally, from medical topics to politics, and it all felt easygoing. From this close distance, she could smell the scent of Aslan's perfume; it seemed like he was wearing Christian Dior Sauvage with a not-too-strong aroma.

"So, what's your take on all of this?" Rose asked, curious.

"Fortunately, I've been a British citizen for a long time, so I don't worry too much about the currency devaluation," Aslan replied.

Aslan looked at Rose and lowered the volume of the TV. "Do you know Turkey?"

"Yes, of course, your country is quite famous in my country."

"In my opinion, Turkey, especially in the Mediterranean region of the Middle East, currently has an unhealthy economy. This, of course, affects Turkey, which has a declining economy due to the impact of neighboring countries."

"Inflation in Turkey is relatively high, around 10-15 percent every year, causing its currency to lose purchasing power. Turkey's neighboring countries, like Greece, Syria, and Lebanon, also have unstable economies, so they can't benefit from the regional economy."

"I know; the government has been trying hard to intervene with the central bank, but it has caused distrust among the public and the global community. Plus, the pandemic is affecting Turkey's income from the tourism sector. They usually receive many foreign tourists."

"Wow, you really observe things, even though you're in the UK."

Aslan smiled, "I always keep an eye on economic movements."

"How's the economy in the UK?"

"It's also declining, in my opinion."

"Oh really? Isn't that a great country?" Rose asked.

"I see it going through a setback right now."

"Why?"

"It's due to social regression and economic performance. Although poverty rates have decreased, the number of homeless and people sleeping on the streets has dramatically increased."

"What's causing it?"

"Many of them are accustomed to a life of alcohol, violence, drugs, depression, suicide, and rape. I've noticed that most of the homeless are young people who have been expelled by their own parents. There are also couples who are forced to use drugs to cope with depression. Child poverty rates there are also quite high for a developed country. Approximately 2.1 million British children live below the poverty line."

"Unfortunately, the mainstream media there keeps showing the world that the British are all wealthy. Yes, many are wealthy, but poverty isn't highlighted," Aslan remarked.

"But don't they have unemployment benefits, housing subsidies, and charities that help the homeless there?"

"They do, but the amounts are limited."

"I see, I didn't know that."

"As far as I know, the good welfare states are in Scandinavia and Germany. There are plenty of job opportunities if you're willing to work. You can be a shopkeeper, a waiter, a cleaning service worker, and there are many part-time jobs for student immigrants. Many blame the right-wing for always blaming immigrants, so they end up marginalized, but in reality, the native population doesn't want to do manual labor, like immigrants."

Rose smiled, "It's the same in Indonesia. Those who become overseas workers (TKI) or factory workers, it doesn't matter if it's tough work as long as it generates income. They're not ashamed to do any job."

"I agree with you. When it comes to making a living, there's no shame in working."

"But I heard about the news of illegal immigrants raping British teenage girls. What's the news on that?" Rose asked, curious because during her time in the hotel, she mostly read articles on her phone.

"Oh, that. Those were immigrants from South Asia, Pakistan, Bangladesh. A friend showed me the investigative video. The British government is also concerned about illegal immigrants, but they'll surely catch the immigrant gangs soon."

"Have you been to the UK?" Aslan asked, looking at Rose.

"I have."

"Do you want to go to the UK?"

Rose raised an eyebrow, "Why would I go there?"

"To my home. It seems unsafe here."

"Isn't it unsafe there too?" Rose laughed, and she saw Aslan join in the laughter.