Happy Holidays from Fenerbahce Worldwide

Happy Holidays from Fenerbahce Worldwide
By Nathan L. Redd

One of my favorite things about operating this website is checking the visitor statistics every day - seeing how many visitors we have, where they are from, etc. We have a lot of visitors from Turkiye, USA, England, Canada, and Brasil obviously, but nearly every time I check I'm surprised to see visitors from El Salvador, Japan, Israel, Kuwait, Iran, Palestine, Iceland, Australia, and everywhere else you can imagine. Sometimes as I'm looking at the locations, I sit and wonder who these people are, what their lives are like, etc. Chances are if you are reading this, I've probably sat and thought about you and what brought you to this blog. I can honestly say that I am thankful for each and everyone of you who visit this site, whether it is once or daily.

As most of you know, I am American and was born to American parents. I had very little connection to Turkiye before becoming a Fenerbahce fan. Although my nationality and passport says that I'm American, my heart is Turkish. Because of this, I consider myself fortunate to celebrate Christmas as well as Bayram/Eid, etc. That is what I love about being a part of the Fenerbahce Cumhuriyeti (Fenerbahce Republic). I spoke very little Turkish when I started this website, and my Turkish is still spotty at best now. However, being a Fenerbahce fan is more than belonging to a specific nationality, religion, or race. It doesn't matter where you live, what holidays you celebrate, or what your personal convictions are - Fenerbahce is larger than us all. The Fenerbahce Republic welcomes us regardless of what our backgrounds are. I experienced this firsthand when I attended my first Fenerbahce match just two months ago. If I had a nickel for every time another fan told me "you are my brother" I would be a wealthy man. However, this had very little to do with me. They would do the same for you as well. That is what makes Fenerbahce the greatest club on Earth - the fans themselves. The Fenerbahce Republic welcomes us all.

I say this because we are ALL Fenerbahce. Some of us will celebrate Christmas today, some will celebrate Bayram/Eid, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, or another holiday. However, we are all united as part of the Fenerbahce Cumhuriyeti.

No matter where in the world you are as you read this, I hope these holidays are wonderful for you and your family. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Bayram/Eid, Hannukah, or something else, I hope and pray that the holidays bring you joy and happiness. From my friend Ozgur Nazilli and myself, thank you for visiting our website. Merry Christmas and Iyi Bayramlar to each of you!