Thank God for Big Sisters!

I was really starting to feel homesick and stressed. I was frustrated with school & the language barrier has tested my patience...

The timing was perfect for Mikita to be in Istanbul! She was she for over a week...and I spent 4 nights with her! We had so much fun! She had done a lot of site seeing when I was in class but we did a fair amount too!

• Went to Taksim every night to eat/drink/meet up with friends
• Princess Islands [Biked around the island, walked up to the church, had a picnic]
• Got off the Ferry at Kadakoy, the Asian side. Went to a candy shop [Mikita bought lots of Turkish delights]
• Walked under the bridge with all the restaurants in Eminou
• Met up with Mikita's friend Emra whom she met on the airplane to Istanbul.. [We met at a Gay Bar, FLAVIO--we definitely got free shots and then half price drinks!]
• Went to Dolmabace Palace gardens [too expensive for both of us to go inside the palace]
• Istanbul Modern-Art Museum....so good! [Women artists depicting ways women are objectified in Turkish culture.] [Fashion Exhibit] [Hanging books in the library....so neat! I will replicate this in my house some day...we couldn't take pictures but it was such a unique idea]
• Walked to Tophane. Ate a potato and did HOOKAH and played BACKGAMMON! It was a very Turkish afternoon!

Mikita took tons of pictures and once she posts them, I will upload a few! She has a much better camera than I do so I let her be the photographer of the excursions!


On Sunday morning, we woke up early and went on a quest to find a Turkish Hamam [bathe]. We both had no idea what to expect. However, we quickly found out! Via hand signals, we were told to put on their wooden shoes and wear the towel...NOTHING ELSE. We both were pretty uncomfortable doing that, hoping we could wear shorts and a tank top since we did not bring our swim suits. However, we did as we were told. And low and behold, we walked into a room of naked women. I won't speak for Mikita, but it was an uncomfortable feeling. After the shock of the cultural experience I was undergoing, I allowed myself to forget about the awkwardness and enjoyed the experience of a Turkish Hamam. We sat in the sauna room until the Hamam worker-ladies were finished with their "patient" and when it was our turn we moved to the middle of the room, to a square hot stone. We got a skin scrub and afterward, our skin was so soft and smooth... There was no limit to how long you can stay in the sauna--Mikita and I stayed for about 1.5 hours...and then we left.


WOW...that was the most culturally shocking experience I have yet to experience in Turkey. I enjoyed it and recommend it to others, but lets just say I am glad I went with someone I knew...and not my new friends here...


We decided to walk to Ortakoy (4miles?) to get another famous Potato...and then we were going to go back to Koc University but the buses took forever. So we said our goodbyes: I went back to Koc U. and Mikita went back to the hostel for one more night.... 

I am going to London Nov 11-17 to visit her! It was so great to have a taste of family/home in Istanbul for the week. Don't get me wrong--I love Istanbul. I am having the time of my life....but I admit to homesickness. I am lucky because in 3 weeks I see the rest of my family! :-D


Life is good.

Time flies...[Gaziantep & Hatay]

Please do not hold me to my word when I say I will blog in a timely fashion! Time disappears quickly! 

A fast recap:

Oct 14-17 [Gaziantep, Hatay/Antakya]

The minaret...

The CIEE group flew to Gaziantep. We went to Halfeti, a city that is now in two parts. Originally, Halfeti was an ancient town along the Euphrates river. In 1998 a dam was built and thousands of people were forced to relocate to Yeni [new] Halfeti because the city was submerged under the river. Although the inhabitants were 'compensated' for their loss of homes, they left durable, stone structures and moved to new, poorly built apartment complexes. Only a small area of the original Eski [old] Halfeti remains. We took a ferry down the Euphrates, saw the roof of the bus station, buildings half-way submerged by the water, and even a minaret emerging from the water, as the rest of the mosque is beneath the surface. It was crazy to see!

Me & the Euphrates...

We also went to Rumkale- Castle. The fortress was a massive structure which we climbed around. We could see ancient cave houses in the surrounding mountain side. It was amazing to view such structures, seeing how they can survive the test of time! [Unfortunately, it was really hard to capture on camera..there is a facebook album from this trip and you might take a look if you have time!]

 

After we boated down the Euphrates and back, we went back into Gaziantep and went to the Archeological Museum and saw the mosaics rescued and excavated from the city we just boated over! It was amazing. Mosaic art has never really interested me...as I think it is repetitive and usually boring. However, these mosaics were fantastic and so intricately designed. The entire city was basically covered with mosaics and perhaps only one-third was saved. So much more art and history lies beneath the surface. The sliver of history I got to experience was well worth it.

Other things we did: 

-Coppersmith Bazaar

-Sokullu Mehmet Pasa Caravanserai [part of the Silk Road]

-Climbed another castle

-Roman water Tunnel & a Besikli Cave

-Delicious food [Gaziantep is famous for their lamb kebab and Baklava!]

-Harbiye Waterfall (The place where Daphne turned into a Laurel tree? I'm not good with mythology)

-Another Mosaic Museum

-10 minutes of a Greek Orthodox Church Service

-Kunefe [a dessert that is cheese and syrup but oh so gooooood]
-Saint Peter's Cave-Church [Where the concept of the word 'Christianity' originated?]

Hafta dört

Merhaba! Günaydin! [Hello! Good morning!]

Waffles & Beer:

I just celebrated my 21st birthday in Turkey and although that has absolutely no significance in Europe, it still held meaning for me! Some of us went out and I could legally buy alcohol! We went to this restaurant that advertised "Waffle and Beer"...it was a hole-in-the-wall place, ran by a mother and son. 

I drank my first beer (fact: I honestly had never drank an entire beer before..) and then I had a shot of Russian Vodka and Tequila. OK...so it was a Monday night and being who I am...I woke up for my 9:30 class and didn't skip a beat! But it was a great birthday. We did Karaoke to Britney Spears, Nsync, Michael Jackson, and the Spice Girls. It was a chill night but awesome and one I will remember!

 

Random:

Bir- They don't have ovens...and I am really craving a warm chocolate chip cookie.

İki- There are 29 letters in the Turkish Alphabet... there is an i with a dot and an ı without a dot...that is also the case for capital letters so there is I and an İ ..(I guess there is a reason behind elementary teachers saying "remember to dot your i's and cross your t's)

Oh an x and w do not exist, which makes my last name sort of non-existent.

Üç- Toilet paper is not provided in the bathroom of the dorm...I'm trying to make 8 roles last me all semester..ha

Dört- Trash is everywhere...I went on the most glorious Bosphorus tour but the water is littered with debris and trash (pink garden glove, green soccer ball, blue bucket), tarnishing the beautiful view but making for a great game of "I Spy"

Beş- It rains almost every single day....and by rain, I really don't mean to exaggerate but I mean TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. Yeah. 

Koç Universitesi VERSUS Berea College:

Really I don't know where to begin. I could say Polar Opposites and that would indeed begin to explain the differences.... In short, it can be summed up by this: Berea College is for "poor" Appalachian students and Koç is for the "richest of rich" Turkish students. Once you get into Koç, academics do not matter, reflected in the average 1.2 GPA. WOW

Students arrive late to class...by 15-30 minutes.

Regarding appearance, many people dress up, wear designer clothes, pack on the make-up, and spend hours fixing their hair. People even look nice when at the gym...I am very confused by how that is possibly! If I were to wear sweatpants to class, I think I would be shunned!

[I  have 9:30 classes, I roll out of bed, find something to wear, throw my hair up in a pony-tail and roll into class usually ON TIME. At home, I have so many cute clothes but when I packed for this Turkish adventure, I choose the more modest, comfy, plain wardrobe. Lets just say, when I try to "dress up" it doesn't compare... oh well. Comfort over fashion, hands down!]

Dolmuş:

A Dolmuş is the most common type of transportation when going to and from Koç. Koç resides on top of a high mountain/hill, winding through little villages, taking about 15 minutes to get to the nearest town of Sariyer which is only 3miles away. If you've been to WV the hills are comparable. Riding in a Dolmuş, you do not have personal space and usually you don't have a seat, but are holding on to a bar while standing. I am trying to set the stage because here is the craziest part. The Dolmuş is STICK SHIFT! Not only are there hills, but the driver stops nearly 20 times before arriving at the final destination...and he exchanges money for each passenger while driving. [I learned how to drive stick shift this summer..perhaps that is why I am so amazed, but I am impressed!]

English-Sitting: 

It's not exactly babysitting, but it is a 4 hours commitment per week. I have a job that lets me go to a wonderful family's house and play with their 3 year old son, Karem. He speaks Turkish. I speak English. My job is to speak English around him, because its not with him..as he doesn't know what I am saying! It can be frustrating because I do not know when he is upset and he does not listen that well...but thankfully his mother is always there (although she does not speak great English, she can help!). His father speaks nearly perfect English...I have only been working one week, but I think I would love it. I stay there for dinner (which is Turkish home-cookin') and hang out with the little boy. He is super cute. Yesterday, the father said he learned how to cook stove popcorn and I said that my mom always cooked popcorn on Sundays and the family had a movie night....well he went out, bought some popcorn and we had a family movie night. It was so sweet. It's like a host family. So far it is wonderful!

I am off to the Euphrates River today for a weekend trip with the CIEE group--Gaziantep, Antakya, and Hatay.

... I will put up pictures & blog!

I have a thing for ferry boats...

Princess Islands--Buyukara

Perhaps the last beautiful (warm) day in Istanbul, four of us ventured off to Kadakoy to catch the Ferry. [I have a thing for ferry boats.] We woke up at 8:30, deciding we would skip the "Beach Party" the night before which, rumor has it, led to a lot of drunk people and hooking up! Oh, and it was 40degrees outside...which does scream "PARTY" to me! 

We ordered Cay (tea) and bought semit (a plain bread pastry). We tried this sweet cake wafer thing too. The view was beautiful, passing through the Bosphorus into the Aegean sea. Anyway...the island does not have cars. The only mode of transportation is either a horse carriage or bikes. We opted for the cheaper bikes, not only because we didn't want to spend 50lira on a 10 minute carriage ride, but because the horses smelled. There was a lot of horse waste on the roads...perhaps the only downfall of the island was the smell! Ha.

Also, with bikes, we could take out time and stop to breathe in the beauty of our surroundings. The island was perhaps 15miles in circumference. At the center of Buyukada, after winding up steep mountains, there is a pilgrimage church [Aya Yorgi]. This Orthodox Christian church is up a steep hill, perhaps a mile walk---impossible to bike! We hiked up, huffing and puffing, but it was all worth it once we reached the top. The church is very tiny. Burcu (my Turkish mentor) told us that the Pope and thousands of people come to this church(yes, they walk too) and pray together during this pilgrimage.

We learned a lot about Turkey during this excursion. Burcu explained the agenda of the current government--unfortunately, there is a push to make women begin to wear head coverings again. However, since Turkey is a secular state, religious practices such as wearing a head covering is not permitted in public places, such as universities or official buildings. We saw these four women walking to the church. We were wearing t-shirts and complaining it was so hot!  ...thought this picture was pretty neat!

We had packed a picnic feast and gobbled it up on top of the mountain...with a view overlooking the Aegean Sea. The air was so clean and pure, with a breeze blowing just enough to make it feel like Fall!

We decided to bike around the island instead of just turning around and going back to the central area of the Island. I must say, I believe this trip has been my best day in Turkey.

The view was unbelievable. Plus, good conversation--good exercise--good food--good weather!..and we experienced a new part of Turkey. We departed at 5:30..we got back to campus at 9:30 [Oh traffic!]....

Stay tuned for a general post about every-day life in Turkey. For it is nothing like the US...nor is Koc University ANYTHING like Berea College.

They Say It's a Man's World...

[and that cannot be denied]…last Wednesday, we went to a Pazar in Sariyer, which is an open-air market that each city has on different days. Many of us (exchange students) remarked that it was rare to find a man who was doing the “buying” of goods. They  sold the produce and goods but only foreign men were “shopping.” Another incident we noted was while taking a bus into the city, many people were swimming and fishing. Throughout the 1+hour bus ride, I saw [many] two women on the coast. It is not socially acceptable for them to swim [or fish]…strange.

It’s also a world where the Turkish Flag can be seen everywhere…. Statues of Ataturk are found on every street & park….cats and dogs roam the streets in packs, eating any scraps they find….and everything runs on “Turkish Time” which is on average 30minutes late…

Oh! How could I forget….the men! First, they love to rock the “mini-mullet.” I’ve seen several guys with short or “soccer-player” hair but then one strand remains that is about 10inches….really? WHY! Second, the men are very more touchy-feely! When walking down the street, they either link arms or wrap their arms around the shoulders.  It was something strange at first, but I got used to seeing it! In the United States, there is such a stigma attached to guys who hug, touch, or kiss on the cheek…in Turkey, its normal!

The call to prayer occurs 5 times a day, but I have yet to see anyone stop to observe the prayer time. Perhaps this is because Turkey is a secular country. My mentor, Burcu told us that it is an unwritten rule that if you have a tattoo it means you are not Muslim—for your body cannot be cleansed if you have a tattoo—and it is sort of rebellion against the religion.

A lot has happened since I last wrote. I will try to do better because this might be a long entry!

TOURIST:

Interior of Blue Mosque

We went to Sultanahmet on Saturday  Sept. 27 and were quite the tourists. Attempting to travel in a group as large as 30, we did not have much time to explore but had to stick to our tight schedule. Anyway, we went to the Blue Mosque, a mosque that still is open for worship. Inside was amazing…its hard to explain or capture on film… every corner and flat surface possible was covered with intricate designs of blues, reds, yellows, greens, and black motif and calligraphy. The way the light enters and explodes in the mosque is something credible. 

Okay...so the Blue mosque is fascinating but so is the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom)...from Art History courses, I was told about the halo of light created by the circumference of windows that the dome sets on....and let me tell you!...it is a site to see. The design, once again is absurdly intricate and tedious. The mosaics that decorate the walls and ceilings have slowly fallen into disrepair but what remains is quite a work of art!  I recommend visiting the Hagia Sophia if ever given the opportunity....I am certain I will return so I can spend more time in this architectural masterpiece!

We also went to the underground cistern (once holding 100,000 tons of water...supplying for the entire city of Istanbul). To think I was two stories UNDER the city of Istanbul, in a chamber that has stood for hundreds of years! (I threw a 10kurus coin into the water, made a wish!) There were two huge heads of Medusa as the base of columns in the cistern...the purpose was to keep away evil from the precious water source of the city. (More pictures can be found in my Facebook photo albums, fyi)

 

Tamam (OKAY in Turkish)...the Grand Bazaar was BAZAAR! We spend 2+ hours there and it was overwhelming. Such a tourist trap! The stores are concentrated with a particular "good," such as jewelery, scarves, hookahs, clothing, tea sets, etc. Anyway, it is a MUST to go to the Grand Bazaar but I don't know how often I will go there to purchase gifts...

 

 

SCHOOL:

We had our first week of classes. I consider myself someone who is used to being under a lot of stress…but WOW…registration at Koc University was beyond my stress-level tolerance. A had to get about 11 signatures to register for 4 classes and it took 4 days to get it all straightened out. But I think I managed to get the courses I wanted....I am excited to get the Turkish perspective about world issues! I am taking Social Change & Development, International Migration, Intro. to Dance, Mythology and Religion, and Turkish Language! It will be an interesting semester...

Oh I went out with friends yesterday....drank my first Beer....its a pretty nasty drink! But I tried it! The drink of Turkey is Raki, which I will bring back for people to try! It is a hard liquor that tastes like Black Liquorish.

It's Turkey....nothing goes as planned but I'm learning to go with the flow.

[More soon...I promise!]