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!]