Travel writing from my study abroad program in Turkey; the Burch Field Research Seminar through UNC-CH. Five weeks in Istanbul, two weeks traveling Western Turkey. Awesomeness.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

ItalianAsianWhiteTurk

Yesterday we didn't meet until 1:00 p.m. so when I woke up around 10:00, I had time to kill so I did some reading for our program and messed around on Facebook. At about 11:30, I went down to the corner cafe/restaurant to grab some pilav from our friend Mehmet, the owner, by myself. But Mehmet wasn't there! So I had to get it from some other guy working there. There were some Turks sitting at the small little table and stools outside and while the guy working there went to get change from one of the many electronic stores on our street, these Turks started pointing at me just chilling in the doorway.

Of course, I know like no Turkish so I have no clue what's going on. Eventually one of the guys looks directly at me and is like "Italian?"

My very clear response is "No, American." And American in Turkish is Amerikanim so it's essentially the same thing and definitely not Italyanim.

Another guy nudges the first and repeats "Italian!"

Then all of them are going "Italian!"

Meanwhile I'm looking at them kind of askance, and repeating "Hayir (no). I'm American."

By the time I got my change and my pilav these guys were still convinced I was Italian no matter how many times I said otherwise.

Alright, so it really wasn't that entertaining of a story, but still, I just don't understand why these Turks kept insisting I was Italian. I honestly didn't know what their deal was and I missed Mehmet.

At 1:00 we started class. Poor Yekta (our Turkish UNC student) had to simultaneously translate a video we were watching on railroads. She did an excellent job though. Professor Murat Ozyuksel from Istanbul University (who was also in the video) was was there to talk to us about the significance of the railroad in Turkey, urbanization, and more than anything, industrialization. We especially talked about how it effected Istanbul and attempts to rebuild it along European lines.

We eventually got into a discussion on politics in Turkey and how the party in power, AKP, has the possibility of being outlawed. AKP is way conservative and heavily identifies with Islam, but in Turkey's multi-party system, it gathered like 45% of the votes in the last election. Essentially AKP can be outlawed in Turkey for not being Turkish enough because Turkey has to follow Ataturk's nationalism. Nationalism is huge here. You see Turkish flags everywhere as well as Ataturk's image with his crazy eyebrows peering at you like Big Brother. It was heartening, however, to hear that Prof. Ozyuksel was very pro-democracy despite being extremely leftist. He did not want AKP to be outlawed despite it being far from his own views.

After contemplating some of this as a class on our terrace overlooking the great monuments and waterways of Istanbul, Prof. Shields left us. At about 6:30 we were navigating our way to her flat off Istiklal for some delicious fajitas made by William. Somehow we roped them into playing Catch Phrase which Amanda brought from the States and I think we all had a great time. At least Prof and William were laughing, so I'll take it that they were having a good time. After swapping some stories we headed back to our own flat.

Amanda, Edward, and I kind of lagged behind the rest of the group and ended deciding to stop in at a few shops on Istiklal. They were definitely not as expensive as I expected them to be. You could easily shop for shirts under 20 lira at a few stores. As much as Istiklal seems to be the it place to be, I expected more designer expensive stores.

Today was also a late day for class meeting. But Kristina and I got out the door by 11:30 to go do some research on our project on the Orient Express and Sirkeci Station. Sirkeci was up and running as the Ottoman Empire's main train station in Istanbul in 1880 so we explored quite a bit of its old architecture and history. They even had a little museum in the Sirkeci Station, but it was mostly in Turkish.

Kristina and I decided we had to eat at the Orient Express Restaurant (Est. 1890) as part of our experience. It was a little expensive, but it was delicious and my meal came with amazingly buttery mash potatoes. After lunch, we headed out to meet the rest of the group at 1:45 outside of the Museum of Islamic Art. However, we got sidetracked when we ran into this little art store this women had setup with another artist. Their paintings were amazing. I really wanted this one watercolor picture of Istanbul, but it was 100 euros, so I decided I better pass on it. It was so pretty though...

Due to getting sidetracked, we were a bit late to our meeting, but it was all good. Art historian Nazende Yilmaz from Mimar Sinan University took us around the museum and talked with us afterwards about Islamic art and architecture.

We then took a short break and Kelly, Kristina, and I decided to grab some ice cream. After getting our ice cream, we walked back through the old hippodrome that has been converted into a park outside of Sultanahmet and grabbed a bench near the Egyptian obelisk the Byzantines imported way back in the 5th century. We were just sitting there watching the people walk by and waiting until it was time to meet up again when this Asian man walks up and asks in broken English for a picture.

Thinking he meant for us to take a picture of him and his group, Kelly says sure. Before we know it, the man sits down on the bench with us while another Asian man motions for us to get together for the picture. We all smile uncertainly and then start to laugh as he takes the picture, and then they switch places so we take a picture with the other Asian man. It was so weird!

Both these guys were clearly here with their families as they watched as the picture was taken. Afterwards, one of them asked me how old we were. I responded that I was 20 and motioned with my hands. He nodded, thanked us, waved, and they all walked away. Seriously, one of the strangest things ever.

We sat there for a few minutes trying to figure out what exactly just happened. The best we could come up with was that as clearly Asian tourists, they don't see fully white people that much. Especially three young white women with three different hair colors sitting together on a bench. (Kelly's a dark brunette, Kristina's a redhead, and I'm, well, a mix between brunette and blonde). It's a rarity in Istanbul too.

We then met with Hande (I can't remember if she ever gave us a last name), a young Turkish woman that had hair I would kill for, that spent an hour and half teaching us Turkish at our medressi/cafe/art place that houses our classroom. We had a lot of fun, though I still hate learning languages in a class setting no matter how informal it was. I imagined I still looked like a deer in the headlights when called upon, though all of us struggled a bit. Just some more than others. Kevin has been practicing his Turkish daily from a book, while Yekta, well, knows Turkish.

We made our way back to our flat, taking the underground uphill Tunel subway from the Karakoy stop to the beginning of Istiklal for the experience. Plus it allowed us to walk down to our flat and not up the ridiculous hill. After a grabbing a bite to eat, an awesome pita doner for me, some of us headed out to Istiklal for a beer and to walk around a bit. We walked the length of Istiklal, chatted with two polis, saw a Turkish woman yell at the ground, and heard a very impressive belch from a man.

Bedtime now. We have to get up early tomorrow. Ugh.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Muhammad's Giant Foot

Today started relatively early. Ugh. I was still pretty excited though, because we were going to Topkapi Palace! We've been around it, we've been over it, we've been under it, and we've been right at it's entrance; but we've never been in it.

Leslie Pierce, an expert on Ottoman harem culture led us around the palace. I've been in some pretty architecturally and decoratively impressive places, and I have to say the Topkapi Palace is up there with them, especially the harem section, which, in reality, is it's own palace.

A little bit of history on Topkapi Palace:

It was originally built in the 1460s by Mehmet the Conqueror after getting told that his palace/government building wasn't good enough by some Iranian prince. More and more was added on to it over the years. It's basically a linear palace; as you pass through the gates, it got increasing private. The harem was added by Suleyman the Magnificent after he fell in love and married his concubine. Before, the palace was male only, but Suleyman moved her into the palace and gradually the harem grew. The sultan's mother aka the Queen Mother eventually became very important as well in the palace and wielded much authority while residing in the harem.

The harem was not the stereotyped residence of a bunch of enslaved concubines. As stated, the Queen Mother ruled the harem and also wielded enormous influence in the Ottoman Empire. Concubines did live there and there were slaves. Also included in the harem were the mothers of all the princes, servants, attendants, and children, but it was essentially the residence of all the women in the palace.

The harem itself was almost overwhelming with room after room of blue-green Ottoman tile, domed ceilings, stained glass windows. These concubines and others were living the good life if what we saw was any indication. The harem was massive and we only saw a section of it. It was essentially a palace inside the palace.

Before going inside the harem though, we went into the sultan's private chambers where Islamic relics are now stored. Such relics included the prophet David's sword, you know, post-Goliath and whatnot. Also they had the prophet Moses' rod, which parted the waters of the sea - completely legit. And Muhammad's giant footprint. And his beard. And his tooth.

Muhammad had a large foot. Just to say. He also wielded a huge sword.

While we were walking through this section, also decorated with blue and green tile work the Ottoman's are so well-known for, they had an iman read the Qur'an out loud and projected through speakers. Oh, and no photography or videoing allowed. They had hundreds of people file through these few rooms including bunches of school children. They had some information up in Turkish, English, and Arabic and it was interesting to read the Islamic version of events I'm so familiar with through both secular and Christian history. Also apparently the prophet Joseph (you know, him of the technicolor dreamcoat) was the hottie of his day in Islamic tradition.

So we have a highly attractive Joseph, David's sword, Moses's Rod, and Muhammad's footprint, beard, and tooth.

The real question: is it legit? We came to the conclusion that it really doesn't matter because Muslims believe it's for real. Science may not get a chance to put their hands on it to say one way or another, but as long as Islamic tradition says its legitimated then that means everything.

After the palace, it was pretty late and Kelly, Edward, and I were starving so we left the others behind. We quickly navigated our way to a relatively cheap restaurant for the touristy area we were in. We met this family there from Florida that for some reason, I can't quite put my finger on it, really annoyed me. I also, for the first time, had to use one of those hole in the ground toilets that Turkey seems to think is a good idea. Eh, no thanks.

We then met Mr. Delicious at the bakery next door. He was a rotund Turkish man that, I do have to say, knows how to make good baklava so I'll let him keep the name he gave us when we were introduced. Maybe we'll see Mr. Delicious again.

Following that, we took a leisurely stroll back to our flat where I fell asleep for a late afternoon nap with the French Open playing on the TV and a slightly chilly breeze coming in from Bosphorus. Later, most of us grabbed a bite to eat at the two cafes that our right at our flat where we are quickly became regulars. They served us tea today, free of charge!

Right now I'm stressing about all the work that seems to be falling on us that I had put out of my mind when I first arrived here. I keep having to remind myself that this is not some grand vacation, but a UNC honors program. There is a reason that we're meeting all these experts, artists, and historians. At the same time, I went this to be all about the Turkish fun and experience as it is summer. Hmmm, dilemma.

TMT - Too Much Techno

Our first weekend in Istanbul...who knows what might happen?

Friday night Kristina made our leftover pasta into a casserole with some cheese and lentils thrown in for flavor. Deliciously spicy. Yum. Also real wine, not cooking wine. Real wine that a German recommended in the little neighborhood grocery store.

After that it was time to go out for the first time as a group on Istiklal. So our Turkish friend Murat brought nine Americans to a little hole in the ground bar called Darkness. This bar didn't know what hit them when nine Americans showed up exclaiming over the high prices for alcohol.
There is a legit reason for the high price on alcohol. One, a lot of it is imported. Two, Turkey is a Muslim country.

Turkey, under the memory and influence of Ataturk, is super nationalistic, which is part of the reason we see Turkish flags everywhere. And also part of the reason the ruling political party can be totally outlawed because they are being "un-Turkish." This brings up a whole nother debate though on how Turkey can be a real democracy when the current political party in power can be disbanded. But will save this discussion for another day. Anyway, because Turkey is super-nationalistic, anything imported is heavily taxed, skyrocketing the prices. Such as diet Coke aka Coca-Cola Light. The cheapest I've seen for a can of Coke is 1.50 lira and, as most of you may know, it's a requirement for me to have at least one diet Coke a day. Otherwise I got all catatonic or manic depressive, or something equally unpleasant. So imported liquor is really expensive.

To add on to that, being primarily Muslim, Turks don't have any liquor besides raki so if you want a vodka based drink...yeah. 15 lira for a drink? No thanks, I'll stick with the national beer aka Efes at 3 lira.

So we enjoyed our beer and our complimentary assortment of nuts, sitting on the tables in the street, and exclaiming over the prostitute that appeared out of a doorway a few bars down.

Okay, I know that sounds really sketchy...a prostitute, a small bar called Darkness...yeah, it sounds sketchy. But in truth, it really wasn't. I felt entirely comfortable with my Efes, friends, music pumping along the streets, and the many Turks strolling along.

After a bit Murat and his two friends took us to a club. The first we went to was fine, especially when we realized that we didn't have to pay a cover charge, but then we had to buy drinks to stay. None of us wanted to spend any more money on drinks so we left and Murat & co. took us to another club. Here, they were friends with the manager and were able to get us in for free which was awesome.

Oh techno music. Oh dancing Turks. As Kristina says, "We danced the hokey-pokey with Turks all night." Turks don't dance with their hips, but with their shoulders. So after being consumed by techno for a few hours, we decided to call it a night.

Saturday was a lazy day. After being so "culturally stimulated" so to speak over the past week and exploring a new city I was ready to recharge my batteries.

I got up a bit before noon and grabbed a pilaf below our apartment for a quick fix on food. Afterwards, Kristina and I made plans to get to work on our presentation on Dolmabahce Palace, but then we found out that you have to go on a guided tour to go inside. Scratch that idea. So after piddling around for awhile and being completely unmotivated we finally stumbled across an idea - Sirkeci Station and the Orient Express. Maybe not quite as exciting as Edward and Amanda's hanam, but still pretty good right?

We then watched one of Kelly's movies on our laptops, eventually made it to the grocery store, I grabbed a doner for supper, and then chilled out some more with everyone. After a spot of trouble with the DVD players, we eventually got a setup going so that we could all watch one of Kelly's movies on the boys' TV. Then it was bedtime.

Sunday, we woke up fairly early. We met William at 10:00 outside of our apartment to go Redbull Flugtag 2008 in Istanbul.

Ever been to one of these things? They're ridiculous.

Teams compete with various float style flying contraptions that are pushed off a ramp into a body of water and then are judged on style, flight, etc. In this case, the floats were pushed off into the Bosphorus. It was pretty entertaining what with the acts the teams put on, watching the contraptions fall apart as they left the ramp, and hearing some really unexpected songs. There were thousands of people there and somehow we pushed our way through to a fairly good spot. Unfortunately, with so many people, so much sun, and so little fresh air, I really started to feel kind of light-headed and queasy. I had made it through my water bottle and I knew I had to get out of there, otherwise, it wasn't going to be pretty. Amanda and Zoe accompanied me as I left.

Originally the plan was to just stick around in some shade. We crawled into a nearby McDonald's for some A/C though, and after a few minutes I felt much better.

The power of McDonald's will not be denied!

Amanda and I were decidedly hungry at that point and with nothing around that didn't have ridiculously long lines, we skipped on out. Zoe left to return the group and Amanda and I began our walk back toward the ferry.

Considering we took the bus to Flugtag, you know it was a long walk. But it was actually really enjoyable. We stopped once we found a restaurant. Amanda had chicken fingers that were, I believe, actually fingers. Then we stopped at a bakery to get some dessert. The owner/manager was so surprised by us and the fact that we were Americans. It's funny; when Turks ask you where you're from the don't expect America. They expect Europe. There's very few American tourists in Istanbul in comparison to Europeans. So when Amanda and I show up at this bakery, far outside normal touristy areas and say we're Americans, the Istanbullus get all excited. Amanda ordered like 2 lira worth of bakery items and then the manager gave us a bunch of stuff for free on top of that. We passed by the Fenerbahce stadium and we stopped into one of the "Fenerium" stores a little ways up. I went ahead and got Jonathan's Fenerbache scarf. Mission accomplished.

We then hopped a ferry ride and made it back to the flat where we both passed out. Everybody else eventually showed up a while later and then it was chill time.

Later we went for supper on Istiklal. The original plan had been to go to this restaurant so Edward could get sheep brain soup, but once we got there, we found that they didn't have it. Instead it appeared to be a kebab restaurant, which was perfectly fine with the rest of us that accompanied him. I was excited about kebabs because I hadn't had one yet in Istanbul. I ordered a lamb kebab and it came with rice. It was the best meal I've had yet in Turkey and I'm definitely going back there. In truth, this restaurant kind of reminded me of B*Skis, but I couldn't tell you why.

So that was my first weekend in Turkey. Aside from the queasiness at Redbull Flugtag, I'd say it was successful.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Is this a Joke?

I slept eleven solid hours the night after the scavenger hunt and the past two days have been a hodgepodge of activities.

Thursday we met for an official class the first time. Alright, who can say they've had a class sitting on an Ottoman style divan in a renovated school built by the great Ottoman architect Sinan in the 16th century? Yeah, that's what I thought. The building is now an Ottoman arts center complete with a tasty cafe in its courtyard and right next to the Hagia Sophia. We were served tea while we lounged, talking about why the Ottoman Empire fell among other things? Best class room ever? Def.

Kristina, Amanda, and I got separated from the others after we stopped to watch some kittens sleeping in a flower pot and then got berated by a Turkish artist for not knowing more of the language. We mad friends though by assuring him we've only been here for four days and then making sure to listen as he gave us a quick rundown of Anatolian nomadic art. After that, we decided we needed to have some baklava. Four/five days in Turkey and still no baklava? Good thing we fixed that problem.

Kristina also tried some Turkish coffee for the first time while having baklava. There's nothing more to be said here than to go watch my video on the ordeal (it's on Facebook).

Afterwards, Kristina and I came back to the flat to chill on the terrace and get some work done. AKA blogging and video uploading. In other news, I finally got some more videos uploaded by just leaving my computer on while at class. Holla.

That night we went up to Istiklal (the main shopping/bar street in our neighborhood) and after strolling around a bit, settled on some cheap sandwiches and beer for our supper.

The past few nights we've been meeting up on the terrace with a couple of Turkish film school students. One of them lives in our apartment complex and he brings a couple of friends up each night. None of them know English very well, but as they drink, smoke, and sing, we're able to get the basics of conversation down through their attempts at English, our attempts at Turkish, and of course, a lot of hand gestures. They have apparently invited us to their film school graduation party on a yacht on the Bosphorus and its suppose to be an all-day affair. It looks like this party is going to be happening while we're traveling Turkey though. Bummer.

So we spent last night with the Turks, earning our Turkish names, taking a sip of the famous Turkish raki (their famous alcohol that is nasty; you mix it with water and it tastes like liquorice. No thanks.), and listening to Turkish music.

Turkish music. Wow. Where to begin? Of course they have some American stuff, but its mostly older music that we get a kick out of. "Jenny from the Block" anyone? They also have their own pop/rock music and of course some techno beats. This popular music we have dubbed Power Turk after their MTV-style music video station. Weird stuff, ya'll, weird stuff.

Today we met with Sarah and William at the Covered Bazaar. This place is huge; with over 3500 individual shops and thousands of employs to go with it. Sarah took us to her old friend, Hasan Semerci who owns a carpet store. Hasan is a very respectable and very knowledgeable about his rugs. He's been running his business for over twenty years and unlike other carpet sellers, he works on word-of-mouth alone without the haggling and harassing we're so used to at this point. We learned about kilim, cicim, and other versions of carpet and essentially what makes a good rug. If I ever need a Persian-style rug, I'll visit him and I'll tell you to do the same

Apparently the other carpet sellers in the bazaar are quite envious of him because if you show them his card, they'll tell you he died. Hasan seems to be amused by this. Too bad I don't have a spare $3000 lira lying around. Sorry mom and dad!

These rugs have been so essential to the culture of this area of the world for so long, and its a shame to see its art form slowly dying out.

After spending an hour and a half with Hasan, we went for lunch and then traveled back to the Ottoman arts center that houses our classroom. Instead of going to our class, we met with a calligraphy artist, Efdaluddin Kilic.

Talk about an interesting day, we went from one art to another. Calligraphy is beautiful, but it's beauty lies in the precision and skill of the artist. After talking a bit about his skill, he painted each of our names. Much to my surprise, mine came with two forms! Yay! If I can get them home in one piece, I definitely want to frame them.

Afterwards, William took us out for ice cream. We had the craziest ice cream server ever. And I do mean ever and like in the entire world. I don't even know how to describe it, but hopefully I'll have a video up on Facebook of it soon. In the words of Amanda, "This is a joke."

As Amanda would say, with complete affection though, "Turkey is a joke." But we'll just hope the military doesn't hear that and deport her. Of course, almost getting run over by cars everyday, and seeing some truly surprising things, "Is this a joke?" is a good immediate response.

Right now, I'm enjoying the breeze off the Bosphorus from the open window in our flat and waiting for supper. Kristina is cooking again tonight (yum and cheap) and later I think we're going out to Istiklal. Time to start the weekend!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Find Babylon

Scavenger hunts can be anything from tedious to downright scary. Luckily, the one today fell somewhere in the middle.

We met with Sarah at 10:30 at Galata Tower and after somewhat randomly dividing up into teams, we were off. A scavenger hunt spanning two continents and a megacity? We had until 6:30 p.m. to run all over the city and it was hot. Let me repeat that. It was hot. This isn't your lazy summer day hot. This is your "I got work to do hot and my clothes are all sticking to me and I know I smell bad hot." David, Kristina, Kelly, and I were together on a team. Later, I had a revelation that our team name should be from the Legends of the Hidden Temple. Silver Snakes or Blue Barracudas anyone?

Our first act was to run back to our apartment. Well, kind of run. It's hard to run when you're hiking up five flights of stairs, you kind of wear out by the third floor. David and I both got our Turkey guides, which was a very smart move. We then met this British lady by complete accident. Also a smart move. She went through our list and answered most of our immediate questions. After that, we were off across Galata Bridge, on the tram, and hitting up Topkapi Palace and the things we needed to find in its vicinity.

Walking through the historic stretch of Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, and the Blue Mosque, we still stood out despite all the other tourists. I muse now with Kristina and Kelly, and I think really its because we're that age; young adults and out on our own. The groups of Turkish children on tour there loved us; though perhaps they loved Kristina the most because she did receive a declaration of love from one eight year old boy.

They're quite cute as they shout "Hello" or "Hallo" depending on their accent, while announcing "I'm Germany!" They loved to pose for the camera; one girl even posed model-style while we took pictures of them outside of the palace. Their curiosity for anything Western is evident. Perhaps it's the exoticism of a foreign culture, perhaps it's part of one side of Turkish belief and drive to Westernize as much as possible. In any case, we got a kick out of them and vice versa.

We did hit a low point. None of us had eaten since breakfast because we kept saying that we would eat once we got to Asia. It became a sort of a mantra: We'll eat when we get to Asia. We'll eat when we get to Asia.

We didn't get to Asia until 4:00 p.m.

Still on the European side, we were trying to find our way back to a familiar place after leaving Suleymaniiye (a famous mosque that's kind of out of the way). Looking at the map, we thought we could cut through some streets instead of having to backtrack our way to the tram. This didn't work out so well as we ended up inside a maze of small streets, shops, and mosques. One thing you have to understand about Istanbul. The sidewalks are for the shops, and the streets are for walking, which is also why somebody (like me) is almost always getting hit by a car. None of the sellers are ever actually inside their shops, but hawking people like us ("Yes, please!") to look at their wares. "Yes, please!" is their common phrase to use on Westerners, but often time it's some form of garbled English.

Oh, funny story. The other day when we were walking through the Grand Bazaar. One seller sees me and goes "I saw you on Facebook last night." I did a double take, was slightly creeped out, and kept on moving with a disturbed laugh.

Anyway, back to the scavenger hunt. We're lost amongst the streets with shops numbering in the thousands. We were definitely feeling the lack of food and the sun. Somehow we survived without killing each other. Or getting hit by a taksi (taxi).

We ended up back in familiar territory of the Grand Bazaar (Egyptian Spice Market) and being to exhausted to walk all the way to our next location we took a picture of it from a distance. Finally, we were on our way to Asia, our scavenger hunt almost complete, and food was imminent.

Unfortunately, team Blue Barracuda thought getting on the tram at the historic train station that was the beginning of the Orient Express would lead to the market area we had walked through yesterday. The train was not a tram and in truth, it would have taken us all the way to Syria if we had remained on it for another day and a half. Luckily we did get off at the next stop. Aw, maybe next time Syria; though I hear you're not so kind to women.

Not so luckily, we walked out and had not a clue as to where we were. We were right near the huge Fenerbache stadium, but that didn't help us any. Until Kelly figured out that the empty parking lot we were in was the location of the huge market we were in yesterday.

Whew.

We got some food and some Efes and everything was good. We also met a goose that's like the pet of the series of streets we were on. Kristina and David almost made friends with the goose, who was trippin' the entire time, but then another Turk motioned that it would bite them if they tried.

After getting ice cream in Asia, we had finished our scavenger hunt. Except for Babylon. Where the hell is Babylon? Our scavenger hunt sent us all over the core of Istanbul, across the Bosphorus, on the tram, walking for miles, and we did it all. We were exhausted by the end from walking almost non stop for seven hours, but we found everything on the scavenger hunt. All of it except Babylon. Which turned out to be some sort of cultural arts and music center.

Anyway, we victoriously arrived to Sarah and William's apartment for dinner. Team Blue Barracuda owns.

Serefe

Today, we went to Asia.

It's not all that different from Europe to be honest. At least in Istanbul. How amazing is it, as David put it, when you eat lunch in Europe, attend happy hour in Asia, and are back in Europe for supper.

Here's the quick version of what happened:

Met at our apartment terrace, obtained akbils to travel the public transport system, used it to get on the ferry, journeyed across the Bosphorus, walked through a food market, walked through a jam-packed clothes and accessories market, walked through a weekly vegetable and fruit market, separated, had a beer, when back to get vegetables and fruit, returned to our apartment, and had supper via candlelight (cooked by Kristina) on our terrace.

Before all that however, I have to explain the happiness that is the doner sandwich. You can find these all over Istanbul for a variety of prices, but they will always be under five lira. Right outside of our apartment, considering its a less well traveled road, there is a cafe that sells doner for only one lira. That's less than a dollar folks. You can't even get a cheeseburger at McDonald's for that price. All doner is, is chicken, lamb or beef, which they roast on a spit often right on the street, shaved off into small pieces and sandwiched between any variety of types of bread. You can get it with a variety of toppings depending on the place. I just like to avoid having ketchup or mayonaise on mine thank you very much.

"No sauce!"

"No salad?"

"Yes salad, no sauce!"

"No salad?"

"No, no sauce."

"Salad?"

"Yes salad."

"Oh okay."

That is the essential conversation when it comes to getting doner. Salad is lettuce btw.

Doners and other street food is definitely the way to go when on a budget.

The ferry ride was enjoyable, especially with use of the akbils, which for some reason, I believe we all find fascinating. Though truthfully they aren't all that different then tradition card swipes or flex passes, but for whatever reason, they're a lot more fun. The akbils will allow us to use the trams and ferries to navigate Istanbul, which will be a super convenient way to get around.

I believe it will also be the best way to travel around like real Istanbullus.

Our goal...my goal...while in Turkey is to understand the daily passions and lives of its people, and traveling like one would be sure to help. Not to mention a lot easier than walking everywhere, and how else are we supposed to get to Asia? Though nothing is going to take away our uphill climb and five flights of stairs it takes to reach our flat. Bummer.

I was struck by two very different while in Asian Istanbul.

One was the sure overwhelming suffocation while pressing through the multiplicity of goods that made up the daily market at the bottom of a hill. I've been in cities before, and crowded places (Franklin Street after a big victory anyone?), but never before have I felt the suffocation I felt today in this market. I somewhat of an intention in buying a cheap watch while in the market, but as soon as we entered, pressed in together on all sides by people and the wares, all I could think about was getting out. There was very little space to move, and it was like a vacuum of hot, sweaty bodies pressed together with no room for actual air. Somehow, Zoe, Kristina, and I ended up managing to get from one end to another together.

Where was the A/C spacious shopping mall? Hell, where was the Wal-Mart?

I've been in markets before, and generally I enjoy them. My favorite one is in Charleston, there in the historic district. But this, today, it was an entirely different experience. Perhaps it was because there was no immediate escape available; you actually have to travel from one end to another. Perhaps it was the sun, and the sheer number of people. I don't know.

But this is Istanbul and it's people. You can find your discount Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirts in the market. Or a watch. Or bras. It's a mall, without A/C and ill-planned. But it's a mall without fixed prices, and somehow it makes sense even in a modern Istanbul.

The other feeling I experienced in Asia? A contentedness not unlike the antithesis of Orhan Pamuk's huzun (a melancholy of sorts) Istanbul.

We split up again after leaving the market, and together with Edward, David, Kelly, and Kristina, I went to get a beer to recover from the experience. At some point, while sitting in a sidewalk cafe drinking the Turkish version of Bud Light (or maybe Coors Light) called Efes, we officially decided that we would cook for supper for the evening. Or specifically, Kristina would cook for supper.

With purpose we returned to the market, to its myriad of fruits and vegetables. It's different when you have a set goal in mind. This part of the market was a weekly thing, Tuesday and Friday's only. With its smells, natural colors, and free samples via American-curious sellers, it was actually refreshing.

Riding the ferry back, coasting along with the blue-green waters of the Bosphorus splashing around us, a cool wind, and fresh produce in hand...Oh yeah, it was chill. And Asia was awesome.

So was supper which we ate on the terrace, the moon hanging over us and the lights of the city reflecting off the water and our only light issuing forth from a multitude of candles.

We won't get into the details on the cooking wine the boys unearthed in their apartment. Cooking wine should only ever be cooked with, though it tastes a bit different when you shout serefe together.

Cheers.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Musing - Turkey Time!

Turkey.

Why Turkey?

I think I got the question more than any other before I left for Istanbul on the 17th of May. Out of all the places I could choose to study abroad, why not?

It's actually more than that. I've held an odd fascination with Turkey ever since I posed as Empress Theodora (she of 6th cent. Byzantium) and have heard stories from my father's business trips there in the 90s.

Any book you may read about Turkey, or Istanbul specifically, will talk about how it is uniquely situated. On one side, there's Europe. On another, there's Asia. It's just a stretch of water (the Bosphorus) separating it. The country boasts a rich history as a cradle of civilization (to be cliched) and has held a number of identities. Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire, Christian, Muslim, Eastern Orthodox, Turkish Republic, the center of the universe, etc. But seriously now, let's move on before this starts turning into a really really dry lecture by somebody who isn't even qualified.

Anyway, so I decided I wanted to participate in the Burch Field Research Seminar in Turkey. And here I am.

--I do have a penchant for stating the obvious.

The journey here was an interesting mix of hot guys, attempts to learn Turkish, and general lack of sleep. And the inflight movie choices weren't the most entertaining: Mad Money and the Golden Compass. Oh Delta, you disappoint me. But I can't really complain about my nonstop flight from NYC-JFK to Istanbul. That was nice.

I did stress a bit about arriving and finding whoever would pick me up. Everything went by smoothly though. My flight got in on time at 10:00 a.m.. After searching for my luggage, exchanging some money, etc., I found Professor Shields aka Sarah. Instead of a taxi or a bus, we took a tram from the airport to our flat's neighborhood.

Hello Istanbul.

I would love to say my initial impression of Istanbul was of amazement and awe.

Even though I believe the tram provided great views and people of all sorts. I was way too jet-lagged and desiring of a shower to appreciate any of it.

After some trekking uphills pulling my 70 lb luggage and wandering around a bit, we found the apartment. Sarah, unfortunately, has, by her own admission, a poor sense of direction. I was in the zone though. A bit of an adrenaline rush and I was good to go. Though I about gave out on the five flight of stairs even without directly carrying the luggage.

I could have just chilled out at that point. But damn it, I was in Istanbul. It was time to explore.

Here's where I would insert a brief video of my first day and say enjoy, but our internet is beyond frustrating with ten people trying to work off of one router not made for the heavy traffic of constant file uploads.

What really struck me and still remains most prominent in my mind is the the winding narrow streets. Though the main road we traveled, Istiqlal, provided a view of a diverse group of Istanbullus, music, speciality stores, bars, restaurants, businesses. It's pretty amazing when you see a woman in a black burqa walking next to a woman in a tank top. Tank tops are pretty rare, but you do see them. Or, as Zoe captured in an image, a woman in a burqa carrying Converses in hand.

Speaking of amazing, how about the view from our flat? Or well, the terrace of the flat. We have the Boshporus, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Galata Bridge across the Golden Horn, etc. Not to mention the fact that the Galata Tower - a famous historical watch tower built first in the 6th century Byzantium and rebuilt by Genoese merchants in the 16th century - is right next door to us and provides an amazing panoramic view of Istanbul.

We did climb Galata Tower today (Monday). Well, I suppose we didn't really climb it so to speak. There were elevators. But we did have to hike it up two flights of stairs. So yeah, we conquered Galata Tower.

Afterwards we crossed the Galata Bridge. I was slightly afraid of the fishermen lining the railing, simply because I kept picturing a fish hook landing in my eye and somehow or another being thrown over the side.

On the other side, through throngs of people we ended up in a colorful market where we - us women that is - purchased headscarves and grabbed a bite to eat. Kristina, Zoe and I also had an encounter with leeches. Awesome. There was no major blood sucking involved.

Speaking of the food; they use a lot of oil in their cooking. It takes some getting use to.

After the market we visited our first mosque, Yeni Camii. It was fascinating, but at the same time, I had a hard time comprehending it and Islam. We were allowed in during prayer, so we observed the praying Muslims. To be completely honest, it reaffirmed my Christian faith, which I suppose is a good thing for my personal religion. I felt entirely disconnected from God as men were placed up front and women shuffled to the back and sides. My headscarf aggravated my hair. It was stuffy in my jacket. My feet felt naked in just their socks.

It's hard to described a reading of the Koran unless you've ever heard it yourself. It's almost sung, almost like a poem, and almost like someone's putting a performance on for you.

I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything as the Istanbullus prayed around me, bending down to touch their foreheads to the floor. But I'm glad I experienced it; the Muslim dedication to prayer is a far cry from the agnostics and somewhat practicing Christians that surround me back home. It's my firm belief that a lot could be made for the better in the world if everyone witnessed another's faith. I would gladly sit through a prayer session again.

We explored more on our own afterwards, winding our way through city streets, taking the tram for ease as well.

More musing later...because I'm about to pass out. Hopefully the internet well let me post videos later. It's really spotty for big file uploads...much to my frustration.