Election Night with the Losing Party

I really was a little disappointed by my home stay in Izmir. I was expecting a wonderful night with a family eating Turkish food and talking about Turkish culture, but once we got to the home we were staying at for the night. I realized it was gong to be a boring night. Unfortunately the family was gone at their summerhouse and it was only the daughter that was home to host us. She is 25 years old and graduated from school in Finance and Economics. She works with her father and brother in their family company but she did not expand much more on that. Their house was very nice, although more of an apartment, but much nicer than the average Turkish family's house is, I think. Although she was very sweet, for example offering to wash our clothes and order us food, it just did not turn into the night I was expecting.

One thing that made the night more and less exciting than maybe it should have been was that is was election night. Unfortunately CHP lost and the AKP won, as we all expected. However, the girl we were staying with wanted CHP to win and was very upset by the fact that they lost. Izmir went to CHP but the majority of Turkey went to AKP. She said although the AKP is doing good things now, they are afraid of what might happen in the future because they are pushing more Islamist ways. Many of the younger people in Turkey, like our host, want the country to become more Democratic, which is what the CHP supports more.

I did enjoyed our dinner of ordered in pizza and fries, because I am a picky eater. But I think of that food being much more of an American meal in my mind than Turkish, and I was expecting a Turkish feast! However, this morning she did make us a very extensive Turkish breakfast, which always includes chi tea, tomatoes, cucumber, and lots of breads and cheeses. We appreciated all of her kindness in hosting us, the problem was that because it was only her and not her whole family it was hard to talk to just her. This was more of a prominent problem especially because her English, although it was pretty good, was not that good so it was hard to ask very in depth questions because she did not always know what we were talking about.

I would love to stay with another family for a night, or stay with an actual family instead, but it still was interesting to be with a Turkish person the night of the election when the results were rolling in to see how they react to losing the election. It was much in the same way Americans do, but they seem to be more contained because I do not think they have all of the freedoms that we have. It was interesting because in Turkey about 86% of the population voted in this election as opposed to in the US where only around 50% vote. Seeing how important this election was to a Turkish person opened my mind to think that I should become more involved in our elections back home. Hopefully in years to come Turkey can become more democratic to help their people progress into the more Westernized country that the younger generation wants to become.

Haggling 101

“How much is this?”- Me

“30 Lira.”- Merchant

“I’ll give you 15.” I turn to Sarah and ask “What is this again?”

Haggling is a common and expected occurrence in Turkish culture. Although many malls and other fixed price stores exist in Turkey, a lot of the local merchants hold true to the tradition of price bargaining.

As always, with the good comes the bad. In many areas where one can haggle, the prices are set high for the less savvy tourists who don’t speak the language. When purchasing goods tourists know their money is worth more here and believe they are still getting a good deal, when in fact they are paying twice the cost. In Turkey it’s good to know that the cost of producing things is much lower than in the United States. This might seem like an obvious statement, but if you are not haggling then the merchant is making an outrageous profit.

When one haggles it is usually good to drop the price significantly and work with the merchant from there, but in many cases the price won’t drop much without a native speaker. Many times we have asked the price on something and been given a high price. However when a native speaker or professor Andaç inquires about the price it is usually a little lower.

Some examples of this happening were mostly in the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar. In the Grand Bazaar our group was hunting for some nice fake Ray-Bans. When we asked the price the man said 30 lira. Then, when a boy walked up and asked the price in Turkish he said 20. Professor Andaç was so offended that we left the store immediately, and rightly so.

An even worse example occurred when buying spices and teas. Tabitha made purchase of tea for 45 lira. The next day when we went back a different man offered to sell the same product for 20 lira to Nate. Professor Andaç was outraged and she began arguing with the man in Turkish. Before Nate could buy the product, she took out five lira coin, put it in the man’s hand, and handed the tea to Nate. Ultimately Tabitha and Nate ended up with a fair price after paying five lira that day, but professor Andaç was still not pleased since she frequently visits that shop.

These are just a few examples of price bargaining gone wrong. As in many other places, if you don’t know the language, it’s easy to be taken advantage of. In the future though, we have a new strategy:

“Let’s try this. ‘You want 15? I’m not paying less than 30!’”- Sarah.

Big Shoes to Fill

Every time we go to a major historical site I am almost overwhelmed. There is such importance both historically and symbolically to the places we visit that make me feel so overwhelmed. Yesterday we went to Ephesus, one of the best preserved ruins of ancient cities, which also served as a capital for several civilizations.  As we walked the streets I tried to envision how the city looked in its prime. I try to see the hustle and the bustle of an ancient metropolis.  I imagine that on my left the shop keeps are on inviting people to take a look at their wares, the aristocrats strolling down the beautiful mosaics that separate them from the commoners, the businessmen on the right playing backgammon and establishing their trade contracts.  Then I try to comprehend the fact that people like Alexander the great walked these very roads and I am blown away.  It's absolutely amazing to think that such a small country has such a huge heritage.  In America an object that is one hundred years old is "antique;" In Turkey an object one hundred years old is "new."  This historical legacy is what makes Turkey unique as well as a deep cultural well, one so deep that one could study it for a lifetime and never reach the bottom. It is the multicultural tapestry that could lead Turkey once again onto the main stage of world affairs. It is Election Day tomorrow and there is a battle to control the helm of this magnificent country.  The Turkish people have a choice to either elect a man that will guide them into a more intolerant Islamic nation or to gamble on other parties that could move the nation forward.  It is my hope that the Turkish people choose to move forward embracing their rich roots and claim their position on the main stage of world politics.  No matter what they choose they have big shoes to fill. 

Headscarf

I consider myself a feminist. I'm more educated than most on the topic - which isn't saying much - and I'm outspoken when necessary. If I had to put everything I know about the topic into a single sentence I'd say it's up to the individual woman. No matter if it's dress, being a stay at home mom or sexual harassment: it's up to the individual woman to interpret her own desires.

Before coming over to Turkey, I'd read about the controversy in France over the headscarf, and again I applied my default: It's up to the individual woman. I'm not sure how I feel about full-body burqas. My hesitance toward them most likely sprouts from my own feelings about how it must feel to wear one. I can't imagine how hot it must be, especially in the Middle East. Also, it's not flattering at all. However, I could totally pull off a headscarf: It's like having beautiful silk as hair. And, you don't have to curl it or blow dry it. It sounds pretty awesome to me.

However, wearing a headscarf isn't just about bad hair days and trying to find something to match that one dress in your closet that's been sitting there for ages. Wearing a headscarf is a religious and - in Turkey - a political statement. A professor in KU's J-school told me about a time when her and her daughter were in France and her daughter had put her scarf over herself head to protect herself from the heat. As a result, she was given dirty looks everywhere she went.

My only other concern with the headscarf is whether or not women are pressured to wear them. Outside of party lines, I wonder whether or not they truly feel comfortable with the idea. Do they have celebrities to look up to with and without the headscarf? Would it be like that horrible dream where you show up to work/school completely naked if for some reason you didn't have it or did have it?

From what I've seen, it seems like women have role models both with and without the headscarf. And, it seems that women on both sides of the issue fear having to make the change due to political motivations.

Another Layer

Pictured: An attempt to get a good picture of women in burqas. Fail.

Well I’ve been here for about a week now, and I feel I’ve pretty much blended in with the locals. They absolutely cannot spot the difference between me and a native Turk. Don’t worry that I’ve got pale skin, am obnoxiously loud, have an American flag plastered across my chest (I don’t really, those shirts are tacky), and have the Turkish language level of a two year old.

But seriously, it feels as though I have been here much longer than only a week. It may have to do with the large amount of activities we squeeze into every day, or it may be that I’m sitting on a balcony at a five star hotel watching rich people lounge around a magnificent pool by the Aegean Sea.

But being in such a different place and being exposed to a whole host of new people and places has got me noticing just what I never realized about Turkey, and what I realized I didn’t realize but I thought I realized before I really realized it.

Before coming to Turkey, I have never been in a mosque or synagogue. I’ve been raised a Catholic my whole life, and I thought I knew all I needed to know about other religions, and I’ve been completely comfortable sitting in my own nest of ignorance. Now that I’ve actually taken a good look at Islam and disregarded the American Mainstream Media version of it, I now know that it isn’t a requirement to shout hold a burning American flag and shout “ALLAAAAH.” Of course, I never really thought they were THAT extreme, but I never thought that Islam was a very intellectual, calm, and progressive religion. At the time that it was founded, women had next to no rights, probably even less than no rights. A woman’s opinion wasn't worth anything in disputes, and men could take up as many wives as they wanted, disposing whichever ones he didn’t want anymore. After Islam, two women’s opinions would be the same as one man’s, and a man could only take four wives. Considering the circumstances beforehand, that’s a pretty good deal. We might think that’s ridiculous today, but back at that time even Christianity didn’t care that much about women’s status. Or any society for that matter!

Another significant topic in Islam is how women should dress. I’ll be the first to admit that I could never convert to Islam because I can’t understand how women can be in full sleeves and pants with a headscarf (or even go further by wearing all black) in 80 degree weather. That being said, even if I did convert to Islam, headscarves don’t seem to be the absolute requirement. Just like Christians and Jews can be pretty lenient with the rules written in the Bible, Muslim women don’t have to be as plain and covered as possible. I’ve seen women with very decorative headscarves and wearing full make up. There’s a whole range of “devoutness” that Muslim people can fall into, just like other religions. What makes me sad is that Christians (at least Americans) are quick to point out the flaws and restrictions of Islam, while they don’t seem to follow the verse about taking out the log of their own eye. Of course Islamic people have committed atrocities, but so has every other religion, including Christianity. Both Christianity and Islam teach peace, even if they do have verses about war or defeating others.

One of the most surprising phenomena I’ve come across is that Muslim people find churches perfectly suitable to pray in besides mosques. In their eyes, they follow the same God as Christianity and Judaism, and hold a certain respect for their religions. This totally knocked me off my mental feet. But as I entered a mosque for the first time, I felt the same awe I feel when entering a church. I wanted to pay my respects and pray in a space dedicated to a religion that has so many similarities with our own.

So if you’re thinking “too long, didn’t read,” the moral of my rant is that Islam is not what American culture makes it out to be, and everyone should take some time to learn about REAL Islam. Simple as that.

Election 2011

Before we left for the trip to Turkey we had a group meeting and Elif told us that there was going to be an election during the time that we were in Istanbul. She prefaced it by saying that everyone knew which party was going to win, as if we knew too. Then she corrected herself and said, well I know who is going to win. We all chuckled, but then I thought to myself that I really knew nothing about the government in Turkey. I now know that the Republic of Turkey is a Parliamentary Republic founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923. I think Americans have a stereotype that all Middle Eastern countries are run by corrupt governments ruled by dishonest leaders so I was curious to see if Turkey would be the same. I was excited to learn more about the government of Turkey and how and by whom it is run.

From our book we read, Crescent and Star by Stephen Kinzer, I did learn that much of the government has been very corrupt in the past, ruled and suppressed behind the scenes by militant groups, not allowing different political parties to come into play. However, since 1923 when Ataturk came into power and the Ottoman Empire finally came to a close, the Turkish government seems to be improving rapidly.

In America when the presidential election comes around we all know that that campaigns get a little out of hand, but we only have two dominant parties running so it is not that bad. The commercials, by the end, become unbearable and soon the person you are going to vote for even becomes annoying. From the eight days that I have been in Turkey I am already sick of the election campaigns and I have not even turned on the television. It seems that on every street corner, filling every space, and hanging from every tall building there is a campaign sign for a specific party.

There is the AKParti, which is the party Elif was referring to who is going to win. There is also the Republican's People's Party (CHP), which is the largest other party that might have a chance, and then several other parties, like the Turkish Socialist Party (TSP), along with those two main groups. The billboards of these men are hilarious! Some are smiling way too ridiculously, while most are looking seriously into a random space. Not only are the billboards plastered on every wall and building, then there are these vans that ride around blasting Turkish music campaigning for a specific party. Every time one of these vans drives by it is insanely loud, almost like when an ambulance drives by, but much louder. These vans disturb much of the peace in the areas that they are passing by, but they only there for a second, creating noise pollution, but not much else. The people also hold rallies all the time in support for their party of choice, but there are always protesters there supporting the other party too. We have been trying to avoid getting handed fliers because we don’t want to waste their time since we can’t vote, or read Turkish.

It is interesting when we enter a different part of town and the campaign signs change to a different party. It shows that not just around the entire country, but solely in Istanbul there are many different opinions associated with the election. In one neighborhood we saw several AKParti campaign posters that had been ripped down by residents in the area that did not support them. All the parties also have flags everywhere, each having their own symbols and colors on it, to show pride for what you believe in. Many of the younger people that we have talked to said that they are voting for the CHP, although it seems like not enough to make them win. Our tour guide was telling us that the AKParti, which is party that is in power now, will win because many people like what they are doing, and may not be educated enough to see some of the corrupt things they may be doing. So next Sunday we will see what the outcomes are to the election and see if anything is going to change soon.

Lines of Communication

                A culture is defined in a sort of sense by the language it uses; many things can be gleaned from the way that individuals communicate.  The same is very true with Turkish, which is an interesting language that has been influenced by the unique mixture of cultures that have inhabited the region. Turkey is country that has roots dating back to the Hittites and spans the Persian, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires and is currently The Turkish Republic.  This is what makes the language so special although it holds a huge amount of challenge for me personally. Arriving in Istanbul the first day I was struck by an utter lack of communication skills.  The very first issue that I had was that my checked baggage was left in Paris somehow. (It’s safe now) This was a nightmare for me not because I was worried about my luggage but because I took a separate flight from my group I didn't know where we were staying yet and I was unsure of how to explain the situation in the office.  Thankfully the very kind man who was picking up our group from the airport was able to talk to them and let them know what was going on and gathered all the information I needed to get it back.  Then after being at the hotel for a little while we ventured down the main thoroughfare of Istanbul.  I was struck by how I could barely read any of the signs and as I perked up my ears to catch the local conversations I couldn't make head or tails of it.  I feel a little bit lost every time that we try to order dinner or have some other thing that we need to buy.  I have to rely on others to do those things for me. This is a drastic difference for me since talking to local people is a large part of the sociology research I would like to do in the future.  The one thing that shines through this difficulty is the ambivalence of the Turks.  In America for the most part when people that are non-native speakers have difficulties communicating no one steps forward and helps. In Istanbul, I have found that if we are having difficulties communicating then random strangers will intervene and assist us. Even our tour guide, out of the kindness of her heart has been attempting to tutor us slowly in the Turkish language.  This refreshing kindness and helpfulness creates a love for Istanbul and in an academic sense makes me ponder what formed the cultural norms of our two countries. On the bright side after hanging out with some of the local Turkish guys I have been able to establish a sort of non verbal communication. While this doesn't carry the weight of a conversation we can share laughs and agreement through this system. All in all I feel like a foreigner here more than anywhere but someday I will master this lovely language.

My First Post

This is my first blog which was delayed since I was out of the country:

Turkey Approaching Departure:

    The last couple of weeks I have been growing more and more excited about my trip in Turkey.  I have been talking with many people over the last couple weeks and they have been less than helpful. There still seems to be a huge amount of misunderstanding on what the Turkish culture actually entails, based on what my fellow Americans have sought to tell me.  I have heard numerous times that I should be on guard against going to Turkish prisons, which is nonsensical to me seeing as I have never been in legal trouble in the states.  The other thing that I have heard numerous times is how much the Turks hate Americans, which is also silly based upon everything I have read and what Elif has told us.  And upon inquiry of how they reached such conclusions they simply state they heard it from someone or everyone knows these things.  It’s sad to me how ill-informed that Americans are yet they insist that they know the truth.  I will not allow these folk tales to taint my views of Turkey as a whole and especially the city of Istanbul.  My simple expectation of the country is to learn, I will be an open book ready to soak in a culture that has a deep rich culture.  There is a lot to be excited about.  I look forward to walking the streets of Istanbul and taking in the sights and smells of a country that is a complete departure from the United States.  

Is Everyone Gay?

The manner in which males interact is bound to be different depending upon the culture setting one is in; so why was I still shocked by what I saw?

In the United States when two men are holding hands while walking down the street, I don’t exactly need a big flashy sign or a rainbow flag that says gay on it to know that the two men are in a relationship. That is not the case for Istanbul, and probably the rest of Turkey. While walking on the streets with our program director Prof. Andaç, I couldn’t help but point out to her that the men were walking awfully close to one another and touching almost the entire time. Sometimes the men would walk holding hands, linked in arm, or with just a few fingers interlocked. She explained that, much different from the United States, men are less concerned about being viewed as gay or effeminate. She also explained that people in Turkey have fewer issues with personal space and hardly notice when they are extremely close to one another.

From that point on my ‘gaydar’ might as well of had a “check engine light” on it.

For men in Turkey, their friendship appears to be a very expressive relationship between one another. This is unlike the United States where men are hesitant to even hug, let alone hold hands in public. While at the airport I also noticed men kissing each other on the cheeks. I didn’t think much of it at the time since I knew the French greeted friends and family in the same manner. It also didn’t help that I had just had the most uncomfortable twelve hour plane ride of my life (do Turks know about AC?). What I didn’t realize then was that this expression of affection is unique in its own way for the Turks. It seems that kissing on the cheeks, holding hands, or touching the shoulder of a friend while walking; are all part of a greater social ritual in strengthening the bonds of their friendship. Turks seem to be unafraid of emotion and affection among each other.

All of that said, after being here three days and making new friends by the names of Mert and Bariş, I have noticed other ways in which males assert their masculinity. It is not through a show of sport or physical strength, though I am sure that still occurs, but rather in their hospitality and chivalry.

One night while drinking raki at a bar, I discovered all of this the hard way. In America we find it rude or annoying if someone does not pay their full share, so before the check even came we were all eager to pay. We asked how much the cost was including tip. Mert told us ten lira. When the check arrived the bill was much more expensive than anticipated. After Mert picked up the rest of the bill, I felt an immense amount of guilt for not contributing more. When I attempted to pay Mert five lira more, he was extremely assertive and his expression turned to anger. He told me, sternly, to put my money back.

This was a side of the kind, gentile, and hospitable Turk I had not seen before. Immediately upon leaving the bar, Mert was himself again and for part of the walk home his arm was around my neck and we talked about the amazing city of Istanbul.

What I thought to be polite was actually an insult to Mert and Bariş’ masculinity. Men in Turkey take great pride in their hospitality and to not accept it in full is a grave mistake. Next time though, we know to wait for the check. Even if it does take a few hours.

You Had Me at Merhaba

I’ve been trying to figure out how to write all my thoughts into a coherent form, but it hasn’t worked so far. Honestly, my thoughts haven’t been all that coherent since arriving; I’ve only been able to kind of string together loosely associated concepts into a weird mental mosaic. So, I am going to convey my thoughts with lists.

List #1 – My Exact Thoughts as I Stepped into Istanbul for the First Time
1. what
2. what are all these words
3. what is going on THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE
4. WAIT
5. WHERE ARE
6. I DON’T EVEN
7. WHERE IS THE ENGLISH??!
8. WORDS I CAN’T SPEAK THEM
9. mental breakdown
10. sjkfiaghbwjnkmhshbsanfkdhjndd

I am not exaggerating.

Okay I am.

There is this strange phenomenon I like to call the Foreign Tabitha Effect, where I go into Foreign Mode. It doesn’t matter what country I’m in, I’m just in Foreign Mode where my brain thinks any ol’ foreign language will do. I’ve stopped myself several times from trying to say “Wo men qu nar?” (Chinese for “where are we going?”) or “Entschuldigung” (German for “excuse me.”) I’m getting better though! I’ve picked up quite a few words in Turkish—important ones like water (su), thank you (teshekkuler), and many others.

What really surprised me, however, was that there is so much English around. Many signs include English translations, many people speak at least a little English, and the Turkish language itself has incorporated several words—mainly technology words like “dijital” or “telefon.” I don’t know if I’m making a correct assumption here, but since Istanbul has so many different nationalities living and visiting there, English is sort of the international way to convey the Turkish meaning. DON’T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. I am usually wrong.

On a completely different subject, it never quite registered with me how much rich history and cultural fusions took place here. I should have realized (being an Anthropology major) that since Turkey was right smack dab in the “This is Where A Bunch of Stuff Began” part of the world, there would obviously be many sites and artifacts older than like five United States of Americas. It didn’t really hit me until I got here. There’s an incredible fusion of all these influences that make up a beautiful city.

Word of advice: COME TO TURKEY ASAP.

Just a Desert with Camels

We were hanging out with some Turkish friends the other night and they asked my what I thought Turkey was going to be like before I arrived. I looked around to everyone else in the group and all together in agreement said that we really had no idea what to expect of Turkey before we came. They said that last year’s group thought it was going to be a complete desert with camels walking around everywhere! We all laughed and agreed that we knew more than that coming in, but not much more.

The shear mass of the city is absolutely mind blowing. When we first drove in (in our luxury van!) the city never stopped. It was as far as the eye could see and even further, ebbing and flowing with the landscape of the Seven Hills of Istanbul. In the United States, cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago are all the biggest cities that I think of, but they are nothing compared to Istanbul. All of the US cities have suburbs that make them seem bigger, but in Istanbul the city never seems to end. With over 20 million people living in Istanbul, you see the life of the people day and night, this city truly seems to never sleep, even though we are learning that we need to sleep a bit more than we thought!

As we drove into Istanbul the buildings were stacked on top of each other, one after another with red roofs, all slowly blending together into the distance. But my favorite part when looking into the heart of the city are the minuettes from the Mosques that pop out to catch the attention of the eye. Before coming to Istanbul I had never seen minuettes or Mosques of this capacity. The minuettes are the towers on the outside of the Mosques that were originally used to climb up and call for prayer. Now the minuettes hold several speakerphones to call the prayer, but the minuettes still exist because of their traditions and they are a way to reach more people by being higher up. Mosques only need one minuette, but can have five or six, and several balconies on each to call the prayer from. The most being the 10^th sultan of Istanbul, Sultan Süleyman, who built 10 balconies to call prayer from. The Mosques that we have been inside of, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, which was at one time a Catholic Church, are probably the most beautiful buildings I have ever stepped foot in. I enjoy that they are not decorated with pictures of idols or people, just pure architecture and magnificent tile work.

The mixture of the old and new is nothing I have ever seen before either. Centuries full of history lie beneath newly built structures, while many old structures still stand in their glory through many earthquakes and hardships. It is amazing to begin to learn about the Turkish people and where they began with the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, and what they are today. Many traditions still remain, but the city is nothing like anything I could have ever imagined. As of yet I have seen no desert or camels, although I would like to see a camel fight! Even still I do not know what to expect or what is to come in the coming weeks, but what I have seen so far has been impeccable and beyond anything I could have dreamed. I am excited to see what is to come and learn more about the Turkish people and their culture and traditions as I enjoy their beautiful city of rich history, Istanbul.

Becoming a Man

Today, we visited the Blue Mosque. Our guide, Selime, said young boys once came to the mosque to celebrate the day of their circumcision. Shortly after saying this, two children – one boy and one girl - about the age of 4 walked by. Both the boy and girl were all dolled up. The boy had on a little suit with a fur vest and the girl had on a white dress.

Selime said the boy was celebrating his circumcision. And the parents, not wanting to make the little girl feel left out, had dressed up his sister too. Throughout our time at the Blue Mosque, we saw several other little boys in similar garb celebrating their “big day.”

Later, we visited the sultan’s palace – also in the old city – where we we’re informed about the celebration of the young sultan’s circumcision. For 40 days and 40 nights, the palace held festivities to celebrate the circumcision of the young sultan to be.

The men in my group moaned about how painful the process must be to endure as a toddler or small child: To them, the process is much better as a baby when you are too young to remember it. Yet, Selime said the young boys were only bed ridden for two or three days tops in those times and now can be seen walking out of surgery.

What struck me the most was that there is not a similar ceremony to celebrate the first menstruation of female children. While it is not a common occurrence in America, I have seen families throw parties for young girls who first start their cycle. Of those who threw parties, it was usually a small tea party with girls of a similar age.

Among my group of friends as a child, we did not have parties. However, most of my friends’ parents took them out for ice cream or a treat in celebration of them becoming a woman. I was much older when I started. So, this is not something I personally experienced. I do remember really wanting to start: probably because anything that led to the consumption of ice cream was awesome in my book…that hasn’t changed much.

Selime said that till this day the commencement of menstruation is not something widely discussed, especially among men in the family. I’d really like to talk to some women my age to see how they feel about discussing menstruation.

Unknown Anticipation

I wouldn't say that nervousness is the word that I am feeling, but rather unknown anticipation. However, this anticipation is much more unknown than I like to admit. I have been to a few other countries in the past couple years, but I always knew what to expect for the most part. This trip however, is something wildly different because I have absolutely no idea what I am about to get myself into. I am extremely excited don't get me wrong, it is just the not knowing part that is filling me with this lingering anticipation. But it seems that I will be on my way to Turkey tomorrow, so not much more I can do now except for board my flights and begin this new adventure.

I really knew nothing about Turkey before this trip came along, frankly I still do not know all that much. I was originally going to Germany for the summer and that seemed much more comfortable. Why? I do not know, maybe it being a main part of Europe, and having people around me know about it as well. But when I tell people I am going to Turkey no one has any story of that one time that they went there, or that their ancestors being from there, most people are pretty perplexed as to why I am going there. But with more and more research it honestly seems like the place to go. A quote from our book made me more excited than ever because it seems that Turkey has everything, "This country's land has been populated since the beginning of human history by an amazing number of civilizations - pagan, Christian and Islamic, coming from Greece, Rome, Egypt, Arabia, Persia and places even farther away. King Midas and King Croesus, Saint Paul and Saint Nicholas, Homer and Herodotus - all came from the land that is now Turkey." It continues to go on about Aristotle, Florence Nightingale, and others like Alexander the Great. I have to admit that I did not know who all of the great people listed were, but to have so much history packed into one country seems like a whirlwind of new experiences.

I am a big fan of meeting new people and going new places, so I cannot wait to see what Turkey has in store for us, and for me! To see so many different cultures collide will be nothing like I have ever seen before. So now that my bags are packed (mostly) I am ready to start exploring Turkey and probably not close to half of what it has to offer, but as much as I can fit in in the next few weeks!

Treating Turkey Like a Lady

I know what kind of traveler I am: I’m normally more outgoing when I’m surrounded by people who don’t speak the same language as me. This is probably because I feel like my awkwardness will be cast aside as some sort of culture/language gap. When you’re in another country you’re allowed to make social faux pas, as long as you are making an attempt and apologize a lot.

I’ve traveled to about 18 countries. I lost track of the exact number somewhere and I always feel like there’s one African country I’m forgetting. Anyway, the point is travel isn’t a new thing to me. I even have a routine. To some, the name of my routine is procrastination. But, “hey, I have my reasons” I say to those some.

I take on a country like I do a new acquaintance. I don’t look at her Facebook or ask friends about her. Instead, I wait and create my own picture. I drink with her. I dance with her. I go out of my way to start conversations with her inhabitants. I fall in love with all the things she has to offer that the United States doesn’t. Then, I get pissed off because of all the things she doesn’t have (Why doesn’t every country have a 24-hour Wal-Mart?). And then - only then - do I feel like I start to get a picture of what she's like.

I’m taking on Turkey a bit differently. I’ve read a book about her. I’ve read a couple articles on her state of mind. I’ve stared at her picture longingly. I must admit: I feel like a bit of a creeper.

I promise when I meet her I’ll keep an open mind. I’ll use what I read to put what she has to offer into context, but I won’t allow it to become the basis of my judgment.

Merhaba

Just one day before leaving for Turkey I feel a healthy mix of excitement and apprehension.

My excitement stems mostly from my anticipation to travel outside of the United States for the first time. Most of my friends have traveled abroad and upon returning they describe themselves as 'different' or 'changed,' which is to be expected.

I also find myself eager to try new foods, drink raki, experience a totally alien culture, and most of all to be in a place that is truly old. By no means do I expect Turkey to be primitive, underdeveloped, or savage. However, I do look forward to seeing buildings, streets, and places of worship that are older than the very country I live in.

My fears are rather basic. I fear being that American who is viewed as rude, loud, and ethnocentric; although I will make every effort to be respectful to my host country and its people. Despite my many attempts to learn a few Turkish words and phrases, the only thing I have managed to retain is merhaba, or hello. I must also confess that never having met a follower of Islam I am both curious and reluctant. Curious to know what a call for prayer is like or how they interact with the opposite sex, but reluctant because I do not wish to ask the wrong, or offensive, questions.

Overall, I am very excited for my trip to Turkey and to meet the Turkish people who will be my hosts. I look forward to this adventure and the new knowledge I will take away from it.

T minus 36 hours

All right. So, Turkey. To be completely honest, the only time I have had many thoughts about Turkey is around Thanksgiving (Is that joke too cliché? Yes? …I’ll just stop.) and when I was in Germany when they played Turkey at soccer. At that time, I was obligated to cheer for Germany, because I was in a go-cart track/dive bar with many rowdy Germans who took soccer very, very seriously. Should I say “football?” I have a feeling “soccer” won’t fly in Turkey. Anyway, the point is that Turkey doesn’t turn up in my World News feed all that often, and I haven’t had a reason to really give Turkey that much thought. That is, until about a month ago. I was ready to take a trip to India and learn to dance and do that head-wiggle thing when, unfortunately, the program was cancelled. My advisor told me about a trip to Turkey. Why not? I thought. They’re both in Asia; that’s the same continent or something. Well, my fellow readers, I was not prepared.

Turkey is more than just “that country that shares a name with America’s favorite Thanksgiving fowl.” As I read more about Turkey, I discover there’s, like, this other world out there. Sure, I’ve been to Germany, but considering that I came from a town with more than half the last names were “Pfannenstiel” or “Dreiling,” there wasn’t that much that surprised me. But just from reading about Turkey, I have been surprised already. I already knew Turkey had Troy, where Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, and Eric Bana fought over the lovely Diane Kruger. It was also the place where St. Paul established churches and St. Nicholas of Myra inadvertently inspired the commercialization of Christmas. I also had a mental image of a bazaar with desert dust hanging in the air, and mustached men wearing fezzes shouting “This is no ordinary lamp! It once changed the course of a young man’s life. A young man, like this lamp, was more than what he seemed—” If you’re thinking Aladdin, that’s what I thought. However, after reading the books and articles recommended to me, I realize all my preconceptions are, of course, quite wrong. Even taking the time to look at pictures of Istanbul shows me that it is as modern of a place as any, and not the stereotypical Muslim nation most people think of. However, books and the always accurate Wikipedia will never give me a proper look at Istanbul and Turkey until I get there. Until then, I will nervously wait and avoid packing.

Then it’s Turkey Time.

Home

It's odd to think that I've only been back from Turkey for just over two weeks. I jumped back into my old routine and now my mind has completely shifted from deciphering Turkish pronunciations to the conversion rate trends and PHP errors that plague my career. I thought it'd take me longer to get back into the swing, but I was back in my routine 9 hours after the wheels touched down in KC.

I loved Turkey, and everyone is already sick of hearing about it. I'm enjoying learning more about the country through readings and trying to talk my friends and family into making trips (at least 2 people have been convinced!). But one thing I realized on my trip that really surprised me was how much I loved the life I've created for myself in KC. I try to picture myself living and working in Istanbul, and I can't do it. Don't get me wrong - if the opportunity presented itself, I'd jump at it. But one thing that seemed clear to me from our time with our Turkish friends is the idea of helping and protecting your own, and my people are here.

Baris and his friends would always tell us how terrible Turkish men were, despite the fact that they were actively disproving that through their constant helpfulness. I think what they really meant is that we couldn't expect the same level of kindness from just anyone on the street. Not that other men were 'bad', but that they were treating us as they would close friends or family because they were asked to by someone they cared about and we were cool enough for it not be a chore. We couldn't (and shouldn't) expect that same treatment from strangers.

At 19, I gave myself the goal to live and work abroad by 25. At 25, I extended that to 30, but now at 27, I question if packing my life up and moving it abroad would be counterproductive to what I say I want out of life. Stepping into a culture with so many layers of history and meaning in every interaction without a cultural interpreter would be overwhelming, but could be overcome in time.

One thing that my time in Turkey underscored was that life isn't about what food you eat or which cafe you have it in, but who you share it with. To leave behind my huge family, wonderful friends and even terrific coworkers in order to start over in an amazing country without them would replace my personal history with a simplified understanding of how other people live. It's wonderful and a bit scary to realize that where you are is exactly where you should be.

But that doesn't mean I'm not already saving for Machu Picchu 2013...

My Selfish Reasons To Keep Turkey A Secret!

I spent 3 wonderful weeks learning much more than I ever had about a country. Turkey is a place that I would have never imagined visiting this time last year, but a place that I can’t wait to visit again. I feel ashamed that I never knew about Turkey. In fact I barely knew where it was geographically, and even though I’ve learned so much I know there is still a lot of things I am still ignorant about. Something that I notice about turkey that I have talked about many times before is very apparent to me now that I’ve spend a few days in Paris. Turkey is new and exciting, there are few Americans wondering the streets and that is why it’s such a magical place to visit. Unlike Paris, it hasn’t been spoiled with tourists. During our program there were situations where we would avoid the “tourist spots” until now I was unsure of what exactly that meant and why these spots must be avoided. Well, I can understand exactly what that means now, when I visited the Lourve yesterday it was madness. A museum saturated with humans, everywhere, bumping into you, taking pictures and standing around… just in the way! I was excited to see the Mona Lisa, but the experience was almost shattered since I had to wait in line and was then pushed out of the way by people taking pictures and using there flash (although that is forbidden!). Now, there were of course some situations in Turkey where there were lots of people, but nothing like what I encountered yesterday. Turkey has lots of tourists, but the people were respectful and actually seemed to care about what they were doing.
In my last blogs I questioned the European Unions choice not to admit Turkey immediately like they have done for all the other nations that applied. Although it is not at all for the reason of preserving Turkeys authenticity I would be nervous that Turkey will become what places like Paris are. I have heard that Turkey is similar to Paris 30 years ago. It was new and excited and although many Europeans traveled there it was not something that thousands of Americans did every year. Turkey has many European tourists, but not many Americans know enough to travel to its cities. If it were accepted to the EU it would open many doors, and be a very fortunate opportunity for many of the residents. Yet, it would also open the door of the unknown. More people would learn about how brilliant the country is and less people would fear it as a scary country that boarders Iran and Iraq. So then, I would expect that the tourists would start flooding in from all around the world. Soon it would no longer be classified as a “Hidden Jem” but as a tourist hot spot. Maybe it’s selfish of me to want to keep this wonderful secret, it’s obvious that the only thing that tourism is hurting are the other tourists and also just annoying the locals. I want Turkey to be successful, I want people to finally understand how amazing it is, but at the same time I don’t! I want to keep it just as it is.

The Hidden Jem That Is Turkey

After our final lecture my understanding of Turkey in regards to the EU are a little more clear. I’ve only been to London and I’m sitting here in Paris but from those few experiences I can see that Turkey is very European and would fit in nicely with countries like England and France. It is clear that Turkey has adopted many cultural traits that some European countries have, yet they can still hold on to the unique and rich culture that it’s known for by the people who have been there. It’s a shame that outsiders do not understand what Turkey is truly like. I believe that if more Europeans and north Americans took the time to travel to this country they would find that there is much more common ground than normally thought. It is so unfair that the country gets a bad reputation because of it’s location, religion, history and population. It’s ridiculous that the consideration for the EU has taken this long at all- but at the same time it makes one wonder what would happen to Turkey if they were accepted in the future.
One of the main reasons turkey excites me so much is the sense of mystery it has. Not many people can say much about this country unless they have visited, lived there, or gone out of their way to research it. I think turkey as one of the worlds “Hidden Jems”, I would fear that an acceptance to the EU might jeopardize the secrecy and mystery that goes along with cities like Istanbul, Izmir, or Ankara. Certainly many things would change pretty quickly if they were accepted. Yet, as you can see form Ataturks rein, Turkey is very able to accept change. There is a history of being able to acclimate themselves even under extreme circumstances.
I want Turkey to stay the way it is- so beautiful, ancient, and ever expanding, but it is clear that there is a lot to gain from the EU. There are positives and negatives, either way Turkey has done a find job standing on it’s own. After the Ottoman Empire, Ataturk was able to make a name for Ankara and make a small village into a growing global city over night. With motivation and innovation like that I question (as do many) why the EU can’t see past the “strange” and unknown” that is feared and look at Turkey in the way it should be seen. Amazing.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

It's really impossible to understand the Turkish state without understanding Ataturk. It's difficult to explain the significance of Ataturk to Turkish history in a single blog post. Even finding a comparable figure from U.S. History is difficult. Ataturk is the founder of a nation and its first strong leader, much like George Washington, but he also has the progressiveness of Teddy Roosevelt, he was beloved like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and secularists harken back to the days of his leadership much like the many American conservatives who remember Ronald Reagan. Maybe Ataturk has the importance of all of these figures rolled into one charismatic leader...and then multiplied by 10.

Ataturk vanquished the occupying Allied powers and replaced the broken Ottoman Empire with a modern state in less than two decades. But his accomplishments went beyond that of just nation building. He transformed the everyday life for the Turkish people. He created the very concept that there was such a group of people who could be considered Turkish, and that they could be connected through a new national identity. Ataturk created this along with essentially everything that it takes to run a modern nation from scratch. A new capital city, a new secular government, new styles of dress, a new language and script, Ataturk constructed all of these.

He's often credited with bringing democracy to Turkey. But it's difficult to see how anything about Ataturk's rule was especially democratic. It's clear that Ataturk was the sole deciding source on many of these drastic reforms. And resistance to his policies would be dealt with swiftly. For everything good about democracies, there are disadvantages. Giving more people a voice in policy making makes things much more difficult to get done. And it's difficult to make the case that Turkey didn't need Ataturk's strong leadership during this period.

It really is impossible to imagine what Turkey would be like today without Ataturk's influence. It's also hard for me to explain to other Americans how deep the affection the Turkish people hold for him is. You can't walk into any shop, cafe, restaurant, bus station, airport, hotel lobby, etc. without seeing a portrait of a staunch, resolute Ataturk gazing off into the distance. I think that maybe the U.S. has experienced similar periods of worship for their leaders, but never something so strongly based on a single individual. Maybe George Washington as the first president of the United States, or maybe FDR during World War II, but there's nothing that matches the longevity and the intensity of admiration that the Turkish people feel for Ataturk.