My Mission: 16 Countries in 6 Months

Welcome class. Today you will learn how to do Crank Dat Soulja Boy! (The Americans made me get up in front of Turkish university students and Crank Dat--pictures to come). Today we went to Sabanci University and listened to students present in English along with a guided tour of the campus.
I learned a lot of interesting things. In Turkey, to qualify for higher education one has to take a national exam (OSS). Depending upon the score, one is placed into a university and, potentially, an occupational track. Sabanci University, a private school, costs approximately $22,000 an academic year, whereas public schools are free! What a difference the costs of education are between Turkey and America. We are supposed to meet with them sometime to hang out. They're supposed to show us a good time.

Today's class centered around railroad history and Istanbul's industrialization. However, before we get into the academic stuff, I should tell you of the small trip Amanda and I had to see two hamams.
On our previous trip to visit hamams we saw 3 out of 4 hamams that we wanted to inspect. Today we decided to wake up early, before class started, and walk over to Istaklal and find the Galatasaray hamami. We had read somewhere that the Galatasaray hamami was only $6-$12; however, to our surprise, it was actually $36. There were some odd prices that listed $6, but that did not gain you access into the hamam. Dismayed, we walked back to a hamam right down the street from our flat. The hamam by our flat was incredibly small. We found out that it only cost 10 ytl, however it only serviced men and only had 1 room (compared to the other hamams with at least 3 different-temperature rooms). Amanda and I decided that we would probably take the class to the Gedikapasi hamami when we actually do our presentation. Now, back to class.
We watched a video by our guest speaker about railroads, but there was a big catch: the whole video was in Turkish. This proved to be a hassle, as Yekta (our Turkish liaison) had to pause the video every other sentence and translate. The 30 minute video turned out to be over an hour! I did not find the video particularly interesting or pertinent to the class, as it only discussed Ottoman railroads/industrialization for the last 5 minutes. The rest of the film touched upon the entire history of railroads--keep in mind it was all in Turkish. Then we went up to the terrace to continue class and discuss industrialization.
The rest of class was much more interesting as we learned of the impact railroads had in Istanbul, whether it be political, social, or economic. Then we segued into the industrialization of Istanbul. We were asked to read two articles the night before dealing with Istanbul's city planning, or attempts to change the city. I found the articles to be intriguing. Istanbul, during a period, was going to be Turkey's Paris! Instead of the charming city with numerous monuments placed in all different areas, it was going to be a city with a distinguishable center with radiating arms. The articles discussed the impossibilities of these dreams and fantasies of the sultans. We also discussed the obstacles and hurdles that would have prevented Istanbul from becoming a copy of Paris. Instead of Istanbul becoming the Paris the elite class yearned for, Ankara took its Parisian title when it became Turkey's capital. Now, I'm about to go to the Prof's house for some delicious (and FREE) dinner! And afterwards? The terrace, where else?

On Sunday our group followed William to the Redbull flugtag. Many of you have probably seen the Redbull commercials advertising these events around the world. Well, based off of the events of the day, I pretty much understood that flugtag was a showcase of courage, creativity, and craze! People from Kuwait, New York, and numerous other parts of the world joined together in Istanbul to show their gliding/flying skills. Here are a few samples of the contraptions people created--ENJOY!

Hopefully, you were able to understand the allusion to "Apple Bottom Jeans, Boots with the Fur" that I was trying to draw with this title. If not, don't worry, I have something interesting to tell you. On one my first days here, after the whole quasi-deportation episode which abandoned me in London, I came across something quite peculiar. Imagine seeing a midget It (from Adam's Family) sitting on top of a wheel barrel outside of a market. You ask yourself, "What could this hideous object be? Some sort of animal, or perhaps a monster?" Well, as we were sitting in Adnan and Hasan's (carpet store from previous post) we were handed a book of carpet/rug work. As Emily was randomly flipping through the pages, she cracked our first Turkish mystery!

One needs more than one life to learn the art of calligraphy. Before this very informative calligraphy session, I had no idea that calligraphy was such an esteemed art. Being Chinese, I understood that it was extremely important to have beautiful handwriting; however, the extent of practice and dedication to Turkish calligraphy is amazing! Perhaps, a Chinese calligrapher is also as diligent as a Turkish calligrapher, but that is of no consequence. The beauty that is produced from simple tools made out of reeds and bamboo is jaw-dropping. I even got my name (Wen-How) transcribed for me:


Later that night we met up with up with our friend, Marat and Suhrat to go experience Turkish night life. Wow! What an experience. We started off at a local bar, Darkness, where I had 70 cl of Efes (name of a beer), a shot of findik vodka (hazelnut vodka--which turned out to taste like hazelnut water) and the one and only, Darkness (a mix of bizarre liquors). My tab turned out to be 22 ytl (lyras)--WHAT ?!?! It was extremely expensive. Then we decided to go to a techno club, of which I do not remember seeing a name. The club was not very exciting so we left and went to another club.
This is where the fun began! This club had no name and only appeared to be a black garage door. However, to my surprise, behind the door was an underground club with strobe lights, LED lights on the ceiling, and numerous alternative Turks. We had hit the jackpot as far as alternative nightlife goes. Watching the Turks dance was a spectacle. The Turks we saw, whatever representation they may have been, danced without much rhythm and with a lot of arm motions. They also did not grind, but that may have been due more to the music than the dance culture. After dancing to ear-bursting music for a couple of hours, a gay couple entered. We were all completely thrown off as they began to passionately kiss each other at a public place. Being in a predominately Muslim country, I did not expect such overt acts of homosexuality to be displayed. After more dancing, we decided to return to our flat. The night ended around 3:30 AM. The whole night was an experience that I will not forget!

Today was, yet again, another fast-paced day filled with marble-paper demonstrations, tours of a medresi (school) built by the famous architect Sinan, class in one of the rooms, and a delicious lahmajuhn (Turkish pizza/burrito). I also boldly decided to try the drink, Ayran (a Turkish yogurt drink) without having sipped or tasted one before. I imagined a sweet drink, perhaps with some sort of fruit flavor. Little did I know that the drink was going to be salty, reminding me of curdled milk. Here is a picture of Ayran:
After that we returned to the room and lounged around for a few hours. Kristina and I both noticed the lack of overt exercise in the city. We were used to being at Chapel Hill and seeing runners every 5 minutes, and scores of people heading in and out of the gym. This reminded me of our discussion in class about what Turkey has to do in order to Westernize. Now that they have Starbucks and McDonald's encroaching upon their lands, I think they will realize that they have fully Westernized when they build corporate gyms and fitness facilities. However, this may be a very American thing, and not necessarily Western ideal. The conversation was short, and it reminded us of the large role exercise had in our lives. But complaining is not our motto, so we quickly segued into another conversation. After a few hours we decided to go eat on Istaklul Street. I had a simit (bread with sesame seeds) sandwich. It was filled with cheese and 'spicy sausage,' otherwise known as sucuk. The food here is something that I am going to miss greatly when I return to the States.
After dinner we decided to return to our daily routine and visit our companions on the terrace. Ugur and Ugel were not present, but Marat, the resident, was as usual--cigarette in one hand and an Efes (beer) in another. Clayton and I realized that because we did not have a translator, we learned the language much quicker. We had to learn Turkish quick in order to continue communication between the Americans and Turks. Some of my favorite moments are when we spend time on the terrace overlooking the blue mosque, Hagia Sofia, along with all of the other awe-striking monuments while having stimulating conversations with our Turkish friends. Tomorrow we are planning on going to a nearby club where they play Turkish music. I cannot wait to move my feet to the Turkish beats!

Today was an interesting day. We spent approximately 6-7 hours scavenging around Turkey. We were asked to find items from strawberries and apples to fountains and Asian ice cream. The scavenger hunt was a great idea to get us acclimated to our surroundings in a fun and safe manner. As we were lost in a park looking for the entrance to an enormous palace, we noticed the numerous couples engaging in overt affection. I was surprised at the shameless displays of affection in such a public area. But perhaps we were entering the land of lust and love without knowing it. :) The amount of su (water) we ended up consuming equated to 4 bottles a person. We drank water like it was our job! The sun's rays were pounding upon our skin as we trekked through Europe and Asia (Istanbul happens to span across both continents) in our quest for numerous items. After the scavenger hunt we had dinner at Professor Shield's house. The dinner was delicious with salad, pasta, cake, fruit, and juice. I am very impressed with the Shields' cooking :)
On Tuesday night, while we were up on the terrace, we agreed to meet with our new Turkish friends at 7. This conversation took the form of a 45 minute discussion where every member of the discussion had a different idea of when the celebrations were going to take place. It was finally decided to meet at 7 on Wednesday. However, we, being stupid Americans, forgot that we already had dinner plans at Professor Shields'. We did our best to write a note to tell Marat, our friend, that we were going to be late due to former dinner plans. However, while we were walking down Istaklul towards Professor's house we ran into Ugur and Ugel (the other two Turkish friends we met on the terrace). It was fate that brought us to them to inform them of our tardiness tonight. Everything went well during dinner and off we went back home and up onto the terrace. Time for raki (Turkish liquor)!
My first experience with raki was not as I had imagined. I had heard of raki quite a while before I left the States. The logical thing was to build up this liquor in my mind and place it upon a pedestal above all other types of alcohol. However, raki (which must be mixed 50/50 with water) turned out to smell and taste like black licorice! I could not believe that this was the liquor of choice in Turkey! How could a people enjoy the taste of black licorice so much that they would create a liquor that smelled and tasted like it! I was very disappointed with the drink, but perhaps the in the next 6 weeks I shall acquire a taste for this fine delicacy :) Drum roll, please. Here is what you have all been waiting for: a picture of raki!

Hey,
So my first day in Istanbul, Turkey consisted of going across on a ferry to Asia. We stopped at Kadikoy, where there was a farmer's and clothing bazaar. I had a very intimate encounter with one of the vendors. He insisted on touching my gages, asking if I was married, and asking if I was going to join the army (because I was wearing a green shirt). He also shoved a berry into my mouth, which convinced me to buy 2 baskets of them (8 lyras). Then, out of nowhere, some man came up to me and grabbed my arm and face and pushed our cheeks together (some sign of greeting). All of this occurred while they were speaking Turkish. Luckily, we had Yekta to translate for us. Now, we're about to cook a pasta dinner after our nice beer in Asia!
baybay (bye bye)

Hello everyone,
So here is my first post. My weekend was definitely an adventure. I got stopped at the UK immigration and warned about my passport's tattered/mutilated state. They told me of the repercussions that could occur if I were to go to Turkey and deported. However, they also gave me hope that I had a 50/50 chance of making it past immigration at Turkey because of the US andUK allowing me to pass through. Professor Shields, being the risk taker she is, also advised me to keep on trekking.
A while later, I received a phone call from Professor Shields urging me to stay in London. She managed to get in contact with someone associated with Turkish immigration control and found out that the deportation involves a 24-hour minimum detention. Furthermore, these detention centers cannot be penetrated by US officials! After hearing this news I was devastated at having to stay in London. :)
We arranged housing and I scheduled an appointment with the US embassy on Monday (note that it was a Saturday when this occurred). After saying goodbyes to Kristina and Clayton, as they continued on their journey to Turkey, I left the airport only to be stopped by immigration a second time. How many times would I get laughed at for my mutilated passport? The officials told me that they had to deal with British Airways and fine them 'loads of money' for allowing me passage into the UK with my 'mutilated passport.' After waiting a while, I was finally released into London and caught the tube to my living quarters.
Finding the place was wicked hard. It was raining, the streets went around in circles, and the directions I had involved turning at unknown lights and finding similar trees to point out that I had reached my destination. At this point I did not think that matters could get any worse, until I tried making a call to Kevin, the housing hook-up. Surprise, surprise! My credit cards had been shut off due to unusual activity (which I have yet to resolve). So I finally found my housing after another hour or two of searching. Then I find out that my outlet converter did not work in the UK, the ONE country that it did not work for in Europe!!! I was stuck in a room with no electricity, no credit cards, unable to make a collect call to Turkey, no food, no contacts, and a phone that only made calls to 2 numbers: emergency and the housing department.
Well, Sunday was much better. I ended up finding piecing together all of the application parts for a passport, while I was touring London.
Monday was a lot of business transactions at the US Embassy and the airport. British Airways nearly left me at the Gate B43 due to a ticketing error! Luckily, with minutes to spare, I made it onto the plane. Off to Turkey! Now I'm sitting in my Turkish flat awaiting more adventure. That's all for now.
And here is an inexplicable picture I took while searching for passport photos: