Posted on 2:00 AM
So today is our last full day in Turkey and I wanted to post a small, unscripted reflection.
Wow, is it already over? My journey to Turkey was definitely an adventurous one, but the stay here was more than I could have ever expected. To be honest, I was extremely hesitant about this whole trip. Was it going to be fun? Were the people going to be enjoyable? Was Turkey going to be interesting? Was it going to be a lot of work? Was the professor going to be strict and leave us with no exploration time? All of these concerns turned out to be my antsy mind portending the worst possible situations. Turkey, a place I never thought about visiting, will forever be a place of amazing adventures and a culture far richer than our meager attempt at being an American culture. The experiences with Kapali Carsa, call to prayer, mystic encounters at Taksim, and all of the other memorable times have forever left an imprint on my mind. The culture here is all about accepting with random people inviting you for tea and a pleasant conversation no matter what the level of understanding may be. I haven't even mentioned the layers and layers of history! Wow. Everyone you step, there is some edifice that is dated at least hundreds of years old. It's to see a bustling city with its skyscrapers and apartment buildings surrounded by huge magnificent mosques blanketing the landscape. When I grow and manage to find a wife and produce some kids, insallah (God willing), I expect that Turkey will be one of our first vacation spots (insallah). Thanks Turkey for all of the crazy, ridiculous, yet educational memories you have given me. Hope to see you soon.
Posted on 1:29 AM
I have encountered some new developments in the past few days that have deterred me from posting as fervently as I have been for the duration of my stay in Turkey. Aside from the hustle and bustle of papers, e-mails, and blog updating our nation's independence day happened to fall into this already overloaded mixture. Being social chair of the group, I along with my co-chair have had a lot on our plates in terms of organizing the celebrations for our nation's independence day...in a foreign country. Even these issues became minor with my most recent development: stolen items!
Somehow during our festivities on the 4th, a mystic Turk managed to stumble into our room in search of a friend. One of us happened to come downstairs for a potty break and noticed said man. After a few questions she determined he was aloof and intoxicated, so there was no action that needed to be taken. We continued with our amazing festivities without giving the mystic encounter a second thought. This is where we went wrong.
The following day as I was updating my blog, a common practice of mine, I remembered that I needed to upload a few pictures onto my computer. I looked for my camera in its usual places: under the piles of clothes, on my bed, on the bureau, in Amanda's purse, and in my pants' pockets. After the usual places I began to worry and searched both flats to no avail. Then, I noticed that my Ipod was also missing. This is when I remembered the mystic trespasser from the night before. Ah! After a few more rounds of extensive searching, I concluded that my camera had been stolen. Luckily, I had uploaded the majority of my photos. After a few calls, I decided to file a police report. Now this is where the fun begins.
Yekta, as a kind friend, agreed to accompany me to the Police Station to translate my sad story. As we stepped up to the entrance of the police station we were accosted by an officer questioning us of our motives and reasons for seeking their assistance. Yekta proceeded to tell him that I had lost my camera and Ipod and we were wanting to file a police report. The man did not believe me! The nerve of this guy. After asking me when I was leaving for the States he concluded that this was all a ploy to cash in on my insurance policy. His experience as an officer had apparently triggered his truth radar and he told us that this was a common story. However, we continued to press but he would not budge. He told me that I had to provide him with the invoices of my camera and Ipod, and after that they would come to our flat and fingerprint search the entire room! I think that the man was only trying to scare me so that I would stop my lies and never return. Boy, was he wrong.
With my cunning skills, great memory, and organization I managed to scavenge copies of the receipts to both my camera and Ipod. One receipt was packed away in a box in a friend's attic, and the other was hidden in Apple's website--a customer support representative couldn't even retrieve this little piece of my proof of purchase. Apple needs to get a more knowledgeable customer support crew. The following day, Yekta, William and I went to the police report. We left......................................................with our mission #7988 completed--we left with a police report! Now it's up to my mother, my insurance agent, to remedy the situation. My part in this is over, it's up to Allstate--You're in Good Hands.
Posted on 5:31 AM
Today we visited the U.S. Consulate, located right outside in Istiniye. Wow, this opportunity to speak to the Foreign Service Officer chairing the Department of Public Affairs offered some very important information and answers to our questions. The stories these people had to share were amazing. It made me consider taking a job in foreign services. I had no idea the adventure and opportunities that were available as an FSO (Foreign Service Officer). Traveling around the world in 2-3 stints and being held in high esteem as the U.S. representative everyone you step definitely sounds like an amazing career! It made me consider interning next summer or the summer after to test the waters. However, there was one thing that was surprising: 4th of July (Independence Day) was celebrated on the 2nd of July! I understand that it was security reasons but I still found it amusing.
After the consulate a few of us headed to Ortakoy to indulge ourselves in Kumpir and Turkish waffles. Here's a picture of me eating kumpir. Looks good, eh?
Posted on 8:25 AM
Leaving Kapadokya behind we headed to Ankara. The journey to Ankara was quite eventful. Our bus driver missed our exit and adamantly refused to turn back. While we were supposed to be in Ankara by midnight, we did not end up in Ankara until 1:30 after having to stop on the side of the expressway and catch 4 taxis to Bilkent University. After settling in and taking a 'short sleep' we headed to Gordeon where Midas's tomb is located. King Midas, many of you may remember, is one carved into history for his famous Golden Touch. We didn't get to see his actual coffin, but we did get to see where he was buried.
Here is the man-made mound fit for a king.
Why isn't his burial site made of gold? This is the wooden structure the King was buried within.
Here's an interesting fact that only recently was discovered: the tomb of King Midas has been dated to be earlier than his time! There aren't even academic papers discussing this potentially controversial issue. Instead, Professor Kent Sams argues that the tomb was constructed for King Midas's father, King Gordeas. After Gordeon we headed downtown. While we were having dinner we became engaged in conversations with random Turks. One of the conversations was incredibly fruitful as it led us to Ankara's famous mosque, Kocatepe (ko-jah-teh-pay). Built and finished in the 80s and in the center of a secular nation and capital, I expected an incredibly modern mosque without the extravagance visible in the edifices of most mosques. However, I was quite surprised when I saw Kocatepe become visible on top of a hill. It was enormous, larger than any other mosque we had visited, and just as beautiful.
Modeled after the Blue Mosque or Sultanahmet
After Kocatepe we strolled through the streets looking for a bar to watch the Eurocup finals where I hoped Germany would take the championship. To quench our thirst and in honor of our viewing of the Eurocup in Europe, David and I decided to purchase this:
Impressive eh? Well, to my disappointment Germany did not win the championship but it was a good game. The next day we visited Ataturk's Mausoleum and the Museum of Anatolian Civilization.
The picture above could be mistaken for Lincoln Memorial, instead it is where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, is buried. The entirety of his mausoleum includes every aspect of his reign from his alphabet reform to his impact on the forestry industry. I was definitely impressed with how thorough the exhibits were. Next stop was the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations where an enthusiastic professor from Bilkent University led us through the exhibits at an information-overloading pace. The exhibit included items from millenia ago. Yet again we are faced with artifacts and excavations without much knowledge reaped from these findings. Why were there so many figurines of supernatural humans? Why was there such an overwhelming amount of bull-like figures decorating homes?
The museum was interesting...to a certain extent, especially after learning of the earliest discovered depiction of intercourse. Ha. It was very interesting to hear and see how the government had set up the museum to include so much artifacts as "Turkish." After breaking from so much in the past 70 years it seems a little ironic that the museum would embody so much. To end on a lighter note I came across some school boys while I was exploring. They wanted me to take dozens of pictures, but here is the best one of them.
That night we took a sleeper train to Istanbul where some of us did not go to bed until 4:30 AM. We decided to partake in festivities rather than sleep. We're only in Turkey once!
