Alpha Omega...Cay

For those of you with a few minutes to burn, here are some fun facts about my life in Turkiye:

1.Cay, or Turkish tea, is becoming an integral part of my life. I love the uniquely-shaped glass cups and the sugar cubes almost as much as the drink itself. Also, even more amazing, although not authentically Turkish- “elma cay”, or apple tea. This drink is purely touristy and sometimes incorrectly made red with a mere tea bag, but at one kebab restaurant the elma cay was the perfect chemical lab lime-green and it was deliciously sweet and hot. I strongly recommend it.

2.Turkish coffee (kahve) should not be confused with American coffee, nor drank in the same way. It comes in a small round teacup and although slightly earthy-tasting is actually pretty good. However, the bottom third is pure silt-you may think you can get one more sip of coffee without the thick sludge at the bottom, but don't do it! However, the sludge is good for getting your fortune told. Apparently, every Turkish mother knows how to do this. (Instructions at bottom for those interested)

3.Koc University. Unlike a few exchange students, I do like Koc University, although I wish it were closer to downtown Istanbul, or even less than 15 minutes by bus to the nearest town. It usually takes little over an hour, sometimes two during bad traffic, to get to Taksim, the center of Istanbul. The trip isn't too bad if you go with friends, but it's not overly enjoyable if you are in a hot, crowded dolmus (mini-bus), especially if you have bags and are forced to stand. To boil it down, my main three problems with Koc are:
1.Location
2.Quality of the classes
3.The food gets a little blah after awhile and generally isn't the healthiest.
4.The campus is very Americanized, which is good in some senses, but I feel like I might have missed out on aspects of Turkish culture.

4.When taking a dolmus down to Sariyer, the nearest town, we get to experience another side of Turkey. Between packs of dogs and cows wandering without constraint in the nearby brush and sometimes on the road in front of the dolmus, it's always interesting. Since we are going down a mountain/hill (what is the difference between those two?), we also get a lovely view of the Bosphorus and the ships on it, offset by the city-covered and mosque-dotted hills in the background.

Halfway down our hill, we make several stops in the insanely large apartment district. This area could be a town itself and probably houses thousands. There are maybe ten districts, each with many tall apartment complexes. The apartment district contains everything from a dry-cleaner to a hookah restaurant to a school to a farmer's market (pazar). Although there are a few Koc students there, I am very curious about where the rest of the people work because I can't imagine that Sariyer is big enough to employ all of them.

5.The ferry is my favorite form of transportation in Turkey. Each trip the ferry is followed by a large flock of seagulls, and by large I mean a hundred or so, that eagerly wait for scraps to be thrown off the back and sometimes catch the food in their mouths. Last time the majority of the birds suddenly disappeared and we have a theory that they have large nets at the front of the ferry and then make kebabs out of them. ;)

6.I have become a hitchhiker. (Keep reading before you get too worried, parents) Because the dolmus takes so long too leave and to make its way down the mountain, we sometimes hitch rides from Koc down to Sariyer. It's safe because they are all Koc students and it's a good way to meet people and practice my Turkish, as well as get a quick and free ride. Also, I can now say I have hitchhiked, although I don't think I'll ever reach the level of hitchhiking as one student I heard about who hitched his way from Romania to Turkey in a Snickers truck!

A Castle, a Horse, and a Green Mosque that is Blue

Hello Fans! I've been negligent in my posting, so I have a lot to catch you up on...I will start with my trip a month ago to Troy, Gallipoli, Cannakale and Bursa.

Yes, the legendary Troy is

in fact in Turkey, or at least the place we went

t

o is believed to be Troy. After entering the gates we were greeted by a large, wooden horse that was clearly made in the last few decades, but

we had fun going up in it and

getting our pictures taken. The ruins weren't overly impressive, mainly because we spent

a couple of hours

listening to a dry description of

the excavation work and the seven layers of civilization at Troy. It wa

s interesting to be at such a legendary place, though, and there were several pillars and blocks

of marble with Greek writing on them that added to the atmosphere.

My favorite part of that whole trip was visiting the castle (kale in Turkish) at Eceabat (See above photos). The staircases went all the way up to the top of the walls, but there weren't any railings or way to stop you from falling, so we were strongly recommended not to climb them. Of course, we couldn't resist climbing half-way at least. There were also cool passageways and in the above photo where I

am standing in the doorway I had to climb up through a dark, narrow passage with the use of my cell phone light and my (non-existant) sense of balance.

I'

m not sure what that room was, but it was really surprising to enter the simple-looking stone door and be presented with the archways and broken beams peppering the walls that went up about fifty feet to the ceiling.

We also visited the World War I memorial site at

Gallipoli. At the top of a

mountain overlooking the Bosphorus, t

here was a huge stone monument (see picture), clear grave markers, and several other iron and stone monuments. Ataturk, who was the leader of the Turkish

fight to regain their lands after WW1, was highly featured, of course. I'll talk about Ataturk later, but he is revered in Turkey to the

extent that during the Turkish Republic holiday, banners of him are EVERYwhere and range from a string of fifty photos to a three-story banner hanging from a building.

We went to visit the trenches, which

have caved in a bit but are still several feet deep, and our tour guide told us the story of how

the attacking forces were coming (I think the Italians?) and

the Turkish troops needed to hold the position until more

troops came, so A

taturk told his men, "I am not giving you an order to attack, I am ordering you to die!" Ataturk himself didn't die because although he was shot by a bullet, something averted

it-I think it was an eye-glass or something. (Those are cannonballs on the right)

We stayed at a hostel in Cannakale, which introduced me to the concept of shower-bathrooms which are the lovely rooms that contain a shower-head right in front of the sink, so that sometimes when the sink is turned on, the water comes out on your head instead of on your hands. I was also able to experience the shower-head falling off onto my head during my shower.

Despite those problems, though, the hostel was pretty nice with a traditional Turkish breakfast and a (not-so traditional?) small fish pond cut into the stone floor in the center of the breakfast

room. At a Cannakale restaurant we also read about "cigarette pie" on the menu- none of us were brave enough to buy it, but we later discovered it's a pastry that's only shaped like a

cigarette and it doesn't actually taste like one (it's not supposed to, anyways).

We also visited Bursa and visited the Green Mosque (Yesil Cami), which is actually blue on the outside but some of the tile work was green inside. We didn't have to wear headscarves in there, but when we went to Ulu Cami, the Great/Holy Mosque, everyone had to

remove their shoes and the girls had to cover their hair. Inside Ulu Cami the floor was completely carpeted and there

were ornate chandeliers, reliefs, wall designs. There was even a stone fountain in the center (see below). The picture with the blue floor and the Sultan's coffin is the Green Mosque and the others are from Ulu Cami. I apologize if the formatting of this blog is a little weird, but I've been having difficulties with the pictures and I have another exam to study for, so until next time Gule Gule! (Goodbye in Turkish)

Koç Üniversitesi

The campus is beautiful; I'll post pics soon (I know I keep saying that, but I will! Soon...), but for now I'll try to describe it in words. At some points on campus, you can see rolling mountain/hills covered in trees, the faculty apartments, which are across a valley and set on a hill amid forestry so that there buildings look kind of like Hogwarts, and the blue expanse of sea with the occasional ship.

I went running today, which apparently isn't done much because everyone I ran past gave me a weird look and it was tough finding a place to run. I guess I haven't said this yet, but security here is...intense, to say the least. There are gates with security guards at all the entrances and everyone has to show their student ID's before they can enter. There is a sign that says "Warning Spikes" and has a picture of long, pointy spikes...which you can also see on a metal strip a little past the gate. The campus is also surrounded by serious-looking green, barb-wire crested fences. On top of this, there also security guards and security guard outposts at the most-frequented places on campus. (Side note: It is illegal to take pictures of guards in Istanbul; they will make you delete the picture if they see you. My friend Jordan did manage to sneak a shot, though.)

When I went running, though, I ended up at the faculty apartments and as I entered the area, a guard came out of his round look-out hut and followed me for a bit, I guess to make sure I didn't vandalize anything, I don't know? The view when I was over there was amazing, though. I was at the top of a steep hill (there is no such thing as a moderate hill here) and the brick red and white apartments and the rolling forests surrounding them performed an amazing frame for the ship-clad blue of the sea. It was so beautiful I stopped for a moment to admire the view before I continued down the drop-off also known as a hill in Turkey. Apparently "normal" people don't swim in the Bosphorus because it isn't that clean, but there is a beach around and I would love to at least walk the shores...we'll see what happens. I do think that I will rent a boat to go across to the Asian side of Turkey, though, it sounds exciting!

The lights are turning off on me at the student center, so I think they are "subtly" telling me to go, but a few quick notes before I go:

1. Stray cats are EVERYWHERE in Turkey, they are curled up on cars, slinking through the gates of a mosque, even here at Koc I've seen some. There are a few dogs as well, but mostly cats. Apparently Greece has a majority of dogs, which is funny since Greece and Turkey are very similar in culture and food apparently.

2. They have markets down in Sariyer, the city at the bottom of the mountain-hill Koc is on and I'm really excited to get fruit, vegetables, and fish! They have piles of whole fish in the stands and it looks nice and fresh!

3. Ironically, I am also learning a lot about the US here, just from talking to other exchange students. I had figured that most universities/towns were pretty similar to mine, but I've been talking to my friends from Texas and the East coast and their college experience and even culture, to a degree, is pretty different from mine. It makes me want to live outside Minnesota for awhile!

Turkiye'yi seviyorum!!

I've been in Turkey for exactly a week now, but it feels like a month and a day at the same time- a month because I've seen so many things and a day because it's gone by so fast! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Turkey....it is so exciting and the scenery is breathtaking and different; Minnesota is really boring in comparison!

Several Things About Turkey You Should Know:

1. If Turkish drivers drove in the US, every single one of them would get a ticket- driving is INSANE! Not only do pedestrians not have the right of way, but the most aggressive driver wins. Traffic lanes don't exist here, they will cross them or go two or three abreast, especially in a traffic jam. They accelerate whenever they come and then slam on the brakes to come within two inches of the car in front of them and to the side of them. Also, people will walk between the cars selling things when the traffic is slower. Surprisingly, though, I haven't seen any accidents yet. They are all really good drivers, just crazy!

2. In Istanbul, the sidewalks are..exciting to say the least. They have random holes and sometimes metal things sticking up. Also, everywhere in Turkey random steps up or down sneak up on you! It is definitely not wheelchair-friendly. Or klutz-friendly (which has more of an impact on me). There isn't a warning, either; in the US sudden steps are marked with orange tape or a sign, but I guess they just have more faith in peoples' awareness!

3. Food: Yesterday, for dinner I ate two stuffed mussels (you put lemon juice and hot sauce on the mussel/rice combination and then swallow it whole-excellent, actually!), a fried-fish kebab of sorts, and an amazing stuffed potato. You may be thinking, "A stuffed potato? How boring!", but it is the American stuffed potato bolded, italicized, and multiplied by ten. They start off with a huge potato skin with the potato mixed with butter on the inside and then you can choose from about twenty toppings, including this pinkish cabbage sauce (delicious, surprisingly), little chili peppers, corn, mushrooms, yogurt, peas, a spicy rice sauce thing, olives, ketchup, and the list goes on...we got all of the above plus other things and it was delish! I am posting a picture of one of the internet that will give you an idea of what it looked like.

I have also eaten things like whole sardines, sardine-rice casserole, cheese-stuffed zucchini, grape leaves stuffed with rice, ayran (a sour yogurt drink), Turkish coffee (a tiny mug of strong espresso-like coffee), kofte (meatballs that taste like sausage), and so much more...I will continue this blog but now I have to go!!

Preparing for the Trek to Turkey (If you make a bird joke, I'll smack you)

It shouldn't come as a big surprise to those who know me, but I've been procrastinating on certain vital tasks to prepare for my trip. This is partly because I've been working during normal business hours of the businesses I wanted to patronize and partly because I'm lazy. Anyways, I'm crossing my fingers that my contacts and credit card arrive this Friday since my plane leaves Sunday...but hey, what's a trip without a little stress?

On a brighter note, I have almost completed my packing and I think it will all fit, albeit tightly. I'm hoping to get my big suitcase up to 47 pounds since the limit is 50, but it's stuffed and only 45-I have no idea how anyone could get over 50 without stuffing some bricks or cat tins in there.

This is somewhat sad, but although I have taken four semesters of Turkish I didn't know anything about Turkish history until recently. Normally I don't really get into nonfiction books but I read one about Turkey called "Crescent and Star" and it was fascinating! Here's an excerpt:

"King Midas and King Croesus, Saint Paul and Saint Nicholas, Homer and Herodotus-all came from the land that is now Turkey. This is where Aristotle taught philosophy, were Diogenes searched for an honest man and where Florence Nightingale treated the sick and wounded. Many of history's greatest conquerors have won or lost wars here, among them Alexander, Darius, Tamerlane, Hannibal and Saladin."

Even beyond that, though, Turkey has a really interesting history. After they lost WW1 along with Germany, both countries faced huge "war costs", but the Ottoman Empire was parceled off among the major European powers so the only land that remained was mountainous and inhospitable. Ataturk Kemal, who had defeated Churchill during a major battle in WW1, led the Turks in a successful revolt to recover their land. Instead of taking advantage of his win to conquer more territory, Ataturk worked to establish the Turkish Republic and strove to take all traces of Muslim influence from the government. Although Muslims now don't have as many rights as a true democracy/republic should, Ataturk did save Turkey from possibly becoming another Iraq or Iran. I could go on, but this blog is getting long so I'll leave the history until I learn about it firsthand!

So now I just need to scrabble all my things together, make sure I have all the vitals, and I'm off this Sunday, leaving the country for the first time in...ever!