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!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
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!!
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!!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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!
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!
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