To all of my loyal blog-followers out there, I'm sure you've been waiting at the edge of your seats for another update from me. Well lose no more sleep.

Since my last post I have taken two separate trips to southeastern Turkey, one with my program group and one with my friend Ben. Words don't do much justice for these excursions, so I'll just bullet some of the milestones and post a few photos.

• I hoofed it to the top of Nemrut Dağı just in time to see the sun set.


• In Sanlıurfa, I wandered through the seemingly endless maze of shops in the local pazaar.


• In Mardin, I looked out at the Mesopotamian plains after the most delicious meal of mezes I've ever had. After lunch, we met with some local youth at a newly opened cultural center and roamed the winding streets of Mardin with them for a few short hours.


• I dressed up in traditional clothing and posed for pictures in one of Haran's beehive houses. Harran is one of the oldest continuously inhabited human settlements in the world.


• On a boat ride up the Euphrates, I got goosebumps at the sight of the tip of a minaret, sticking out of the water, the rest of the mosque submerged under water after this area was flooded, following the construction of the Berecik Dam. Today only 3 families live in old Halfeti.


• In Van, Ben and I explored the spectacular ruins of the ancient city of Tuşba. We climbed to the top of 3 minarets. We were also the objects of much curiosity, mainly to Kurdish children and men. While we wanted to take pictures of the castle, they wanted to take pictures with us.


• I swam in Van Lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It was REAALY cold, extremely salty, and left my skin feeling slimy.

The weekend in Van was dominated by encounters with Kurdish pride. I took a lot of pictures with people, holding my fingers in what I believed to be the universal sign for peace, but is also, as I found out later, a gesture signifying victory within the movement of Kurdish resistance.

My classes wrap up next week so I'm busy writing final papers on topics like Shari'a in Islam, Women in Sufism, and the evolution of language. The weather in Ankara is fantastic, which makes it that much more difficult to write papers.

-Olympos'da


Roman mosaics -Olympos'da


Sun's coming up -Kapadokya'da

1600 year old church -Kapadokya'da


Fresh bread from the village oven -Bir köy, Kapadokya'da


Bir çağlayan -Kızıcahamam'da


Graffiti art -Amasra'da


Merhabalar!

The last two weekends I visited two quite distinct regions, unlike any places I have been before, Kapadokya (Cappadocia) and the Akdeniz (Mediterranean). In Kapadokya, I slept in a cave in Göreme, explored an underground city and many churches built right into the side of rocks, hiked through a beautiful canyon surrounded by rock chimneys straight out of a fairy tale, and rose early with the 5:00 am ezan (call to prayer) to watch the sun rise and dozens of hot air balloons take off. On the way back to Ankara, we stopped in Hacıbektaş, a pilgimage site for Alevis/Bektaşıs. We actually got to walk around the site and pay our respects to the great Islamic humanist and philosopher who lived in the 11th century.

This weekend I caught a midnight bus with two friends and woke up the following morning in Antalya. Mountains, sea, forests, fruit trees, camping, ruins, sandy beaches, rocky beaches, greenhouses, treehouses, castles, you name it, it can be found in this region of the Akdeniz. We slept in an infamous treehouse in Olympos. The motto of Bayram's Tree Houses Pension is "Come for a day, stay for a week". The weather is absolutely perfect, 4 blue-bird days. We picked oranges right from the tree and ate them in the seats of a Roman theatre. We swam in the clear blue waters and climbed up a path nearby leading to the ruins of a castle. There was plently of freshly-made gözleme (poorly translated as a Turkish pancake) filled with spinach, cheese, or potatoes to name a few.

I've just heard back from TaTuTa Eco Farms and I've been placed on a few farms to volunteer in July. The website is worth a browse http://www.bugday.org/tatuta/index.php?lang=EN.

So they say it's my birthday and I thought to myself 'This calls for an overdue blog post'.
First off, thank you so much to everyone who has been sending me letters, cards, and packages! My room is becoming cluttered with all the love!

We had a birthday celebration this afternoon in my Turkish class-- cake, candles, the works. The weather outside is spectacular, short-sleeve, chaco weather! On my home to eat some of my favorite mercimek çorba (lentil soup). Then I'll head out to celebrate with my friends!

This past weekend I traveled with my fellow adventurers, Riley and Sev, to Amasra. It was about a 5 hour bus ride to the town of Bartın, where we caught a dolmuş to the town of Amasra, a small town with two harbors on the Black Sea (Karadeniz). I didn't sleep at all on the bus because I was so preoccupied by the scenery-- rolling green hills to snow-covered pine trees as we crossed over a pass, logging roads, and muddy creeks. We had the name and telephone number of a pensiyon (bed-n-breakfast style accomodation), called when we arrived, and ended up with a room overlooking the Black Sea. The pensiyon itself was located in the Amasra kale, surrounded by 3000-year-old crumbling Roman walls. I woke up just as the sun was rising, and wandered out onto our balcony, wrapped in a big blanket, camera and journal in hand, and soaked up the early morning gazing out at the Karadeniz. We did quite a bit of wandering around the city, saw countless stray dogs and cats compared to the number I run into in Ankara, bartered with shop keepers selling wooden handcrafts, and walked out on a crowded boardwalk to get a better view of the town. We met a woman with 8 chubby puppies and she saw us eyeing them, so she invited us into her front yard to sit and hold the darlings. We found out how small the town really was when we ran into the same woman with her friends at a cafe we had sat down to eat at. I had read about a few islands that you can get to from Amasra, one we could see from our pensiyon, but only birds seemed to hang out there. We ended up finding the bridge to the other island and climbed up to the top of a ridge, past wild flowers and even over a few boulders, where we watched the sun set, and listened to akşam ezan (the evening call to prayer) coming from the local mosque. The words echoed through the valley. From the top of the ridge I could see all of Amasra, the surrounding mountain valley, and the Black Sea stretching as far as the eyes can see into the horizon. If this would have been my only experience in Amasra, I would have left simply stunned and speechless.

Since you probably don't know, my previous weekend excursions earlier this month include a day-trip to Eskişehir, a visit to the Ankara Zoo, and the Roman Baths in Ankara. We took the hızla tren (fast train) to Eşkişehir and spent the afternoon with Riley's host sister's cousin, a student at one of the two universities in Eskişehir. It poured most of the day, but the visit was worth it just to gain a different perspective of another area of Turkey. A canal runs right through the city center, colorful mozaics dot the walkways, and there are even a set of lightrails. The zoo in Ankara cost 2.50 lira to get in (insanely cheap by American standards). We weren't expecting to see cages of dogs at the zoo. The dogs looked pretty miserable. I stood a few feet away from the dirtiest and biggest camel I have ever seen. I could have touched him and he could have spit on me. The Roman Baths are in a gated off plot of land near a busy intersection in the historical district of Ankara called Ulus. We spend the afternoon wandering around all of these ancient stone pillars and blocks dating back to the Roman and Greek empires.

I hope this will suffice for a post. İyi akşamlar! Görüsürüz!

Merhabalar!
This past weekend Riley and I ventured to Beypazarı, 1 ½ hour bus ride away, west of Ankara. Leaving our houses in the early hours, I wasn’t entirely sure we were going to make it to Beypazarı, because we had to first find Ankara’s old bus station, then we had to get on the right bus. Luckily our Turkish mothers drew maps for both of us, and we made it to the bus station no problems.

When we arrived in Beypazarı it was still relatively early so we had beaten the noon-time crowds. Wandering up the cobblestone streets, we met local men and women setting their hand-made jewelry, dried herbs, vegetables, nuts, havuç lokum (carrot-flavored Turkish delight), colorful textiles, and knitted booties out to sell. One notable difference from Ankara was the prevalence of headscarves in Beypazarı. The woman also wore very loose-fitting pants, with the crotches of the garments sagging nearly past their knees. Throughout the day, we got to practice our Turkish with men, women, and young children alike. Two young boys captured our hearts in a photo shoot. They were so patient with us, hanging on each other in brotherly-fashion, while Riley changed lenses. I gave them each a quarter. When they found out the coins were from America, they took off running down the street, shouting “Amerika! Amerika!”. We were sitting down at a table in a crowded restaurant for some afternoon grub, when an older woman came over to us, kissed me on both cheeks, and gave us the tasty baklava from her meal.

Sitting outside a café, we got to talking with a very nice Turkish couple. They invited us to come with them to hıdırlık tepesi, a high-overlooking hill in the center of Beypazarı where one can see the city and surrounding areas. We had been planning on walking there ourselves, but the car ride saved us a good sweat up the steep and winding road. It was a wonderful string of adventures!

Walking out my door, I turn to my left to see this...


Muslim medallions and Christian mosaics in Aya Sofya




Cruisin down the Bosphorus.






View from Galata Tower.






Dogs sleeping in Istanbul, and man carrying tray of simit.



"Mother Goddess" Neolithic figurines



Laughing at Turkish comics.




Jessie and I showing off the scarf we marbled together.

This is a clip from the Shadow Puppet show I saw in Istanbul. It was absolutely hilarious.

Meraba!
My anne took me to my first hamam, a Turkish bathhouse. Not just any hamam, either. This hamam was located in a 300 year-old Ottoman building, in Ulus, a 20 minute dolmuş (public transit in the form of a minibus) ride away from my home in Gaziosmanpaşa. We walked through two sets of doorways, and into a large gathering room called the camekan, where women were sitting and chatting. My anne introduced me to the woman who would be giving me my body rub-down and massage. Her name was Kiraz, which means cherry, and her strength and seriousness intimidated me a little bit. We were shown to a cubicle, where we undressed, slipped on a pair of sandals, and gathered our towels, soap, wash saucers and scrubbies. Beyond the camekan, we entered the bathing area, where water was flowing on slick marble floors. We shared a side room with a mother and her young daughter. My anne filled her wash saucer with water from our basin and proceeded to dump water all over the place. It was a way to make sure the area in which were about to wash was clean. At this point in time, I began thinking about the amount of water flowing down the drains at the cost of my cleanliness. When it was time for my rub-down and massage, Kiraz found me and brought me to the great marble slap called the göbektaşı (belly stone) beneath the great central dome. She scrubbed me down with a kese (a course cloth mitten), loosening all the dirt and grime I’ve collected over the years. I think I was dirtier than most, from the funny look my anne gave me. She kept saying “Caitlin very dirty”. Then came the massage, which was absolutely wonderful. You’ll have to get one yourself and tell me what you think afterwards. I have never felt so clean in my life. I gave Kiraz two liras for a tip, she smiled at me, and I decided she’s very good at what she does.

At least in my family, breakfast is a big deal on the weekends. My anne and I went over to her brother’s home Sunday morning. We sat around the table, eating bread and simit (circular bread) with eggs, cheeses, fruit preserves, a spicy tomato-based dish, honey, and vegetables, and drinking çay (tea) for a good two hours. I played for the rest of the afternoon with my anne’s 4 year-old nephew Deren. His name means the base of a mountain, while his brother Doruk means summit. I reverted to making silly faces because I didn’t know what he was saying most of the time. We were best buds by the end of the afternoon.

Just returned on an overnight train from 3 days in Istanbul. Ate way too much, very little sleep, but absolutely wonderful experiences! Cuma (Friday) we visited the Jewish Museum, Galata Tower (360 degree view of the city), the Egyptian Spice Market, the Greek Orthdadox Patriarchate, and took a boat down the Bosphorus. Cumartesi (Saturday) tours included the Hippodrome, Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque), Aya Sofya, Topkapi Sarayi (Topkapi Palace), and Binbirdirek Cistern. Pazar (Sunday) we saw a Shadow Puppet play at Istanbul Modern and a Whirling Dervish sema.

I just wanted to share some of the things that struck my interest along the way:

I saw hundreds of fishermen (I mean fishermen not fisherpeople because I did not see a single woman) lined up on one of the bridges across the Golden Horn, casting their lines into the Halic.

Hostels are a wonderful way to travel.

Soggy shoes and lots of walking is not a very good combination. Don't worry, I warmed up.

Sitting in an audience of children, in hysterics over a Shadow Puppet play dating back to the 13th century, is a must.

A long quote from a pamphlet on Sema, the universal movement (the pamphet is the from the Whirling Dervishes sema):

Contemporary science definantly confirms that the fundamental condition of our existence is to revolve. There is no object, no being which does not revolve and the shared similarity among beings is the revolution of the electrons and protons in the atoms, which constiture the structure of the smallest particle to the stars far in the sky. As a consequence of this similarity, everything revolves and the man [sic] carries on his life. his very existence by means of the revolition in the atoms, structural elements in his body, by the circulation of his blood, by his coming from the Earth and return to it, by his revolving with the Earth itself...Sema is the turning of humanbeing towards truth, soaring by sence and love, quitting the egoism and existing with God and as a perfect man returning to slavery with a brandnew soul servitude to all creatures...

I'll post some pics from the weekend next time.

just a few sites around my city:

Çok güzel!

For anyone who loves me enough to send me some mail :) here is my address:

CG, CIEE c/o
Active Languages
Ataturk Blvd, Selcan Han, NO 127
Turkish Language Unit (ACTOM) Floor 6
06640 Bakanliklar (don't dot the 'i')
Ankara

merhaba family and friends!

I've been staying very busy with 3 hours of Turkish lessons every day and lectures by univerisity professors on various topics from Islam to Turkish culture to Human Development in Turkey. Here are a few things I've picked up along the way:

The walking pace here is much more leisurely compared to the states, while the driving is completely insane. Drivers always have the right away. most busy intersections have overpasses for pedestrians, while the brave may gamble a bit, dodging araba/taxis/dolmus/otobus with great skill.

Military service is required for all Turkish males. Raising your eyebrows & your chin, while making a ttttss sound means "no".

I was at a cafe with some friends on afternoon and we thought would be fun to play cards. It was of those places where board games are provided for entertainment. We began dealing the cards and a garson (waiter) comes over to our table and tells us in Turkish to put away the cards, and that we could be jailed for playing cards in a public space. We were with one of our Turkish friends and he explained to us that cards are associated with gamling, which is not something people do in public.

I'm on my way out the door to Kizilay for class...

Gurursuruz!

At the top of the citadel!

Picnic area on campus. When ODTU was founded in the 50s it is said that there were no trees to be seen. Now there are trees as far as the eye can see. New trees are planted every spring in the young forest, which was planted by university professors, students and staff.

Kocatepe Camii

Ankara around dusk.

young girls playing at the citadel

Here is an interesting tidbit...the Turkish language has only one irregular noun, su (water), and one irregular verb, dmek (to be). Words are formed by agglutination, meaning affixes are joined to a root word. I began language class yesterday and İ'm trying to pin down a similar moment during my schooling when İ've felt so engaged. The language itself is very fluent. My Turkish professor (Hacam is a Turkish term of respect used instead of a first name) came into the classroom and just began speaking basic Turkish phrases, like hello (merhaba), my name is (Benim adım), what's your name (Senin adın ne?), welcome (Hoşgeldiniz), American (Amerıkalıyim), nice to meet you (Memnu oldum), and many others. Since there are only 6 of us in our class, we are getting lots of practice. The language class goes for 3 hours everyday for the next two weeks until regular classed begin. After a few days in Ankara knowing absolutely no Turkish, the language I've picked up so far really goes a long way.

So I have some time before our language class begins so I'll give you a little snap shot look at what I've been up to.

There are 12 other students from the states in this program (CIEE) with me. Our resident director Kathryn and program assistant Ezgi have been helping us become acquainted with our new residence. Both are very friendly and knowledgable. ODTU, the university I am enrolled at, is a very large campus compared to St. Kate's. Instead of a pond and woods, there is a lake and 3043 hectares of forest area. There are currently about 23,000 students attending school here. It is one of the most competitive universities in Turkey and it is considered a very prestigious thing to attend. From campus you can take a mini bus to Kızılay, one of the busiest area of Ankara. Our language school is in Kızılay so this has been our main hang-out areas the past few days.

Yesterday we met with a group of Turkish students learning English at the language school to talk about our cultural perspectives of Turkey (and theirs of America). This was quite humorous, with many references to pop cultural figures like Brad Pitt, NBA stars like Jordan, and McDonalds. My friend Riley and I got to explore some areas of Ankara with a few of the Turkish students last evening. Highlights included an aerial view of Ankara, iskender (döner kepap on pide wıth yogurt, melted butter, and tomato sauce) DELICIOUS, and lots of needed practice of Turkish. I also tried liver (çığer), though I'm not sure if I will eat it again.

That's about all for now. I'm having a wonderful time so far! Hope all is well back in the states. Keep me updated!

Merhaba.
An update on my travels so far. I flew into Ankara Sunday afternoon. The countryside was absolutely spectacular. Ankara sits on a plateau surrounded by rugged mountains. I am living ın the dorms at my university Middle East Technical University (ODTU in Turkish) temporarily. On Sunday I will move in with my host family. The only details I know so far is that I will be living with my host mom and little brother in a middle-upper class area of Ankara. I began my Turkish lesson this afternoon and it was both exciting and intense. Another more update with more details soon, I promise.
Hoşcakalın.
Caity

Off to Turkey!

This afternoon I'm headed east, to the land of the Ottomans and Ataturk!After a few days in Boston with Allison, I'm packed up and ready to go.