Clubbing in Diyarbakır

Last weekend our group of ten U.S. students, along with two of our program directors, Neşe and Erika, flew to southeast Turkey for four days. Coming out of the airport in Diyarbakır* was like arriving in an different country.

Every day of the trip was like an entire week, a film in fast forward (but as Kate aptly put it, every week here has felt like a month). All I could do was grab onto a few images, a few anecdotes...

The first thing that struck me was how almost every woman was covered. Our program coordinator Neşe had warned us to bring at least short sleeves (no shorts or spaghetti straps allowed) --although the temperature never dipped below 90 degrees during the day. But I still felt out of place wearing a t-shirt -- many women had the lower half of their faces covered and all wore long loose skirts.

Diyarbakır boasts a wall almost 2000 years old, as well as evidence of 9000 year old human settlement. This is the area of the world where human civilizations were first born and died: ancient ruins from before history, crumbling churches, heat and dust, rocks and old wells...

Small boys pound metal hooks for storefront gratings,** old men gather in coffee houses to play backgammon and sip tea, everyone watches as we pass, children run after us with packs of tissues or cheap jewelry for sale. Omer, our guide, (officially provided by the local government for our protection, and probably surveillance) and our occassional guards chase them away with a hiss and a whispered word.

And it is in this religious city, this capital of Turkey's Kurds,*** that Omer and the manager of our hotel decided to take us to a club in the evening. Of course, since we had to get up at 7 am the next morning, we got there much earlier than the usual midnight crowd. I drank a glass of rakı, the Turkish alcohol made of anise seed. It is mixed with water so that it turns a milky white, and usually served after every course in a traditional meal. Here we had it with fresh fruit (Diyarbakır is famed for its watermelons). We danced to Turkish, Greek, English, Arabic and Russian pop and disco and house music. Unlike American clubs, couples dancing together barely touch. Men danced with men or alone, and broke out in freestyle with no compunctions.

Walking back from the club at night, past the red "no photographs" signs near the military buildings, the fountain square, the alleyways, the ringing disco music, it was one of those "wow, this is Turkey" moments...

*****

Tonight we are taking a ten-hour van to Antalya, the tourist hot spot on the southern Mediterranean coast. We will scuba dive, hike, and relax. Hopefully I will have time to reflect and less blog posts to catch up on when I come back.



*Please see the link "Map of Turkey" for a location and brief description of the places we visited.
**I will post pictures on Monday.
***This only struck me after we left: the entire time we were there, although we met with many other religious and ethnic minorities, and saw many Kurds, we never actually interacted with any of them. Perhaps this was because we were so closely maneuvered by the local government, or because we didn't ask, but it is one of my biggest regrets for this trip...

Day in Ankara

Now that it's the second week of the program, I have settled into routine-ish days, such as yesterday:

I get up at 8 am, e-mail, breakfast. After I convinced my host father Mete to stop overfeeding me with eggs and sausage, breakfast is usually syrupy cherry jam and plain yogurt (my host family is still amazed that I eat yogurt for breakfast. To them it is like sour cream to the Russians -- an accompaniment to meat dishes and main meals, but never a meal in itself). And of course, tea in a small glass.

Then I walk to the subway, down a hill, past the mosque, near little stores of fast food kebab and TurkCell SIM cards and shoes. Usually I meet the "simit" seller, who walks through the streets carrying a basket of sesame bread on his head and calling out "simit, simit," like another muezzin. For those curious, the air is clean, even in the city center (or at least, I haven't noticed anything). Ankara still has some catching up to do to European pollution levels.

Ankara is the capital of an ardently secular government, so the population is largely secular as well. The family I live with, for example, considers itself Muslim but never goes to the mosque. Many women -- definitely more than half in Ankara -- do not cover their heads. But it is still a common sight to see women in colorful scarves and long, loose skirts walk back from the grocery store in the morning. Unlike İran and Saudi Arabia, however, none of the local women wear the all-black body covering typical of the ultra-religious.

I ride the subway from the last station, Batikent, all the way into the city center, Kızılay. The language school, ACTIVE Languages, is about a five minute walk from the metro. The commercial city center is wholly modern, complete with Levi's Stores and Zara, expensive pastry shops and water fountains, and a special section of a street devoted entirely to used booksellers. My favorite part. :)

Classes go from 10am to 1pm. Among other things, we learned numbers (for better bartering!) and the special expression used for new purchases and new jobs (hayırlı olsun).

Lunch is the cafeteria upstairs or what we labeled the "kebab" district -- a row of cheap and almost identical kebab and other Turkish "fast food" joints. Stand owners yell out prices and tempt with savory smells, but we usually choose those that have the most shade near their tables. Yesterday I had a tost kaşirlı -- kind of like a cross between a grilled cheese sandwich and a panini.

Then I went on a quest for flash cards. I didn't know the word in Turkish, so I asked for index cards -- which ended up being some kind of cross-hatched papers. After two stores and dozens of blank looks, a guy in a bookstore nearby drew me a map for a paper goods shop. There I asked for post-its that weren't sticky (or actually, what I said was "Post-it. Sticky no.") And that is literally what I got -- a stack of small, square white sheets. Perfect. So I can get around the city now, as you can see. Kind of.

More class till 5 p.m., then some pistachio ice cream (the food here is so hard to resist!) In the evening, I watched Funda, my host mother, try to make Melis, the six year old, finish her food -- rice and baby okra in a tomato sauce. Funda calls her "mızmız," which literally means picky, but sounds so much better when Funda acts it out with a shake of a head and a puckering of the mouth.

Melis plays computer games in the evening in my room, such as Barbie and some kind of warrior princess thing. I asked her to turn the sound down so I could study endless lists of Turkish words. She complied, but instead made her own sound effects -- various high-pitched noises, ha-ya, ha-ya, and rapid babbling to herself.

This post is again ginormous -- each day is full of impressions that I want to share with you, but I think the hardest task of any writer is knowing what to leave in and what to keep out. I definitely haven't mastered that yet, but I am working on it. :)

I am behind on posts, so future topics to look forward to:

1. my breakfast disaster
2. Turkish tea
3. the museum (aka shrine) of Atatürk
4. last weekend's trip to the Southeast
5. my fake Turkish wedding

Gotta go to class now -- I think we're finally learning verbs today...

Batikent pictures

Here are a couple of pictures of the neighborhood, Batikent, where I live. It is on the outskirts of Ankara, and thus much quieter than the center of the city. Coming home on the subway, the sky fades into rose and gold...

Kemal Atatürk currency

Today my group is flying to the GAP region in southern Turkey, next to the border with Syria and Iraq. I will post more about it later, and put it on the map. But it means I probably won't have access to Internet until next Tuesday.

One thing I've noticed so far: all the currency has a picture of one man -- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Kemal Atatürk (whose last name literally means "Father of the Turks") almost single-handedly created the modern, secular state of Turkey after World War I from the crushed shell of the Ottoman Empire.

Today Kemalism, the official state ideology, is sacred, and all criticism of Atatürk is taboo. Upon arrival on Sunday to Ankara, one of the first things I noticed was larger than life size portraits of Atatürk hanging on houses and in doorways.

While in America, and probably most countries in the world, currency shows images of popular presidents and leaders, in Turkey only one historical figure gets that honor -- Atatürk, of course. In profile and from the front, young and old, in a fez or balding, but always unsmiling, Atatürk's portrait adorns every kuruş and lira.

Over the course of the next two months, I hope to learn about this man and the debates and fervency surrounding the secular "religion" he created...

So much Turkish!

Wow, the last post was massive! That's what you get when you don't have time to edit. No more of that, I promise. :-P

I've been settling in a bit more now, so I'm going to try to focus each blog post on just one topic (usually). I would welcome any and all suggestions for things you've always wanted to know about Turkey. If I don't know the answer, I will find out, whether through interviews or books or newspapers.

Now all I can think about is Turkish -- yesterday we had our first full day of classes. Six hours. And afterwards, two hours of conversation with "peer helpers" -- three Turks who are learning English and wanted to practice with us. In one day, we covered what in middle school Spanish would amount to a month of vocabulary :):

--greetings (Turkish is full of various greetings, all with the proper response), the alphabet, days of the week, months, opposites, weather, colors, basic numbers. And then I come home to my host family and do it all over again -- we sit watching Turkish soap operas with dictionaries, trying to communicate. It is overwhelming, but I hope it means I will learn fast...

Two quick thoughts/anecdotes before I have to get back to class (we have a ten minute break):

1. When I was walking to class from the metro this morning, I saw a blind beggar in the overpass. Besides the usual hat with change, he had a scale next to him (you know, the kind that tells your weight.) We couldn't figure out why. Just a random thing? Does anyone have any idea?

2. A girl was studying English on the metro, right next to my classmate who was reviewing our Turkish vocabulary. But the girl had on earphones, so they did not talk. The subway always makes me think of missed connections...

Gotta go! I will post a few pictures tonight.

Flights, arrivals

Okay, I am here! Here is the outskirts of Ankara, the capital city. I fell asleep early last night to the sounds of the muezzin calling for prayer. This morning the birds have been chirping since dawn, but the air is still cool. I am sitting at the computer at my host family's house (more about that below), still trying to figure out how to use the keyboard.* :) Outsıde my wındow there are three satellıte dıshes on nearby balconıes, an old grımy van, and a narrow street slopıng down toward a vıew of red-tıled roofs, beıge apartment buıldıngs, mınarets. (I wıll post pıctures later).

There are a few days to catch up on, so I'll try to focus on just the hıghlıghts.

My trıp really began whıle I was stıll in the U.S., on my flıght to pre-trıp orıentatıon ın D.C. I was standıng ın lıne for boardıng, and saw an older woman readıng a book about Istanbul. She saıd she taught Englısh ın Turkey at the Women's College about thırty years ago, and went back ın 1993. "I lıked the old Turkey more," she saıd. "It wasn't as sophıstıcated, but ıt also wasn't as Western as ıt ıs now." That day, she was just comıng back from her 60th college reunıon. I couldn't belıeve that she was over 80! She was very spunky and sprıghtly. I also found out that she went to the same graduate school as I'll be startıng ın the fall, back when she was one of three gırls out of a class of 78.

On the flıght, a teenage boy sıttıng down asked me ıf the aırplane pıllow on hıs seat was mıne. That's how I realızed ıt was hıs fırst tıme on a plane. (He also saıd aırplane wındows look much bıgger ın movıes. :) ) He was 18 years old -- just graduated from hıgh school -- and headıng off to boot camp ın South Carolına. "My optıons were eıther to work for my foster dad's suıt factory, or to go to the army..." he saıd. He took a test and wıll be workıng on lıght wheel mechanıcs (humvees and the lıke), whıch means he"ll probably be sent to Iraq. Thıs ısn't a blog about Amerıcan polıtıcs, but I have to say that I felt so scared for hım... He looked lıke a lıttle kıd -- soft-spoken, bıg eyes, so excıted about hıs fırst plane rıde. Every tıme he spoke, he looked at me out of the corner of hıs eyes, never dırectly, as ıf at any moment he expected me to stop talkıng to hım...
"Are you nervous?" I asked.
"Not for boot camp. I"ll be nervous after that. I thought I would get to go home, but I'm headıng straıght to AIT."**
When we got off the plane, I told hım to take care, a lot, and he gave me a hug. I dıdn't even ask hıs name...

When you're travelıng, ıt ıs so hard to sort through the onslaught of experıences, to thınk about what everythıng means. So for now, I guess all I can do ıs take metıculous notes and hope ıt all connects and clarıfıes later...

At the aırport, I met up wıth four other students who were headıng to Turkey wıth me (two of them to Ankara and the other two to Alanya) and we went to a hotel for orıentatıon. I'll tell more about the group ın future posts, I'm sure, but for now, suffıce ıt to say that I feel very lucky -- they want to be here, they have great storıes, and they are not whıny. :)

On the flıght from Dulles ın D.C. to Munıch, I agaın sat next to a teenager who was on a plane for the fırst tıme. She was from Pennsylvanıa and flyıng to Spaın wıth her hıgh school class. Such a dıfferent experıence... Also nearby was a Turk who was also flyıng to Ankara. He ıs a professor of phılosophy at Mıddle East Technıcal Unıversıty, one of the best ın the country. Although durıng orıentatıon I heard a lot about the amazıng Turkısh hospıtalıty, I was stıll surprısed when he ımmedıately offered hıs phone number and ınvıted me (and the whole group) to vısıt hım for a tour.

On the flıght from Münıch to Ankara, I had to sit between two tacıturn Turkısh old men, and theır engulfıng smell of cologne. Turks are the largest ethnıc mınorıty ın Germany (Germany offıcıally ınvıted Turkısh workers to fıll ıts labor shortage after World War II), and the plane was fılled wıth famılıes and busıness men comıng home from work or vısıts. A lıttle Turkısh kıd sped up and down the aısles, clutchıng hıs copy of a German sports magazıne...

Neşe (pronounced "neshe"), our language program coordınator, met us at the aırport and a bus drove us to dınner at her house ın Batikent (the part of Ankara where I am lıvıng). On the bus, I spoke about geography and clouds wıth Alıce, who studıes envıronmental engıneerıng and plans on stayıng ın Ankara untıl December, takıng courses at Mıddle East Technıcal U. We drove over rollıng hılls, past bıllboard advertısements, lots of small Peugeots and vıntage Volkswagens, glıntıng mosque roofs, vıllages clımbıng up mountaın slopes. Alıce saıd she belongs to a Cloud Appercıatıon Socıety :) -- and there ıs defınıtely somethıng comfortıng about the sameness of fluffy clouds and blue sky, no matter where you go.

After a dınner of burekas, and lıttle sandıwches wıth cheese and cucumber, and "cola" (anythıng Coca-Cola or soda-related) and orange juıce, and fresh cherrıes, and of course baklava (I am sure I wıll have a post wholly devoted to food soon :) ), Neşe and her son drove me to my host famıly. The streets are narrow here, and Neşe's sense of dırectıon was almost as bad as mıne, so we ended up drıvıng backwards down several streets (I thınk drıvıng backwards quıckly ıs one of the most useful skılls to have ın Turkey, at least for drıvers -- almost everyone here does ıt!) All the houses seemed to have beautıful gardens, nangıng laundry, and older woman smokıng and chattıng wıth theır neıghbors across the hedge. (All the houses share walls, so the streets are one unınterrupted flow of gardens and trees).

Funny moment of my typıcal Anna braınless-ness: we got out of the car to a sıgn that saıd "Köpek va" (there ıs a dog here), so Neşe saıd, "Say merhaba (hello)..." she dıdn't fınısh her sentence before I shouted merhaba to the surprısed paır of old women sıttıng on theır back porch. "... to the dog," Neşe fınıshed. "They must have thought they had unınvıted guests," she told me. But when we were walkıng back and I used my new phrase "iyi akşamlar" (good evenıng), they waved back. "Look, you already made new frıends," Neşe saıd.

Fınally I got to my host famıly's house. Funda, the mother, and her 6-yr-old Melis (who has been ımpatıently waıtıng for an older sıster) hugged me, gave me slıppers and let me upstaırs to my beautıful room, the famıly computer ınsıde ("for you. Use whenever.") Then we spent about an hour ın front of the computer wıth a translatıon dıctıonary, gettıng acquaınted (Funda's Englısh ıs not that bad, but for most sıtuatıons ıt ıs: "Come" and "okay" and lots of laughter.) Aftewards I went downstaırs to meet three of Funda's frıends, all ın theır 30s, lıke her. Only one of them wore a head coverıng -- the rest had on caprıs and t-shırts. We sat ın the lıvıng room on whıte arm chaırs as Funda passed around a tray of juıce and water. They talked a lot and laughed. Funda hugged my waıst and talked about me (I could tell from the poıntıng :) ) and every once ın a whıle trıed to translate a questıon. I smıled, and looked at whoever was speakıng. That's about all I can do for now. It was defınıtely dısorıentıng and frustratıng and all of those clıche words (the jet lag ıs catchıng up, and so the orıgınalıty ıs goıng down... :) ), but I'm actually glad no one speaks Englısh because that means I wıll be forced to learn Turkısh that much faster.

The father, Mete, has already been boılıng water and havıng breakfast down staırs for the past half an hour (Funda and Melis left early ın the mornıng for school and work), and he just called me to eat. He ıs takıng me to buy a SIM card, and then I have orıentatıon, etc.

Bye for now!

*I'm going to give up on changing all the i's for now.
**I thınk thıs stands for Advanced Indıvıdual Traınıng. He dıdn't know.

An Invitation

What: my first blog! I'm doing a program in Turkey for two months to learn the language, and I want to tell you all about it. It'll be a mixture of personal journal-ing, political stuff, and some bona fide travel writing.

Possible future topics: living with a host family in Turkey, conversations in Turkey, food in Turkey, elections in Turkey, getting lost, etc. Maybe even turkeys in Turkey! (per Dawn's suggestion)

Where: Mostly Ankara, the capital.

Why: It's a way to keep in touch with all of you -- my friends, my family, my Internet stalkers...

But also, this blog is a way to force myself to write: to observe, interview, and experience Turkey as a writer would, knowing I have an audience for my words.

Which leads to...

What I expect of you: yeah, that's right. I have expectations. This isn't one of those passive reading things. If you want to run, do it now.

Because this is really an invitation for all of you -- the people I trust -- to be my editors and guides. I expect all of you reading this to give me your comments (constructively, please!), not only on the content, but also on the writing style. Your job is to keep me disciplined: writing, thinking deeply, avoiding cliches, and focusing on what's important.

I'm going to D.C. on Thursday for pre-trip orientation, and then flying off to Ankara on Saturday. All I know for certain is a flight number, and the address of my hotel in D.C. But stepping into the unknown is my favorite thing about traveling (and maybe about everything).

Okay, better go pack now.