Winter Wonderland on the Silk Road

This weekend I took a trip to the mountains near one of the cities that was significant on the Silk Road. We stopped to do some silk shopping in a caravansarai (a large building used as an inn/rest stop for caravans traveling on the Silk Road) that had been converted into a small bazaar. In the center of the caravansarai was a small building used for prayer, both in previous eras and today, and an outdoor cafe area. Then we headed into the modern shopping mall next door for some Starbucks! As we wandered around, we saw the ruins of sultans' tombs and an old city gate that was originally used by politicians.

After we had our fill of sightseeing we headed up the mountain. When we got there, we were disappointed by the lack of snow, but when we woke up the next morning, there was a foot of snow waiting for us with more on its way! We went out and played in the flurries--snow ball fights, sledding (or sliding around on trash bags in our case). Unfortunately my time in the snow didn't last very long. My high-heeled leather boots, while very warm, have no tread in snow. I didn't get very far up the hill before I was forced to slide down. The drive away from the hotel was beautiful, though. Everywhere there were trees covered with snow. We took a minibus from the hotel to the teleferik, something like a giant ski lift. We took the teleferik down the mountain and enjoyed the eagle's-eye view above the trees, even if we didn't have much visibility. It was the closest I've ever come to a white Christmas.

Bloody Holiday

After living here for almost 2 years, I've gotten pretty used to this place. The extent of my culture shock now is the mild annoyance that I don't understand everyone all the time. I don't have a lot of new cultural moments anymore. Yesterday was a new experience for me here. I went to my friend's house to watch her family sacrifice sheep.

Last year my Turkish teacher had invited me to go to her house to witness this, for my learning. In a round about way, I explained I probably wouldn't be comfortable with that. Now she's not my teacher anymore, but we're still good friends. This year she invited my new roommate, who's still taking classes with her, to come see and take pictures. Since I'm the roommate and friend, I also was invited by extension. So I went to spend time with my friend, who I hadn't seen in a while, and provide moral support for my roommate. And besides, I should see it once while I'm here, right?

I went there early and they served us breakfast. As we finished breakfast, they let us know that the men had returned with the sheep. My friend lives next door to 2 other homes full of aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins. Since they all share a garden area, it's a perfect place to do the sacrifice. So the men came back with 7 sheep, one for each household, as well as for the friends who came to use their garden. The sheep stayed in a makeshift pen while they waited, and one by one the head of the household recited a short prayer, cut the throat of the sheep, and drained the blood into a hole in the dirt. They hired a butcher to take over after that, and he made quick work of turning the animal into a fresh supply of meat. I watched them carry the live sheep to the prepared sacrifice place, and I watched the butcher work, but I couldn't bring myself to watch the actual killing of the animal.

After the sacrificing is complete, they prepare a big meal and gorge themselves on mutton. My roommate and I weren't very hungry after watching the activity surrounding the sacrifices, but in this culture, we could leave without eating. So my friend quickly prepared some meat and bulgur pilaf for us, because we hadn't planned to stay long enough for the family feast. The holiday continues through Thursday, and people will celebrate by giving away meat to friends and relatives, and to the poor who can't afford an animal. They will visit each other and eat chocolate, and freeze any meat that is leftover to cook for visitors.

If you want to know more official details on the holiday, wikipedia is a good source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurban_Bayram

So, as promised, here are the photos. They're not the beautiful images I typically aim for, but as this blog is a record of my cultural experience, I wanted to give you the opportunity to see some of this holiday as I saw it.

Engagement with John

I was originally going to title this post "Cappadocia with John," but I know what you all really want to hear about! Our next stop was Cappadocia, which was where we got engaged, but let me tell you the story in order. I've been to Cappadocia several times, and it's one of my favorite places in Turkey. I really wanted to share it with John, and I thought it would be a good place to get away from all our friends and just vacation for a few days. When I went with my mom, we rented a car and spent a lot of time getting lost. I didn't want to do that with John, so I opted for taking the bus to Cappadocia. We found a hotel in Goreme, a town smack in the middle of some of the best rock formations and cave churches in Cappadocia. We picked one with character, while still having a good price (especially since we were paying for seperate rooms). It had a fabulous view as well! The downside of the bus was we had to travel on their schedule, so we really only had a day and a half there. We got in late Sunday night. On Monday morning we walked the one and a half miles to the "museum" in Goreme, a well-preserved collection of cave churches with an admission fee. John seemed to enjoy the history as much as I hoped he would. Then we got some lunch in town at a place where you sit on pillows and eat at a low table, traditional-style. After that, our goal was to get lost together in the valley near our hotel. The paths aren't always clear, but from any high point you could see the hotel, so we couldn't really get lost. I didn't really know the valley, so I let John lead the way, since I had been leading him everywhere all week. We clambered around some hills and fairy chimneys with assorted small ancient caves, until he led us to the highest point in the valley, a hilltop where you could see for miles. I dug in my bag for my water bottle, not noticing that John was trying to get behind me. When I found my water bottle, I turned around to say something to him, and there he was on one knee with a beautiful diamond-and-ruby band. "Will you marry me?" I knew it was coming this trip, but I was still in shock at that moment. I dropped the water bottle and gave him a hug (and a yes). Then he explained that the ring was a temporary ring (though I do get to keep it), and that the "real" ring was waiting for me in America (he brought pictures to show me). We did a little more exploring after that at another beautiful cave church we saw from our hilltop. Then we headed into town to try to buy a Turkish rug, one of my goals for his trip. When we came in the store, the man looked at how young we were and asked if we had a home. I said "no, but we will, we just got engaged today!" He said "well then I will give you the fiancees' price!" After much deliberation, we eventually picked out a smallish rug at a really good price, our first big purchase together :) Then we went back to the hotel to get dressed up for dinner to celebrate. It got really cold, so we talked the hotel into giving us a ride to the restaurant in their service van that they use to get people from the bus station. The driver was excited that I spoke Turkish, so he didn't seem to mind giving us a ride to and from dinner. The restaurant was the nicest restaurant in Goreme, and the only white-tablecloth restaurant I've been to in Turkey, I think! After dinner we came back, lit a fire in the fireplace in his room, and watched a movie on his laptop. It was the perfect end to a perfect engagement day.

"Home" with John

After our visit in Istanbul, I brought John back with me to my current "home." He pulled out all the Turkish he could muster as I dragged him around to meet all of my friends, neighbors, co-workers, and corner-store cashiers who had been waiting eagerly for his arrival. He definitely got a taste of my life here, including in the culinary sense! He liked almost everything I fed him, except for a few of the local beverages. He loved the tea, though, so he had no problem fitting in. I took him downtown to see the few touristy parts of my city. As a cultural bonus, one of my closest friends here, my old Turkish teacher, decided to get engaged last week! So John had the opportunity to come to the engagement party with me, which is quite an occasion here. He sat nicely while I joined some of the dancing, a necessity for any Turkish party. (Since the genders mostly separate when dancing anyways here, he wasn't abandoning me.) We watched the giving of the rings (both the guys and girls wear an engagement ring here), and the cutting of the ribbon that ties the two rings together. Even though John had never been outside of the US before, he took it all in like a pro. He waited patiently while I talked with my friends who couldn't slow down long enough for me to translate, he followed all the necessary cultural cues, and he learned how to buy some things for both of us using his limited Turkish. He even got the ultimate compliment: "John's like a Turk!"

Istanbul with John

Last Sunday my boyfriend John came to visit! We started our trip in Istanbul. It was a very short trip, and we didn't want to rush around during our first couple of days together, so we hit only a few of the highlights. We started out with a cruise up the Bosphorous Strait. Along the Bosphorous, you can see fishing villages, upscale neighborhoods, and Ottoman palaces. We even stopped at a quaint little neighborhood famous for its yogurt and tasted some. (I love good yogurt!) Our final stop was at a nice little neighborhood where we ate fish at a restaurant overlooking the water and people-watched the plaza below.

The next day we hit the highlights of the central tourist district of Istanbul. We hoped to visit the Topkapi Palace, but it turns out that it's closed on Tuesdays. We walked past the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Then we went inside the Basilica Cistern, an enourmous underground reservoir built by the Romans utilizing old columns to hold up the ceiling, and upside-down Medusa heads to scare off intruders. We passed by one of the original Roman mile-markers before we reached the Grand Bazaar. In the picture below you can find John among the crowds at the entrance to the Bazaar (Kapalicarsi).

Check back soon! There's more stories to come!

Baklava!

My latest cooking adventure was in making baklava. If you can buy all the handy-dandy made-for-baklava ingredients, it's actually not that hard. I bought the special baklava filo dough, and the special crushed baklava pistachios. After that, you just layer the filo dough (carefully, they're fragile), and lots of melted butter, and stop halfway to spread crushed pistachios. Of course, we did use 50 sheets of filo dough, so that's the hard part. At the end, you bake until golden and pour sugar syrup over the top. Serve with crushed pistachios on top. Mmm, healthy. All in all, for our small pan, we used 4 sticks of butter and 5 cups of sugar. No wonder it's so good. Bring on the calories!

Tribute to my roommate

My roommate moved away last weekend. She was here from day 1 of my experience living in this place. It's hard to imagine living here without her, except now I'm doing it. Our friendship will continue, but for now her departure feels sort of like a death. I'm in mourning. And so to help me in this transition, I felt it would be therapeutic to write a tribute to my dearly departed roommate. It doesn't encompass all of who she is or why so many people love her, but for now it expresses what I miss.

She helped me to understand the culture around me because she understood it so well. She seemed to naturally mesh with the heartbeat of our friends here. I remember the first moment I realized while watching her interact with one of her closest Turkish friends, "They're not speaking English, but this Turk understands her better than I do." She was fun and outgoing in ways I only wish I could be. She knew how to throw a party, and she knew how to relax. She was always helping me to get out of the house to spend time with our local friends or see a movie. But don't get me wrong, she also worked hard. She prepared great English lessons and studied and cooked and cleaned with fervor. She loved with fervor, and the proof of that is in how many people loved her in return. She was brave and willing to take risks. She was full of ideas and willing to try them while I was still wondering if they would work. We washed dishes together and learned to cook together and traveled together. We cared for two cats together and cared for friends together. But most of the time I was just trying to keep up with her and help her out as I knew best. She taught me many things, practical and personal. She was there as I went through culture shock and the shock of not understanding or being understood. She was there every day for a year and a half, except for a few vacations she or I took with other friends or family. She was my family. And I will never forget her.

Inconceivable!

If you've been following my blog, you might remember what I wrote in March about my challenges and frustrations at the lab due to the language barrier. (http://meloverseas.blogspot.com/2008/03/connecting-with-home.html) The summary: "I sound dumb in the hort lab here because I don't know what the people around me are talking about unless they speak to me like they would a 4-year-old." Well, seven months later I've gotten used to not understanding most of the time, and I've adjusted to my role of studying language and staying out of the way until I'm needed, with occasional breaks to chat. But I still have the sneaking suspicion that they doubt my competency.

Well, this week I had the exciting opportunity to start participating in 2 graduate-level horticulture classes for the fall semester. Fortunately for me, the textbooks are in English, so the professor asked me to present the first chapter (the role of genes in cells) in English next week, a doable assignment (all the students will take turns presenting chapters, except they'll translate and present in Turkish). Today after class I was reading my first chapter and one of the students at the lab came up to talk to me. Here's how the conversation went:
Student: "What are you doing?"
Me: "I'm doing my homework. I'm presenting this chapter next week for Recombinant DNA class." (I show him the first page of the chapter.)
Student: "Do you understand it?"
Me: "Yes, it's in English."
Student: "Yes, but do you understand it?"

Now, I know that Recombinant DNA isn't considered the easiest topic, but for a graduate student whose had a biology class before it should be comprehensible. Actually, the first few chapters of the book really are easy because they are review from biology class. My friend, however, seemed to doubt that I was capable of doing something that he could do (especially if it were in his original language). In other words, they really do think I'm as incompetent as I thought they did. Amazingly, though, the professor (who generally intimidates me) must not completely doubt my competency because she chose to assign me to present first. She's been overseas, though, so maybe she understands me better than I thought.

More caves and fairy chimneys, and the surrounding civilization

I just didn't think 5 pictures was enough of this beautiful place, so here's 5 more of my favorites from my last trip.
1) Hills and fairy chimneys approaching sunset.
2) A door at the base of a hill. Based on its location and its size, it almost makes me wonder if hobbits paint their doors blue! When we looked above the lock, it had the small plaques with the account numbers for water and electric, indicating that behind the door, tucked in the hillside, was a home that was at least recently occupied.
3) An abandoned church in a village, and a young girl. From what I could find on the internet, the church was built 1858-1860, but now the church is locked and empty.
4) An abandoned Ottoman home in a surprisingly modern city. It appeared someone put an advertisement for their nearby store on the wall since no one was using the home.
5) Entrance to a mosque. Typically the entrances are left fairly open, but since this mosque was rather prominent, and near a popular tourist spot, it seems they chose to use this traditional doorway covering to discourage tourists from distracting worshippers.

Caves and Fairy Chimneys

I took another trip to Cappadocia, a beautiful natural historic area. I never get tired of taking pictures of this place. So here's a sampling of some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy.
1) Fairy chimneys with homes and cave churches in them. In the front are the gardens belonging to the residents of the homes.
2) The inside of the cave church in the back of the fairy chimney, mostly with frescoes of saints. They date between the 11th century and 14th century.
3) The garden and balcony of the residents of the fairy chimney who acted as gatekeepers of the church.
4) The entrance to the Dark Church, dating from the 14th century.
5) Cross engraved over the entrance to a cave church.
6) Pretty purple wildflowers outside a group of cave churches. I can't resist wildflowers.

The Henna Night, part 1

Last month one of my friends from work invited me to travel with her one weekend overnight to another town to go to her friend's henna night. A henna night is the party the night before a wedding when they put a spot of henna on the bride's (and sometimes the groom's) hands. Why do they do this you ask? Because it's tradition. And no one I ask knows why the tradition started. But in this country tradition is reason enough to do something, even if you don't want to.

While the town was only 3-4 hours away by bus, it was enough to be considered in a different region complete with its own culture. On top of that, my work friend mentioned that the family was from a different sub-ethnicity that used to live in the mountains as nomadic goat-herders. This ethnic group was forced to settle down over a century ago, and they now don't look much different from my other friends, but they still keep this ethnic identity.

When we arrived, the 2-story house was buzzing with family and close friends. We sat and chatted with some of the family for a while. One very old woman said she used to live in Germany, and then said something to me in German I didn't understand, but she obviously thought I would. After we met several people coming in and out of the sitting room, we headed back outside where the parking area had been converted into a feast. Long tables were filled with guests, women in one group, men in the other. In front of the little house several old women sat in a row with huge pots full of food that they were doling out to men carrying trays. Opposite them sat several women on continual dish washing duty. The old woman who had lived in Germany pointed to her pot and say "zuppa," which I could only assume was the German word for soup since it wasn't Turkish. Another woman took charge, inviting me to look at all the goods, directing someone to give me a chair at the end of the food line, and offering me samples of what they had made. The woman next to me taught me how to properly fold their paper-thin homemade tortilla-like bread into an all-purpose spoon used to eat everything in the meal.

After I had eaten my fill and then some of soup, rice, beans, okra, stuffed grape leaves, and the cold grapes-in-grape-sugar-water soup (I like anything sweet), they cleared out the tables and the party started. Dancing is necessary to any real celebration here. A one-man band with keyboard, lute, and mic provided the music. There was lots of typical Turkish dancing, as well as a local dance with small wooden spoons used like castanets. They even let me try at the spoons (they were a lot of fun, but I wasn't very good). Men and women of all ages danced. One young man and one middle-aged woman were particularly good at the spoons, and they danced together in the center for a while in an almost playful competition facing each other. A time was also set aside for all the young men about to go into military service to have the dance floor. We danced for probably 2 hours before they brought the henna out!

When I get the rest of the pictures from my friend, I'll continue the story :)