I saw a superstar!

A few weeks back my roommate informed me that she had learned of the opportunity of a lifetime. If we bought only 4 large bags of doritoes, we could turn in our coupons for tickets to see Turkey's "Prince of Pop," Tarkan. Now, I knew he was one of the best-known musical artists in Turkey (he's been making music for 15 years), but I had never been too impressed with his cheesy music videos. But I'd always wanted to go to a concert in Turkey, so I agreed. When she asked our old Turkish teacher if she wanted to go with us, she was ecstatic. So by the time we got to the day, I had been infected with their contagious excitement. Unfortunately, my roommate had been infected with something else. The one who talked me into it was forced to stay home due to illness while I, with my Turkish teacher and other American friends, made our way to one of the front rows that was reserved for girls while the guards held back the guys. It was amazing. Not only can I say I was that close to a huge Turkish celebrity, but I actually really like his music after seeing him in person. To top it all off, he's a really good dancer, too. Just call him the Turkish Justin Timberlake. We had a blast!

Friends in the Cradle of Civilization

Last summer, a Turkish lady stayed in our home for a few weeks while she was in our city for cancer treatment. Now, you always bond with anyone who you live with for at least a few days. So after spending a few weeks with her, we very much wanted to visit her in her hometown so we could see her again. As a perk, we got to visit some historic places as well.

When we came to her simple home, she put out the spread. For lunch, we had stuffed peppers and eggplant, 2 types of salad, bread, and homemade pastry. After lunch we had tea and (homemade) cake. She and her daughter gave me a birthday present and gave my roommate and I additional presents that she knitted herself. It had been a year, but it was a special time together.

As bonus, on our trip we got to see the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. We also walked on a city wall that was originally built 3000 years ago and "updated" by Constantinople in 300. From the wall to the Tigris was a section of beautiful lush farmland that fit my previous image of the Mesopotamia Valley as rich and fertile. We visited 2 historic churches, one of which was Chaldean, and still in use. The other had been mostly destroyed a century ago. The landscape on our bus trip was equally interesting, rocky in most places (surprising for Mesopotamia) with occasional flushes of green where people had obviously worked very hard to carve out a piece of farmland. It reminded me of how my dad told me that his dad (my grandfather) worked in a factory because as a child he had to help pull out rocks on the family farm and hated the back-breaking labor. I can't imagine what would drive people to attempt farming in the "fertile" Mesopotamia Valley, but I guess people have been making a living that way for millennia because they have no other choice.