My First Football Match!

I traveled to Taksim with some friends today to see a soccer match. We went more for the experience than the match itself; we chose this game because tickets cost only 10 TL ($6-$7).

Security was very tight at the stadium. We all got patted down twice before entering, and had dangerous objects like water bottles, pens, and coins confiscated, supposedly so we couldn't throw anything during the match. I had brought my big re-usable water bottle which the security officers were nice enough to let me keep; they just made me promise I wouldn't throw it at anyone. Later, we found out that the tension was because the fans of one of the teams, Bursa, had been banned from attending ten straight matches because they had started a big fight at another stadium in the city. Though the fans weren't supposed to be at the game, officials weren't taking any chances.

Since we couldn't support Bursa, we were rooting for Kasimpaşa. Unfortunately, our team lost, but the fans we were sitting near didn't seem too upset. They cheered, chanted, and sang through the whole match regardless of what was going on on the pitch, which certainly made the game more entertaining for us!

Halfway through the match, the nearby mosques (there were four that I could see) started sounding the call to prayer, the song broadcasted from the minarets five times a day here. I had expected a pause while the call finished, but the game progressed unhampered. The call made an interesting backdrop for the game, every movement was much more dramatic.

The one downside of the game was the distance-- everything is so far away from school, especially since traffic in Istanbul is always terrible. But the game, dinner, and dessert at a local cafe was definitely worth it, especially since I had left my homework behind and got to chat the whole way down and back.

I don't have any pictures of the match, but I'll try to post some once my friends have put them on Facebook.

Rumelli Fort, Galata Tower, and Meyhane

Yesterday I had a bit of an adventure with some of my exchange friends. We went to Rumelli fortress, an old Byzantine fort on the Bosporus. (Sorry if you get tired of hearing about Byzantine forts, they have tons of them over here.) It had gorgeous views and we did some good climbing (on stairs, not anything too dangerous or dramatic).

Later that afternoon we went to the famous Galata Tower, once used as a watchtower in old Constantinople. Now it has great views-- you can see the whole old city-- though it was a little hazy because of the pollution.

To finish out the day, we went to a meyhane, or a traditional Turkish tavern. We ordered a bunch of appetizers and passed the plate around. I had oysters for the first time and even tried a bite of tongue, though I wasn't brave enough to taste the lamb's brain.

All in all it was a great day, if a little touristy. Since we're getting towards the end of the semester we're all feeling like we need to cram in all the things we always wanted to see before we leave, and I definitely checked a bunch of my mental checklist yesterday. Pictures to follow!

Symposium on Least Developed Countries

Last week I volunteered to work at a symposium on the world's Least Developed Countries. The promise of attendance to the panels and a free lunch was enough to entice me to travel the 1.5 hour by bus and subway to the hotel it was being held; by the time I found out I had to be there at 8 AM, it was too late to back out.

I spent much of the day standing in the lobby shepherding interesting-looking guests to the interesting-sounding forums about development upstairs, wishing I was somewhere near a chair. I did get to go to a panel about South-South cooperation in the afternoon, however-- I won't bore you with the details but I thought it was great.

Lunch was also fantastic, almost worth the whole trip-- spring rolls, kebabs, and eclairs. Fantastic.

I also saw the President of Bangladesh-- I guess he went to one of the panels I missed, but he walked through the lobby on his way out. Now how many of you can say you've been within a dozen feet of the president of a small nation on the Indian subcontinent?

Finally, I'd like to thank Starbucks for unofficially sponsoring my early morning travels. Couldn't have done it without you!

Some things never change...

On my way back from studying in a friend's room tonight, I saw the two campus dogs corner one of the campus cats. Even though they're all free-roaming in true Turkish style, their animosity remained. Just as I've seen in a million comic strips in the States, the cat ran up a tree while the dogs barked from the bottom. Even though they're "kedi" and köpek here, they still fight like cats and dogs.

My Struggle with Mein Kampf

One of the classes I'm taking this semester is about the history of political thought; we've been studying the progression of thinkers from Plato to the present day. For my term paper, I have to write a comparison of the philosophies of Hitler and Stalin-- I chose the topic because I thought it would be a way to brush up on my history and would be interesting enough to spend some time writing.

As a result, I've spent the weekend reading Mein Kampf, Hitler's book about his life and political philosophy. (I'm not planning on reading the whole thing, since it's upwards of seven hundred pages, but just the sections related to political thought). I thought there would be entire sections where Hitler described his world view and ideal political state without reference to race-- where he spoke about the purpose of the state, for example, or perhaps the rights of citizens. This has proven not to be the case. I've been cringing as I'm taking notes; some of the things he wrote were so repugnant I don't even want to write them down. Yet as he describes the formation of the Nazi party, I'm struck by Hitler's perception of how best to manipulate the masses. It's all there-- gauging your audience and adjusting your speech accordingly, making sure your supporters gather in groups to form a sense of community. I'm only now fully realizing what a perfect storm Nazi Germany was.

Sorry for the non-Turkey related update, but I've been holed up doing this paper so there's not a whole lot of culture to report back. But soon, with any luck!

Dance Festival

Besides Mom's visit, the other reason I've been so busy is the modern dance group I'm in. This week was the school's dance festival, and we've been having extra rehearsals for the three performances we had this week.

The shows were crazy-- it was great to have a chance to watch the other groups, some of which came from other schools. I never knew there were Turks who could tango!

I also loved getting back into dance again; as I told you all a couple months ago when the group started rehearsing, I had forgotten how much I love dancing. But even more than that, it's been a great way to get to know Turkish students. We exchange students tend to keep to ourselves here, partly due to the language barrier and partly due to diverging interests-- foreign students travel around way more often, which Turkish students tend not to do. But through rehearsals, shopping for costumes, and traveling to our teacher's studio we've all gotten to know each other. Though modern dance is hardly unique to Turkey, I definitely think joining the group has helped me experience a new side of Turkish culture.

I think some of my friends took photos and video of the show, I'll try to post them as soon as I have access to them.

Catching up

Sorry for the extended hiatus, it's been a busy couple of weeks! As many of you probably know, my mom came out here to visit, and between classes, dance rehearsals, and commuting to her hotel I never quite found time to update. So let me fill you in:

The first weekend Mom was in town we did a lot of hanging out-- finding cafes, getting her orientated and able to navigate Istanbul by herself. She's got a lot of great stories from the week when she went to museums and things by herself; she even had a traditional meal with a Turkish family, something I have yet to do here.

On Thursday, I skipped school and we went off to Bodrum, which literally means "basement" in Turkish-- it's in the south of the country, on the Mediterranean coast. It's a gorgeous area-- rolling hills and long stretches of beaches. We spent a lot of time walking around (including the time we got lost and wandered for almost two hours before giving in and finding a cab).

We also took a ferry to Kos, a nearby Greek island. After all, we've got to fill up our passports! The town of Kos is pretty, but very cute and small enough to walk around in. We also had the chance to visit an old Byzantine castle that was completely overgrown with wildflowers-- completely gorgeous against the backdrop of the Mediterranean. Other highlights include seeing an enormous old tree Hippocrates supposedly taught under, taking the mini train (think second-rate amusement park) around town, and sticking our toes in the chilly ocean.

All in all it was a fantastic week! Here are some pictures, and expect more detailed stories in the near future.



Byzantine Castle on the Greek island-- it looks just like a postcard!



More flowers and castle



Happy Mom on the ferry to Greece



Mom and her new Turkish baby! OK, kidding-- this is her host family's baby from her dinner experience. But what a cutie!