My Year in Deutschland: Turkey

Ready yourself, blog readers, it's going to be a long post. I'll try to give a general overview of what we did, and highlight the best parts because there is simply no way I could talk about everything in one comprehensive blog post.

I do not even think I can possibly convey how amazing the week was in Turkey. If you read my previous post, you know I was a little nervous because I was going into the unknown. That was dumb, though, because everyone and everything was wonderful.

I got picked up from the airport by my Turkish host dad, and I was mentally prepared to communicate in English, German, or hand gestures. Luckily, he spoke English quite well and the first thing he said to me as we were walking to the car was: "Here is the first rule of Turkey, when you're walking on the street, look for cars, not at the light because cars will go even when it is red." Interesting choice of first words, but I guess it was important to know. The next thing however was, "We were expecting only Germans to come here, but when we saw an American on the list, we thought it was a nice suprise." That's when I knew I would have a good time here. We then drove to my host sister's volleyball game where my host mom also was.

The next day we visited Ephesus, an ancient Greek and Roman city. We also visited The House of Mary, where she spent her last days on earth. I had no idea this place existed, but it is a historical fact that she was there, and it is all explained at the place. The grounds look a lot like a retreat center, and there is a little house where the shrine is. People can light candles and say a prayer. There is also this huge wall filled with papers where people can write down a prayer, wish, or hope.

Theater at Ephesus

Celsus Library of Ephesus

On Monday we went to a Wind farm. The coolest part was that we got to go inside the wind mill, not climb up it though obviously, just look inside. This was actually the reason we were in Turkey. We were researching renewable energy sources in Turkey, but more specifically, wind energy.

We spent 1.5 days in the Turkish school, which is where we spent time working on putting our research together. That was rough because there wasn't much I could really do to help my group, so I ended up sitting there most of the time.

We also went to Pergamon, which is another ancient Greek and Roman city. It's funny because there is a Pergamon Museum in Berlin that I went to a couple years ago. It took me way longer than it should have to put together the fact that I was going to the actual place that the museum is about. In short, I like history, so it was really cool to see the ruins. It's also atop this mountain (you'll see in the photos) and the view was spectacular.

We had to ride in these things to get to the city

My host sister

Ruins of the Temple of Trajan

While there, I learned about 10 basic words and phrases in Turkish such as hello, thank you, etc. so that I could say them when I bought something, met someone new, or went out to eat. It's not like I look Turkish and it's not like many people outside of Turkey know Turkish, so when I said something, they would usually be taken by suprise and then smile! Moral of the story: if you visit another country, learn the most basic phrases because it will be appreicated, and let's be honest, happy natives make for a better experience for the visiter/tourist. Plus, worst case scenario is that they think it's "cute" or "sweet" that you tried.

It was really such a blessing that my host family spoke english well, and not because it made my life easier, but because it gave me an opportunity to really learn some Turkish culture and history as well. I learned more Turkish history in the 30 minute car ride home than I have in any history class I've ever been in.
Of course, the common language also meant we could connect better.

Personally, I think I had an extra special experience there because I am neither German or Turkish, but I am familiar with the way Germans act and not that I was familiar with Turks, but I saw so many similarities between them and the Spainards. I felt like neutral ground and one reason is because I think the way the American people act is no more similar to Germans than it is to Turks, a happy medium if you will. Needless to say, it was super cool to see the different ways the two groups acted. The Germans a little more reserved and the Turks a little more loud and energetic. The Germans politely following the unwritten rules of social conduct and the Turks playing by their own rules.

I try not to be boastful, but I'll let that slide to say I think I can connect well with people. That trait mixed with the fact I seem to always get placed with the nicest people for host families is probably the reason I always have such great experiences with host families.

I became friends with a lot of people in the Turkish group, and I feel like my Turkish host sister is actually like my little sister (she's 15). It was sad saying good bye to them and my host family, but at least I'll see the students again when they come to Germany in May!

Now, it wouldn't really be a blog post written by yours truly if I didn't mention something about the food. Tea is king here, more specifically black tea. Tea in Turkey is like beer for Germans and American pride for Americans. It's everywhere you go, embedded in the culture, and it's something one must try and take part in if you're visiting. Yogurt is also the staple food here. For example, we had something that was esssentially the equivilent of raviolis for dinner one night, and the sauce you eat it with is yogurt: either plan or garlic. Sounds strange, but it tasted good. If yogurt is not included as food, then it is taken as a drink. It's called Ayran and it is yogurt, water, and salt all mixed together. It was probably the nastiest thing I have ever tasted, but I wouldn't be suprised if it's like the national drink or something. Turkish cuisine in general is saltier. I also tried Turkish coffee, which was incredibly strong and doesn't really taste anything like what Americans would consider coffee to be. The cool traditional thing to do, though, is to get your future read to you. I feel like I'll lose quite a few readers while explaining this, but try to stay with me. You drink the coffee (which is only ever a little tea cup full; three sips max) until you get to the liquidly coffee grounds at the bottom. You put the teacup-saucer-plate-thing on top of the teacup then flip it over so the teacup is on top. Swirl around in a circular motion 4 times while making a wish. Are you still with me here? Okay. then you wait about 4 minutes or so then the woman (it's pretty much always a woman) takes the cup and saucers and pours the grounds, which is a cream like texture of a solid/liquid mix, onto the plate. She then tells you about your future. Then she'll pour the grounds on the saucer back into the cup, and tell you more about your future from the saucer. You really need to be creative to do this because the method is looking at the shapes the grounds go to when it gets poured and coming up with stuff from the shapes. I know it probably sounds crazy to most of my readers because it's a little looked down upon in our culture, but it's actually a legitimate profession for some women. It's a cultural thing, and was cool for me to participate in. Another food I tried was Turkish Delight. I had no idea what it was until I tried it, but it's a gel of starch and sugar with different fruits or even nuts. It is quite sweet and an interesting taste. I get the idea it's the type of food in which if you eat even just a little too much, you would feel sick.

One thing that was so crazy for me was the amount of stray dogs and cats. The dogs weren't that annoying, but I lost my patience with the cats. I'm not even a fan of cats. They would jump on your lap uninvited or basically just nag you. My Turkish host dad said the government gives them shots, so they're totally safe. They don't have owners (hence the word "stray") but the people feed them, don't see them as a problem, and they just live within society.

The city of Izmir is very beautiful and it reminded me a lot of Southern California. Palm trees lining the streets, many cars driving on very wide streets (opposite of Europe), and a coastal city overlooking the water. The weather is also similar. We visited the landmark of Izmir which is a clocktower; however, I have yet to understand why it's important. We went inside a mosque, too! That was very cool for me because I had never been inside one before. Everyone had to take off their shoes and we girls had to wear head scarves to cover our hair. It is the oldest mosque in Izmir and as you might notice in the photos, it is ornate like a church. Mosques aren't usually this way, but it was built in the Baroque Period, so it happens to be more ornate than most. This mosque has a balcony on top, where only women are allowed because that's where they pray. This was good for me because the mosque was prettier anyways from the balcony view.