Ankara: water everywhere and nowhere
Ankara does not have any natural bodies of water in the area, so to make up for it there are fountains around almost every corner. Some look like works of modern art while others imitate natural waterfalls. I liked seeing them because without them, I think the city would be so negative ion deficient that I would probably have gone crazy (along with the rest of the city).
Before telling you about the rest of Ankara though, I must tell you what I saw from the plane. Turkey has such a beautiful landscape, and as I flew over small mountains with round velvet tops that had been worn away by water flowing down for millennia, I noticed an enormous ancient river bed winding through them. At the bottom of this ancient river bed was a much smaller river winding through. It looked like a creek, but on the ground it probably isn't big enough to wade through. I can only imagine what the land must have looked like with a giant river going through. More jagged mountains? More trees? Ibrahim later told me that somebody who studied the land here in Turkey wrote that at one time a monkey could travel by swinging in the trees from some place much further south than modern day Turkey all the way to Istanbul without touching the ground once. At some point in history, too many trees were cut down in Turkey and the surrounding areas causing the area to dry up. It seems humans have done this several times in our history, not just here. Wisconsin was pretty much clear-cut at some point as well.
Ibrahim was waiting as I got off the bus, and that was a relief. The bus depot was so big that I'm sure I would have gotten lost if I were by myself. It was marvelous. After having the Turkish equivalent of donuts for breakfast (but far healthier and yummier than American donuts), we headed for the American Embassy. Now, if I had been thinking before I planned my trip, I would have looked to see if the Embassy would be open. However, I wasn’t thinking so I didn’t look and found to my dismay that not only was the Embassy closed for the day, but it was to be closed all next week! At first I thought this was some evil plan by the American government to discourage me from voting; the brain is so irrational when frustrated. As it turns out, they are renovating inside and aren’t even checking their email. This was conveniently planned to coincide with Columbus Day, I imagine.
So we scooted outta there and headed for Atatürk’s mausoleum (Anitkabir), which is upon one of the many hills of Ankara and so very peaceful. Elegantly dressed soldiers line the premises standing guard to Turkey’s most revered leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He is so revered that all classrooms in the country must have his photo hanging on the wall (including private schools such as Only English). ‘Why?’ I hear you ask. Well, my dear friends, Atatürk reformed the education system so that everyone could go to school, from grade school to graduate school, at no cost. The new system was also secularized and co-ed. In fifteen years he raised the national literacy level from just below 9% to 33%. He was so dedicated to everyone having access to a good education that he himself taught people where ever he could gather them, even in city parks!
The mausoleum was huge. I felt the size of an ant. The ceiling must have been four stories high (at least, yo) and the decorations must have been gold inlay. Gorgeous. Walking around the courtyard also made me feel like an ant, with the second president of the Turkey laying at the opposite end from Atatürk. Off to the side was a museum dedicated to Atatürk and the founding of the Republic of Turkey. It began with an exhibit of all the gifts bestowed upon Atatürk from leaders of other countries. My words are not eloquent enough, so if you will, a quote from http://www.ataturk.com/:
Atatürk did much more for the country than I could tell you in one little blog entry, so I highly recommend that you visit the aforementioned website and read about this great man. I must add, though, that this website is just an introduction to what Ataturk accomplished.
After that, we went to the Citadel where one could see almost all the hills of Ankara at once. I have a really good photograph of that, but wait until tomorrow, okay? I left my camera at home. In the evening, after a few games of tavla (backgammon) we up and went to the movies to see “The Terminal”, which I later learned is based on a true story, apparently on an Iranian man who was stuck in a French airport and has now lived in the airport for 10 years and refuses to leave (even his family can’t convince him to leave). That’s what my flatmate told me. Here is another version of the story, which I found but cannot currently read because the connection isn’t working properly. Check it out anyway, yah? http://www.snopes.com/travel/airline/airport.htm
The next day, after lounging around his place for a while, we went to Kizilay in the center of Ankara, where I was able to peruse used English teaching books to my heart’s content. That didn’t take very long, so as we decided to walk around for a bit. As I was buying a day-old copy of USA Today, we heard that the power might go out in which case the underground train to the bus depot wouldn’t work. Forget walking around! Let’s get to the depot while we still can. And so it was.
Once at the depot, I ate the best chocolate thing ever. It was dark chocolate (my favorite) pudding with chocolate grated on top with pistachios. Oooh, yummy….and the tea afterwards so the most delicious thing. Mmm, chocolate makes everything better (except my spelling because I keep typing ‘chocolage’).
Hanging out with Ibrahim was just what I needed at just the right time. I’ve been living in Trabzon for almost a month now, a city of 250,000 and nary a friend to hang out with. It was great to hang out with somebody and speak to them without having to think about forming the correct grammar before opening my mouth. That said, I am happy to report that my Turkish is getting better, albiet slowly. I'm probably learning a new word every day, but that still isn't enough to have a conversation of any depth, so it was great to be able to talk about some deeper issues with Ibrahim.
Let me tell you a little about my weekend host. Ibrahim is a mathematician. Now, I’ve always thought of mathematicians as a kind of magician, playing with numbers in certain ways to figure out some secrets of the universe. I see now that they are also like composers, working with formulas and matrixes, trying to get everything tuned just right, working day and night for days on end, pouring all energy into figuring and calculating. At other times, projects sit because the ability to even look at it is not possible, even for a nanosecond. I admire the dedication required to work on such projects.
And now a few words about the Turkish as hosts. Oh my goodness! They always make sure you have everything you need, and if they forget, they apologize as soon as they remember. Also, if you like something and say so, they make sure and give it to you. There is no need to refuse taking it, because that is not an option. You know, when Americans offer something, the polite thing to say is, “Are you sure (you want to give this to me)?” I have never heard anything like that spoken here in Turkey, and have a feeling that I would offend if I said that. I know the Turks are generous, but I can never equip myself with enough gifts to reciprocate the appreciation that I feel. Not only are the extremely hospitable (giving up their own bed for me to sleep in), but they are very generous with material items. I can think of two examples of this. The first was when Bahadir picked me up from the airport and we were on our way to his home. We stopped at a baklava shop to pick up a pastry similar to baklava, kadayif. He bought a whole box full, but also a piece for each of us to eat right there. As I placed it in my mouth and let it melt on my tongue, I nearly cried it was so delicious. Then Bahadir said, “I could eat this all day!” It was the most amazing thing I had eaten since my friend, Jung-Min, made a farwell dinner for me, so I eagerly agreed, “Me, too!” He immediately bought me another piece. And so it was just yesterday. Ibrahim made breakfast, and while I munched on yummy eggs and drank tea, he placed a rather large jar of dark substance in front of me.
“I want you to try this.” I had no idea what it was, but being open to new things in a new country, how could I refuse? Turns out it was my favorite fruit spread in the world, plum jam. I told him this, and proceeded to eat more of it. I realized he wasn’t eating any, so I stopped eating it, thinking that I didn’t want to eat all his jam. (It came from his mother’s village.) I didn’t think about it all until I was packing my things to leave when he brought it from the kitchen in a plastic bag. He was giving me the entire jar!
I just remembered another one. The last time I was in Turkey, I was with my best friend and two other women. Our friend, Ahemt, invited us over for dinner. At dinner we met his mother, and she served us the best manti we ever ate. After dinner she served us dessert and tea in the most beautiful crystal. One of us commented on the crystal, and she insisted that we each keep our tea glass and saucer.
I’m still unsure on how to repay my friends. Perhaps now that I live in my own place (or rather, a place where I am able to have guests) I can show the same hospitality they have shown me, assuming they will visit me. Besides the jam, Ibrahim also gave me Angela’s Ashes to read in Turkish and a stack of American movies which, I am embarrassed to say, I have either never heard of or never seen.
Ah, I apologize for any misspellings. The connection is currently very slow and I don't have the patience to wait. Okay, maybe I'll post the photos tomorrow.
Before telling you about the rest of Ankara though, I must tell you what I saw from the plane. Turkey has such a beautiful landscape, and as I flew over small mountains with round velvet tops that had been worn away by water flowing down for millennia, I noticed an enormous ancient river bed winding through them. At the bottom of this ancient river bed was a much smaller river winding through. It looked like a creek, but on the ground it probably isn't big enough to wade through. I can only imagine what the land must have looked like with a giant river going through. More jagged mountains? More trees? Ibrahim later told me that somebody who studied the land here in Turkey wrote that at one time a monkey could travel by swinging in the trees from some place much further south than modern day Turkey all the way to Istanbul without touching the ground once. At some point in history, too many trees were cut down in Turkey and the surrounding areas causing the area to dry up. It seems humans have done this several times in our history, not just here. Wisconsin was pretty much clear-cut at some point as well.
Ibrahim was waiting as I got off the bus, and that was a relief. The bus depot was so big that I'm sure I would have gotten lost if I were by myself. It was marvelous. After having the Turkish equivalent of donuts for breakfast (but far healthier and yummier than American donuts), we headed for the American Embassy. Now, if I had been thinking before I planned my trip, I would have looked to see if the Embassy would be open. However, I wasn’t thinking so I didn’t look and found to my dismay that not only was the Embassy closed for the day, but it was to be closed all next week! At first I thought this was some evil plan by the American government to discourage me from voting; the brain is so irrational when frustrated. As it turns out, they are renovating inside and aren’t even checking their email. This was conveniently planned to coincide with Columbus Day, I imagine.
So we scooted outta there and headed for Atatürk’s mausoleum (Anitkabir), which is upon one of the many hills of Ankara and so very peaceful. Elegantly dressed soldiers line the premises standing guard to Turkey’s most revered leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He is so revered that all classrooms in the country must have his photo hanging on the wall (including private schools such as Only English). ‘Why?’ I hear you ask. Well, my dear friends, Atatürk reformed the education system so that everyone could go to school, from grade school to graduate school, at no cost. The new system was also secularized and co-ed. In fifteen years he raised the national literacy level from just below 9% to 33%. He was so dedicated to everyone having access to a good education that he himself taught people where ever he could gather them, even in city parks!
The mausoleum was huge. I felt the size of an ant. The ceiling must have been four stories high (at least, yo) and the decorations must have been gold inlay. Gorgeous. Walking around the courtyard also made me feel like an ant, with the second president of the Turkey laying at the opposite end from Atatürk. Off to the side was a museum dedicated to Atatürk and the founding of the Republic of Turkey. It began with an exhibit of all the gifts bestowed upon Atatürk from leaders of other countries. My words are not eloquent enough, so if you will, a quote from http://www.ataturk.com/:
A military hero who had won victory after victory against
many foreign invaders, Atatürk knew the value of peace
and, during his Presidency, did his utmost to secure
and strengthen it throughout the world. Few of the
giants of the modern times have spoken with Atatürk's
eloquence on the vital need to create a world order
based on peace, on the dignity of all human beings,
and on the constructive interdependence of all nations.
He stated, immediately after the Turkish War of
Independence, that "peace is the most effective way for
nations to attain prosperity and happiness." Later as
he concluded treaties of friendship and created regional
entendre, he affirmed: " Turks are the friends of all
civilized nations." The new Turkey established cordial
relations with all countries, including those powers
which had tried a few years earlier to wipe the Turks
off the map. She did not pursue a policy of expansionism,
and never engaged in any act contrary to peaceful
co-existence. Atatürk signed pacts with Greece, Rumania
and Yugoslavia in the Balkans, and with Iran, Iraq and
Afghanistan in the East. He maintained friendly relations
with the Soviet Union, the United States, England, Germany,
Italy, France, and all other states. In the early 1930s,
he and the Greek Premier Venizelos initiated and signed a
treaty of peace and cooperation.
Atatürk did much more for the country than I could tell you in one little blog entry, so I highly recommend that you visit the aforementioned website and read about this great man. I must add, though, that this website is just an introduction to what Ataturk accomplished.
After that, we went to the Citadel where one could see almost all the hills of Ankara at once. I have a really good photograph of that, but wait until tomorrow, okay? I left my camera at home. In the evening, after a few games of tavla (backgammon) we up and went to the movies to see “The Terminal”, which I later learned is based on a true story, apparently on an Iranian man who was stuck in a French airport and has now lived in the airport for 10 years and refuses to leave (even his family can’t convince him to leave). That’s what my flatmate told me. Here is another version of the story, which I found but cannot currently read because the connection isn’t working properly. Check it out anyway, yah? http://www.snopes.com/travel/airline/airport.htm
The next day, after lounging around his place for a while, we went to Kizilay in the center of Ankara, where I was able to peruse used English teaching books to my heart’s content. That didn’t take very long, so as we decided to walk around for a bit. As I was buying a day-old copy of USA Today, we heard that the power might go out in which case the underground train to the bus depot wouldn’t work. Forget walking around! Let’s get to the depot while we still can. And so it was.
Once at the depot, I ate the best chocolate thing ever. It was dark chocolate (my favorite) pudding with chocolate grated on top with pistachios. Oooh, yummy….and the tea afterwards so the most delicious thing. Mmm, chocolate makes everything better (except my spelling because I keep typing ‘chocolage’).
Hanging out with Ibrahim was just what I needed at just the right time. I’ve been living in Trabzon for almost a month now, a city of 250,000 and nary a friend to hang out with. It was great to hang out with somebody and speak to them without having to think about forming the correct grammar before opening my mouth. That said, I am happy to report that my Turkish is getting better, albiet slowly. I'm probably learning a new word every day, but that still isn't enough to have a conversation of any depth, so it was great to be able to talk about some deeper issues with Ibrahim.
Let me tell you a little about my weekend host. Ibrahim is a mathematician. Now, I’ve always thought of mathematicians as a kind of magician, playing with numbers in certain ways to figure out some secrets of the universe. I see now that they are also like composers, working with formulas and matrixes, trying to get everything tuned just right, working day and night for days on end, pouring all energy into figuring and calculating. At other times, projects sit because the ability to even look at it is not possible, even for a nanosecond. I admire the dedication required to work on such projects.
And now a few words about the Turkish as hosts. Oh my goodness! They always make sure you have everything you need, and if they forget, they apologize as soon as they remember. Also, if you like something and say so, they make sure and give it to you. There is no need to refuse taking it, because that is not an option. You know, when Americans offer something, the polite thing to say is, “Are you sure (you want to give this to me)?” I have never heard anything like that spoken here in Turkey, and have a feeling that I would offend if I said that. I know the Turks are generous, but I can never equip myself with enough gifts to reciprocate the appreciation that I feel. Not only are the extremely hospitable (giving up their own bed for me to sleep in), but they are very generous with material items. I can think of two examples of this. The first was when Bahadir picked me up from the airport and we were on our way to his home. We stopped at a baklava shop to pick up a pastry similar to baklava, kadayif. He bought a whole box full, but also a piece for each of us to eat right there. As I placed it in my mouth and let it melt on my tongue, I nearly cried it was so delicious. Then Bahadir said, “I could eat this all day!” It was the most amazing thing I had eaten since my friend, Jung-Min, made a farwell dinner for me, so I eagerly agreed, “Me, too!” He immediately bought me another piece. And so it was just yesterday. Ibrahim made breakfast, and while I munched on yummy eggs and drank tea, he placed a rather large jar of dark substance in front of me.
“I want you to try this.” I had no idea what it was, but being open to new things in a new country, how could I refuse? Turns out it was my favorite fruit spread in the world, plum jam. I told him this, and proceeded to eat more of it. I realized he wasn’t eating any, so I stopped eating it, thinking that I didn’t want to eat all his jam. (It came from his mother’s village.) I didn’t think about it all until I was packing my things to leave when he brought it from the kitchen in a plastic bag. He was giving me the entire jar!
I just remembered another one. The last time I was in Turkey, I was with my best friend and two other women. Our friend, Ahemt, invited us over for dinner. At dinner we met his mother, and she served us the best manti we ever ate. After dinner she served us dessert and tea in the most beautiful crystal. One of us commented on the crystal, and she insisted that we each keep our tea glass and saucer.
I’m still unsure on how to repay my friends. Perhaps now that I live in my own place (or rather, a place where I am able to have guests) I can show the same hospitality they have shown me, assuming they will visit me. Besides the jam, Ibrahim also gave me Angela’s Ashes to read in Turkish and a stack of American movies which, I am embarrassed to say, I have either never heard of or never seen.
Ah, I apologize for any misspellings. The connection is currently very slow and I don't have the patience to wait. Okay, maybe I'll post the photos tomorrow.
posted by nicole @ 11:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home