LaLa Land

In the words of the wise sage, Mary Alice Beer, "Home again, home again, never more to roam again!" Other than the fact that I fully intend to enjoy many more trips, this pearl truly reflects my happiness to be home. I already miss Turkey, but the rainy fecundity that is Oregon in the winter has its own delights. It's time for work and Oregon friends. Many many thanks to my friends in Turkey for making this trip so memorable. My soul is nourished! I look forward to the next visit!

Selman is back in Iraq after a nice visit! Take care, ağaymı!!!! You are missed!!!!

Seven weeks here and still my Turkish is poor. I get lots of harassment about it, so I will certainly work harder before I return. I am finally getting used to some of the body language here. For instance, when someone wants to say "no," the person might raise his/her eyebrows, tut, tip his/her head back, or do any combination of the three. The first time I encountered this, I thought the person was so disgusted with my Turkish that he refused to answer. I asked three times and then remembered reading about this in my guidebook and took the hint.

I am going to the airport early Sunday morning to catch my 6 AM flight to Frankfurt then on to Portland. These last hours are full of goodbyes, shopping, and trying to figure out how I will pack all of the stuff I accumulated over 7 weeks! What a wonderful trip it has been! I'm already looking forward to the next time, but I will have to complete my dang PhD before I return. THAT should be incentive!

A shout-out to the Babes on this here Friday the 13th full moon!!!! I'm missing you ladies tonight and looking forward to seeing you Monday night, hearing how everyone's vacation was, having çay with Julie, seeing Kathi's wedding video and photos, getting Evrim to an American-based full moon get-together, and congratulating Peggy on cohabitation and Jeannine on not being a homeowner soon. What a bunch of dynamic babes... bring your blinkies!!!

Last night, Bob, Emre, Amelia, and I celebrated Selmans's 25th birthday. In his culture, birthdays are not celebrated so this was his first birthday party! We had dinner and cake and sang to him; he was horribly embarrassed but loved it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SELMAN!







I’ve been here in Turkey for over six weeks now; here's a few things that I will miss and not miss when I return to the US in one week.


I will miss:

* Friends! Bob, Selman, Amelia, and Emre have all been so fun and helpful and have made this trip very special.

* The food! Lamb, eggplant, peppers, bulgur, yogurt with everything, tea after everything. Turkish food is rich but light with a delightful mix of spices and fresh ingredients.

* The music! Hot Roma music, saucy saz, street musicians, and even the pop music on the radio is good. Visiting a saz bar with friends over a bottle of rakı and some fruit while listening to a saz player sing his heart out and the rest of the audience join in with hands on hearts – priceless.

* Ezan. The Muslim call to prayer occurs five times a day and is just one of those sounds that reminds me that I am in a different world here. One of the muezzins at the mosque next door has an AMAZING voice – maybe Ella Fitzgerald was reincarnated as a Turkish man…

* Men who touch. The men here walk down the streets arm in arm, they sit and talk and hang all over each other, they kiss each other when they say hello and goodbye. It warms the heart.

* Hamams. Having the option to visit a 450-year old bathhouse and be scrubbed down and massaged for $10 is just so civilized.

* Rakı. The favorite alcohol of Turkey is an anise-flavored grape liquor that, when mixed with water, turns milky white. It’s similar to the Greek ouzo but not so sweet. Raki widens the smile, deepens the emotions, cements new friendships, remixes poor sound systems, and intensifies daylight the following morning. Best enjoyed with lots of food, friends, and music.

* Really good public transportation. Getting around Istanbul is cheap and easy. Buses across Turkey are also very cheap and the service is impeccable, with movies, snacks, tea, frequent pit stops, and seats that recline almost 180 degrees. Better than any airplane.

* Locally owned businesses. Large corporate businesses are not as prevalent here as in the US. You get your meat from a butcher, bread from the baker, vegetables at one of several open-air markets, hardware from someone who owns their hardware store, etc. People take a lot of pride in how their products are presented and it’s nice to hand your money directly to the person who will benefit from the transaction.


I will not miss:

* Cigarette smoke EVERYWHERE. Roughly 75% of the adult population smokes here and smoking is allowed everywhere but airplanes and buses (unless you are the bus driver).

* Turkish toilets. Built into the floor with little foot landings, Turkish toilets are cause to roll up your pants, tuck in your scarf, and hope nothing you are wearing touches ANYTHING. Granted your body is in a more healthy position to do its job and they are more sanitary in public places than the Western toilets that I also have no desire to touch, but there’s something to be said for a nice clean seat and maybe some light reading. Also, the associated toilet sandals that one wears into the toilet and shares with all other toilet users will not be missed.

A shout-out to all my peeps to wish you the most delicious of years in 2006! My New Year's Eve was a great night, beginning with a surprise visit from Selman! He managed to get back from his work in Iraq to celebrate the New Year with us. We met at Amelia's and Emre's house and then went over to miss the count-down at Ebru's get-together. The view of the Bosphorus and Sultanahmet from her window was especially lovely with the New Year's fireworks. Later Bob, Selman, and I hit some bars and met with friends. We strolled along Istiklal Caddesi and enjoyed the festive night. It was a great way to bring in the new year!
















Yesterday afternoon Selman and I took a nice stroll to Yedikule to enjoy the water and another section of the old city walls that I haven't seen. A "kule" is a large lookout tower and Yedikule boasts seven (yedi) of these towers in the walls.












Leaving this wonderful place is just so hard to do, so I've postponed the inevitable for two more weeks and delayed my departure until January 15! Mwah ha ha!!!! That puts me here for the Muslim holiday, Kurban Bayram, during which many people sacrifice animals. I'm not looking forward to the amateur butchering jobs and blood in the streets but I'm trying to keep an open mind.