Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Fall Has Arrived
Leaving work on Monday afternoon we all noticed how chilly it had gotten. Granted, the sun had gone down, but still there was something different. What it was became apparent at about ten that night. Thunder and lightening, wind and rain. It was just wonderful. I sleep right next to the window, which I keep open all the time. I couldn't help but smile. I've been waiting for this for a long time. The air smelled so good this morning; it had been cleaned of the dust. There were still clouds around but there was sun too. It was a beautiful morning but I had my umbrella just in case. Sometime around mid-afternoon the entire scene repeated itself, only this time we added hail and it was daylight so you could watch the front move through. By the time we left you could see the moon. I think the heat is finally past.
Birecik Bird Sanctuary
It was already dark when we left Halfeti. We’d been late leaving that morning and then we went off daylight savings time, robbing us of an hour of light. We all assumed we were heading back to Gaziantep. However, we found ourselves bumping along a road next to the river, clearly in some sort of town. The driver pulled into a gas station – we thought he was lost and was trying to get onto the freeway. It turned out he was looking for a famous bird sanctuary. The station was right next to the sanctuary, but it wasn’t obvious how you got in. I’d read about this sanctuary in exploring possibilities for birdwatching in Turkey. It’s the only place in the world with bald ibises. The bird almost became extinct. This refuge began with one breeding pair, and now they have 109 birds. When they hit 100 they bought a satellite and inserted some sort of transmitter in each bird. Now they know where they all are all the time. Bald ibises are migratory birds that winter on the Nile. Most of them travel through Syria and Jordon to get to Egypt, but some fly over the Mediterranean. Sadly, it was too dark to see them, but I bought a couple of photos. It seems like a good cause to support, even if they are singularly ugly birds.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Halfeti
From Zeugma we bumped north through pistachio orchards to a little village on the Euphrates. At this point I was reminded of the Columbia River gorge. The cliffs rose quite steeply on both sides of the river. The little village hung on the slope above the river. We learned later that part of it had been submerged by the water backing up behind the dam. It is obviously a local tourist attraction. Tied up on the shore are a half dozen covered barges that serve as restaurants. There are also a number of little putt putts that give short tours up the river. The Turkish teachers who were with us went to all the restaurants bargaining for the cheapest group rate. We ended up at the first place because they were willing to throw in the boat ride.
While our fish kebabs were being prepared, be chugged up river. We way the remains of a Roman fort atop one of the cliffs. We then went into a little inlet. I saw a minaret sticking up out of the water right on the shore. I innocently asked where the mosque was – not having understood the explanation (in Turkish) by the driver that the village had been submerged. He took us close to the shore and we could see the roof of the mosque about a foot under water. Think Yangzee River. The Turkish government paid the residents to relocate to a new village built on higher ground. There were a couple of groups picnicking on verandas, but they’d had to get there by boat – or so we were told.
We chugged back to our barge where we were served truly delicious fish. It had been prepared with some sort of spicy rub and grilled. Yummy and a nice change from the usual meat kebabs. I was quite impressed that the barge was lit with compact florescent light bulbs. In fact, they even had them in red, blue, yellow, and green. I don’t think I’ve seen those in The States.
I did take my binoculars along in hopes of seeing some sort of bird life. I may have seen an egret on one shore of the river. However, it was far away, and I was also able to identify plastic shopping bags posing as birds (joke – there was a lot of junk around) so I’m not sure I was actually seeing a living creature. I also saw one gull and one black “duck” – looked a bit like a scooter. That was about it.
While our fish kebabs were being prepared, be chugged up river. We way the remains of a Roman fort atop one of the cliffs. We then went into a little inlet. I saw a minaret sticking up out of the water right on the shore. I innocently asked where the mosque was – not having understood the explanation (in Turkish) by the driver that the village had been submerged. He took us close to the shore and we could see the roof of the mosque about a foot under water. Think Yangzee River. The Turkish government paid the residents to relocate to a new village built on higher ground. There were a couple of groups picnicking on verandas, but they’d had to get there by boat – or so we were told.
We chugged back to our barge where we were served truly delicious fish. It had been prepared with some sort of spicy rub and grilled. Yummy and a nice change from the usual meat kebabs. I was quite impressed that the barge was lit with compact florescent light bulbs. In fact, they even had them in red, blue, yellow, and green. I don’t think I’ve seen those in The States.
I did take my binoculars along in hopes of seeing some sort of bird life. I may have seen an egret on one shore of the river. However, it was far away, and I was also able to identify plastic shopping bags posing as birds (joke – there was a lot of junk around) so I’m not sure I was actually seeing a living creature. I also saw one gull and one black “duck” – looked a bit like a scooter. That was about it.
Zeugma
This Sunday Zirve University arranged for a bus to take any of us who wanted to go on a field trip to the Euphrates. We made three stops and I’m going to write separate entries on each. So bear with me.
As we drove out of Gaziantep heading east, one of the Turkish faculty members said: you’re riding on the Silk Road. In fact, the highway is built on the old trade route from China to Antioch, when goods were traded or put on ships for Venice, among other destinations. Except for the pistachio orchard here and there, the landscape felt quite empty. It was hilly but barren and dry. We passed through one medium-sized town, Nizip, on the way, but other than that, nothing. I commented to one of the Turkish teachers that it felt strange not to see any people. As we got closer to the Euphrates, the pistachio orchards got larger, but still no people. She commented that the people had their orchards outside the village but lived in the village and they were probably all home. That may be true, but we saw few villages and when we went through a village, you didn’t see many people.
As we got closer to Zeugma, the roads got narrower. They twisted and turned over steep hillsides. Finally, we crested a hill and there it was, the mighty Euphrates. Actually, it was more of a lake created by a new dam built just downstream from Zuegma. Historically, Zeugma was the easiest place in the region to cross the Eurprates. While there is archeological evidence that the area has been settled since early Bronze Age, the actual city was built by one of Alexander the Great’s Macedonian generals, Seleucus Nicator, who also built a town on the other side of the river and named it after his Persian wife Apama. Until the Romans captured the city, it was called Seleukeia ad Euphrates. The Romans renamed it Zeugma, which means something like “bridge” or “passage.” Located as it was on the Silk Road trade route and home to Legion IIII (not Legion IV, as one might expect) the city became quite prosperous and was used as a staging area for many of the campaigns the Romans undertook against eastern rulers – usually one of the dynasties ruling present day Iran. However, the city was overrun by the Persian Sassanids in 256 (“ravaged with fire and sword,” to quote the book I bought on Zeugma mosaics) and never recovered its former prosperity. There are no written records of the settlement after 1048. It remained essentially “lost” for over 900 years.
I mention this little bit of history because it’s so hard to image that in this empty, somewhat dusty, silent place you might once have seen the camps of the army of Alexander the Great or of Cassius, as he was about to launch an attack against the Parthians (Iranian empire) under the reign of the emperor Claudius. Or just think of the arrival of the caravans carrying goods from the East. Now nothing but pistachio orchards right down to the water’s edge – and silence. Scarcely a trace of all those momentous events in history. If it hadn’t been for the building of the dam, the actual site of Zeugma might never have come to light. There is one villa above the waterline – the rest are under water – that is still being excavated. At the moment they are building a structure over it. Eventually, it will become a kind of open-air museum. If you want to see the mosaics or frescos from the other villas, you have to go to a museum in Gaziantep.
As we drove out of Gaziantep heading east, one of the Turkish faculty members said: you’re riding on the Silk Road. In fact, the highway is built on the old trade route from China to Antioch, when goods were traded or put on ships for Venice, among other destinations. Except for the pistachio orchard here and there, the landscape felt quite empty. It was hilly but barren and dry. We passed through one medium-sized town, Nizip, on the way, but other than that, nothing. I commented to one of the Turkish teachers that it felt strange not to see any people. As we got closer to the Euphrates, the pistachio orchards got larger, but still no people. She commented that the people had their orchards outside the village but lived in the village and they were probably all home. That may be true, but we saw few villages and when we went through a village, you didn’t see many people.
As we got closer to Zeugma, the roads got narrower. They twisted and turned over steep hillsides. Finally, we crested a hill and there it was, the mighty Euphrates. Actually, it was more of a lake created by a new dam built just downstream from Zuegma. Historically, Zeugma was the easiest place in the region to cross the Eurprates. While there is archeological evidence that the area has been settled since early Bronze Age, the actual city was built by one of Alexander the Great’s Macedonian generals, Seleucus Nicator, who also built a town on the other side of the river and named it after his Persian wife Apama. Until the Romans captured the city, it was called Seleukeia ad Euphrates. The Romans renamed it Zeugma, which means something like “bridge” or “passage.” Located as it was on the Silk Road trade route and home to Legion IIII (not Legion IV, as one might expect) the city became quite prosperous and was used as a staging area for many of the campaigns the Romans undertook against eastern rulers – usually one of the dynasties ruling present day Iran. However, the city was overrun by the Persian Sassanids in 256 (“ravaged with fire and sword,” to quote the book I bought on Zeugma mosaics) and never recovered its former prosperity. There are no written records of the settlement after 1048. It remained essentially “lost” for over 900 years.
I mention this little bit of history because it’s so hard to image that in this empty, somewhat dusty, silent place you might once have seen the camps of the army of Alexander the Great or of Cassius, as he was about to launch an attack against the Parthians (Iranian empire) under the reign of the emperor Claudius. Or just think of the arrival of the caravans carrying goods from the East. Now nothing but pistachio orchards right down to the water’s edge – and silence. Scarcely a trace of all those momentous events in history. If it hadn’t been for the building of the dam, the actual site of Zeugma might never have come to light. There is one villa above the waterline – the rest are under water – that is still being excavated. At the moment they are building a structure over it. Eventually, it will become a kind of open-air museum. If you want to see the mosaics or frescos from the other villas, you have to go to a museum in Gaziantep.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Second Attempt
Today another teacher and I headed into town to try to find the “covered bazaar.” What we’d found before was the “pedestrian arcade.” The arcade is lined with stores – for several blocks. But they have plate glass windows and sort of standard interiors. It clearly wasn’t bazaar like.
This morning we got out relatively early and took a bus. I turned out to be going the mall and not all the way to the center of town. We got off there and walked into town through the big city park. It was wonderful. The air was still cool and there weren’t too many people in park. Once in town we walked past the entrance to the arcade and headed down a commercial street that was a bit more “primitive.” By that I mean each merchant had a kind of stall that could be closed with a heavy wooden door at night. Most of their merchandise was right on the sidewalk. Part way down the street we looked left up an alley. Eureka, we found it – at least we thought we had. The street was narrow and covered and wound gently uphill. At first there were nothing but copper artisans/merchants. But we then came to an area where everyone was selling herbs and spices – and handmade soaps. Then there were the textile folks selling tablecloths and blankets. Mostly we just looked. I ended up buying a tablecloth for 3 TL (about $1.75) to cover the desk/table in my living room. It adds some color and softens the feel of the room a bit.
After our little sojourn in the market – and a failed attempt to locate a particular store near the castle – we headed back to the mall where my friend was going to – bravely – get a haircut. I went to the bookstore and got Orphan Pamuk’s new novel The Museum of Innocence. In the US he’s known for his novel Snow. I was amazed they had the book in English, because they have only a handful of English titles – among them Dan Brown’s new book.
As usual, this whole narrative is really heading to food. I’d heard about this special kind of Turkish ice cream. There is a store in the mall that sells it. It turns out not to be a store but a restaurant. I talked Judy into sharing a plate. It’s served in slices – like they’d been cut from a roll We got a plate with a slice of vanilla, slice of chocolate and – surprise, surprise – as slice of pistachio. It’s hard to describe the texture. It’s not as creamy as what we think of as ice cream. It’s more like the texture of a fudgesicle but not as icy. And the flavors were very intense.
But the real surprise of the afternoon was the beverage we ordered, something called sahlep. (Go to this link for a great article on sahlep. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-192329-keep-the-winter-chills-at-bay-with-a-warm-cup-of-sahlep.html ) A sahlep is a kind of wild orchid. This drink is made from milk, sugar and a flour made from the dried tuber of this orchid. It was topped with cinnamon, which had been applied using a stencil of two dolphins chasing each other in a circle, and – bet you can’t guess – chopped pistachios. It was one of the most amazing beverages I have ever consumed. For starters, it was quite thick, but not like cream. Clearly, the orchid flour thickened the milk and sugar mixture. We kept trying to think of what the flavor reminded us of. I thought of bread pudding – but not quite. Apparently rose water is sometimes added and that might have been one of the things we were tasting. Clearly, this is a kind of comfort food and would be fabulous on a cold, damp day.
Epilogue:
On returning to our apartment complex we learned that we had not, in fact, been at the "covered bazaar." This will require yet another -- third -- foray into the center city. I will keep you posted.
This morning we got out relatively early and took a bus. I turned out to be going the mall and not all the way to the center of town. We got off there and walked into town through the big city park. It was wonderful. The air was still cool and there weren’t too many people in park. Once in town we walked past the entrance to the arcade and headed down a commercial street that was a bit more “primitive.” By that I mean each merchant had a kind of stall that could be closed with a heavy wooden door at night. Most of their merchandise was right on the sidewalk. Part way down the street we looked left up an alley. Eureka, we found it – at least we thought we had. The street was narrow and covered and wound gently uphill. At first there were nothing but copper artisans/merchants. But we then came to an area where everyone was selling herbs and spices – and handmade soaps. Then there were the textile folks selling tablecloths and blankets. Mostly we just looked. I ended up buying a tablecloth for 3 TL (about $1.75) to cover the desk/table in my living room. It adds some color and softens the feel of the room a bit.
After our little sojourn in the market – and a failed attempt to locate a particular store near the castle – we headed back to the mall where my friend was going to – bravely – get a haircut. I went to the bookstore and got Orphan Pamuk’s new novel The Museum of Innocence. In the US he’s known for his novel Snow. I was amazed they had the book in English, because they have only a handful of English titles – among them Dan Brown’s new book.
As usual, this whole narrative is really heading to food. I’d heard about this special kind of Turkish ice cream. There is a store in the mall that sells it. It turns out not to be a store but a restaurant. I talked Judy into sharing a plate. It’s served in slices – like they’d been cut from a roll We got a plate with a slice of vanilla, slice of chocolate and – surprise, surprise – as slice of pistachio. It’s hard to describe the texture. It’s not as creamy as what we think of as ice cream. It’s more like the texture of a fudgesicle but not as icy. And the flavors were very intense.
But the real surprise of the afternoon was the beverage we ordered, something called sahlep. (Go to this link for a great article on sahlep. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-192329-keep-the-winter-chills-at-bay-with-a-warm-cup-of-sahlep.html ) A sahlep is a kind of wild orchid. This drink is made from milk, sugar and a flour made from the dried tuber of this orchid. It was topped with cinnamon, which had been applied using a stencil of two dolphins chasing each other in a circle, and – bet you can’t guess – chopped pistachios. It was one of the most amazing beverages I have ever consumed. For starters, it was quite thick, but not like cream. Clearly, the orchid flour thickened the milk and sugar mixture. We kept trying to think of what the flavor reminded us of. I thought of bread pudding – but not quite. Apparently rose water is sometimes added and that might have been one of the things we were tasting. Clearly, this is a kind of comfort food and would be fabulous on a cold, damp day.
Epilogue:
On returning to our apartment complex we learned that we had not, in fact, been at the "covered bazaar." This will require yet another -- third -- foray into the center city. I will keep you posted.
Friday, October 23, 2009
A Great Discovery
I played hooky this afternoon. I was down to half a lira in Turkish money, and you can't change money around here on the weekend. The director of the "Preparatory School" (English language instruction) is off in Poland and the person he left in charge has a desk right next to mine. The Texas people were fine with me leaving early and the number two person was also leaving on the 1:30 PM van into town. So off I went.
I walked about a half hour down to a bank that can change money. At least this bank (Garanti -- somehow connected to GE Capital) has a "take a number system," even if they only had one teller on duty on a Friday afternoon -- there were seven teller stations. I spent my time trying to read their promotions posters and signs. Ironically, the only thing I could translate for sure was the phrase "good service." Hmmm. I probably waited about 45 minutes before my number came up. I was 838. They were at 824 when I came in but they kept jumping to numbers in the 500s or 300s. Don't know how folks got those numbers. They'd come in after I did. But I did eventually get my money changed.
When I left the bank I heard a lot of noise -- shouting -- coming from down an alley. I looked up the street and saw that there was a large covered area behind the bank building. It wasn't large enough to be a covered soccer stadium but I thought it must be some kind of sporting event. Then when I got closer I realized it was a market. It reminded me a lot of the market in Meaux where my sister Courtney used to shop. A bit more than a third of it was given over to food. The rest was clothing, every cooking utensil you could imagine, dishes, clothing, yardage and even colorful scarves.
The produce was just gorgeous. Eggplants, tomatoes, peppers in every size and shape, zucchini (which are very pale green), lettuce, scallions, potatoes, persimmons, pomegranates, etc. etc. Everything in season. There is also an interesting citrus fruit in all the markets. It's shaped like a small orange but it's mostly green. When we lived in Riverside CA I learned that oranges left on a tree will start to turns green. I thought maybe that's what they were -- wrong. They look sort of like an orange inside but they are somewhat tart. The canteen at Zirve keeps a big bowl and they will squeeze them on the spot. Very refreshing.
What caught my eye were green beans that reminded me of our Romano beans. I just couldn't resist. I couldn't tell how much they were so I gave the guy 2 lira -- about $1.25. I got a kilo of beans -- and believe me, that's lots of beans. I've been giving them to people in my building and still have a lot for myself. For dinner tonight I had a plate of beans and fresh tomatoes, with a slice of good whole wheat bread. For dessert I sliced a persimmon in half and scooped in out with a spoon. As someone said, it's almost like eating jam, they are so sweet.
I guess I write a lot about food, but the produce here is so fabulous and so reasonably priced. That's all I want to eat.
I walked about a half hour down to a bank that can change money. At least this bank (Garanti -- somehow connected to GE Capital) has a "take a number system," even if they only had one teller on duty on a Friday afternoon -- there were seven teller stations. I spent my time trying to read their promotions posters and signs. Ironically, the only thing I could translate for sure was the phrase "good service." Hmmm. I probably waited about 45 minutes before my number came up. I was 838. They were at 824 when I came in but they kept jumping to numbers in the 500s or 300s. Don't know how folks got those numbers. They'd come in after I did. But I did eventually get my money changed.
When I left the bank I heard a lot of noise -- shouting -- coming from down an alley. I looked up the street and saw that there was a large covered area behind the bank building. It wasn't large enough to be a covered soccer stadium but I thought it must be some kind of sporting event. Then when I got closer I realized it was a market. It reminded me a lot of the market in Meaux where my sister Courtney used to shop. A bit more than a third of it was given over to food. The rest was clothing, every cooking utensil you could imagine, dishes, clothing, yardage and even colorful scarves.
The produce was just gorgeous. Eggplants, tomatoes, peppers in every size and shape, zucchini (which are very pale green), lettuce, scallions, potatoes, persimmons, pomegranates, etc. etc. Everything in season. There is also an interesting citrus fruit in all the markets. It's shaped like a small orange but it's mostly green. When we lived in Riverside CA I learned that oranges left on a tree will start to turns green. I thought maybe that's what they were -- wrong. They look sort of like an orange inside but they are somewhat tart. The canteen at Zirve keeps a big bowl and they will squeeze them on the spot. Very refreshing.
What caught my eye were green beans that reminded me of our Romano beans. I just couldn't resist. I couldn't tell how much they were so I gave the guy 2 lira -- about $1.25. I got a kilo of beans -- and believe me, that's lots of beans. I've been giving them to people in my building and still have a lot for myself. For dinner tonight I had a plate of beans and fresh tomatoes, with a slice of good whole wheat bread. For dessert I sliced a persimmon in half and scooped in out with a spoon. As someone said, it's almost like eating jam, they are so sweet.
I guess I write a lot about food, but the produce here is so fabulous and so reasonably priced. That's all I want to eat.
Little Dramas
Sometimes I wonder what I can write about in this blog as my days seem so repetitive. Well, perhaps the banality of this report will tell you how far I have to stretch to find something to write about – or maybe you’ll find it interesting. It’s hard for me to judge – it’s just my life
As I think I’ve mentioned, all Zirve students and staff – teachers, administrators, support staff, etc. – have to be ferried out to campus in the morning. There are buses back into town at 12:30 PM for the students who have only morning classes. Then another fleet leaves shortly after 5:00 PM. There are two, smaller busses for the teacher staff; some administrators also ride those busses.
Thursday morning we got on our bus at the usual pick-up point just outside the main entrance to Gaziantep University. The bus hadn’t really pulled completely into traffic before a policeman motioned our driver to pull over. There was some conversation through the window and then the driver got out and stood behind the police car. They were obviously looking at his papers. At one point one of the policemen got out a very thick pad of pink papers (I thought, tickets), but I don’t think he ever gave anything to the driver. Eventually, the driver got back in the bus and drove us to work. He was explaining something in Turkish to one of the administrators on the bus – who didn’t volunteer an explanation to us.
Later in the morning we learned that ours wasn’t the only bus to have been stopped. Many of the student buses had been pulled over as well, and there was concern that some of the students might not have made it to campus. The buzz in the faculty/staff lunchroom was that the company with the contract to transport the students wasn’t properly licensed to do so. Part of their fine is that they cannot provide any kind of bus transport for 26 months. Somebody obviously “squealed”; I just hope it’s the company and not the individual drivers who’ll be out of driving for 26 months. This city is a magnet for people escaping hard-scrabble farms to look for work. What they don’t need is more unemployment.
Fortunately, there were no noon busses scheduled for Thursday as all the students had to stay around for language lab training and to be visible to the folks from Apple who were visiting campus. The administration wanted to be certain the Apple folks saw lots of students hunched over their new MacBook Pros. They needn’t have worried. Everywhere you looked students were busy with their computers. But if one percent of them were using their laptops for anything remotely academic, I’d be astonished.
Somehow Zirve rounded up busses to get the students home that night. The two buses and drivers who always transport us have remained the same. And classes went on as scheduled today. Just a little blip and something to gossip about in the hall.
I'll save the other drama for another slow day. This posting has gotten too long.
As I think I’ve mentioned, all Zirve students and staff – teachers, administrators, support staff, etc. – have to be ferried out to campus in the morning. There are buses back into town at 12:30 PM for the students who have only morning classes. Then another fleet leaves shortly after 5:00 PM. There are two, smaller busses for the teacher staff; some administrators also ride those busses.
Thursday morning we got on our bus at the usual pick-up point just outside the main entrance to Gaziantep University. The bus hadn’t really pulled completely into traffic before a policeman motioned our driver to pull over. There was some conversation through the window and then the driver got out and stood behind the police car. They were obviously looking at his papers. At one point one of the policemen got out a very thick pad of pink papers (I thought, tickets), but I don’t think he ever gave anything to the driver. Eventually, the driver got back in the bus and drove us to work. He was explaining something in Turkish to one of the administrators on the bus – who didn’t volunteer an explanation to us.
Later in the morning we learned that ours wasn’t the only bus to have been stopped. Many of the student buses had been pulled over as well, and there was concern that some of the students might not have made it to campus. The buzz in the faculty/staff lunchroom was that the company with the contract to transport the students wasn’t properly licensed to do so. Part of their fine is that they cannot provide any kind of bus transport for 26 months. Somebody obviously “squealed”; I just hope it’s the company and not the individual drivers who’ll be out of driving for 26 months. This city is a magnet for people escaping hard-scrabble farms to look for work. What they don’t need is more unemployment.
Fortunately, there were no noon busses scheduled for Thursday as all the students had to stay around for language lab training and to be visible to the folks from Apple who were visiting campus. The administration wanted to be certain the Apple folks saw lots of students hunched over their new MacBook Pros. They needn’t have worried. Everywhere you looked students were busy with their computers. But if one percent of them were using their laptops for anything remotely academic, I’d be astonished.
Somehow Zirve rounded up busses to get the students home that night. The two buses and drivers who always transport us have remained the same. And classes went on as scheduled today. Just a little blip and something to gossip about in the hall.
I'll save the other drama for another slow day. This posting has gotten too long.
Rain
Rain has been predicted for a couple of days, but alas, not a drop. However, yesterday afternoon we looked up to see huge drops lashing against our office windows. I opened one large window and let the rain pelt against my face. It felt so good. However, the wind was so strong and the window so large that I couldn’t stand there for long – I didn’t want to get the office floor wet.
The sun shone through it all. In fact, it was more of a squall than anything else. It reminded me of the storms that would blow across Albuquerque on summer afternoons. It would be pouring somewhere, but often not where you were. Later in the afternoon we looked north and saw quite a show of thunder and lightening. As you might imagine, when we got home that evening it didn’t look like it had rained at all. However, there was a bit of humidity in the air. It felt good. This afternoon – ever hopeful – I bought an umbrella. Now I’m prepared. I’m getting tired of one boringly sunny day after another. Let’s have some real weather!
The sun shone through it all. In fact, it was more of a squall than anything else. It reminded me of the storms that would blow across Albuquerque on summer afternoons. It would be pouring somewhere, but often not where you were. Later in the afternoon we looked north and saw quite a show of thunder and lightening. As you might imagine, when we got home that evening it didn’t look like it had rained at all. However, there was a bit of humidity in the air. It felt good. This afternoon – ever hopeful – I bought an umbrella. Now I’m prepared. I’m getting tired of one boringly sunny day after another. Let’s have some real weather!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Note on Pomegranates
The markets have been full of pomegranates. However, they look a bit different. They are yellowish in color with a pink blush. I had actually purchased one but thought it probably wasn't ripe so I hadn't opened it up.
Last night one of the Turkish professors (she'll be teaching business administration next fall) came down with one of those yellow/pink pomegranates to share. She cut it open and the seeds were much more pink than red. And boy were they sweet. I remember the bright red seeds being on the tart side but these were wonderful. Also the hard, seedy part was softer. So I'll be buy more of those pomegranates.
I also bought a couple of persimmons today. I put one in the freezer. As I recall, you cut them open when they are frozen and eat them with a spoon. It's just like ice cream!
Last night one of the Turkish professors (she'll be teaching business administration next fall) came down with one of those yellow/pink pomegranates to share. She cut it open and the seeds were much more pink than red. And boy were they sweet. I remember the bright red seeds being on the tart side but these were wonderful. Also the hard, seedy part was softer. So I'll be buy more of those pomegranates.
I also bought a couple of persimmons today. I put one in the freezer. As I recall, you cut them open when they are frozen and eat them with a spoon. It's just like ice cream!
View From My Window
As I was washing up some dishes this evening my eye caught what I thought were sparks out my back window. It was dark so they really stood out. I took a closer look and saw they were coming from a grill on the roof top. On the opposite side of the roof the family was sitting around in a group, presumably eating whatever it was they were grilling. Picnic on the roof.
I've actually see a woman I presume is the matriarch of the family on the roof several times. Once she'd even brought her two geese up to run around. I think she's basically watering some potted plants she has growing up there. She reminds me of pictures I've seen of peasant women from the Balkans. She wears a headscarf, but it looks like just cotton and tis ied behind her neck, not under her chin. She was wearing a skirt and peasant-style blouse. On other occasions I've seen other women hanging laundry on the roof -- one dressed in tight jeans and the other in more modest clothing with head scarf. The area behind the house is jammed with potted plants and other growing things. In fact, last night someone had turned a grow light on a group of the plants.
I wonder if they watch me through my windows? Some day I'd like to meet the older woman and tell her how much I appreciate her garden.
I've actually see a woman I presume is the matriarch of the family on the roof several times. Once she'd even brought her two geese up to run around. I think she's basically watering some potted plants she has growing up there. She reminds me of pictures I've seen of peasant women from the Balkans. She wears a headscarf, but it looks like just cotton and tis ied behind her neck, not under her chin. She was wearing a skirt and peasant-style blouse. On other occasions I've seen other women hanging laundry on the roof -- one dressed in tight jeans and the other in more modest clothing with head scarf. The area behind the house is jammed with potted plants and other growing things. In fact, last night someone had turned a grow light on a group of the plants.
I wonder if they watch me through my windows? Some day I'd like to meet the older woman and tell her how much I appreciate her garden.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Castle
In the center of Gaziantep there are the ruins of a castle atop a hill. Gaziantep if fairly hilly as it is so it’s not like the castle can be seen from everywhere in town. But it is clearly part of the older section of the city. As part of my commitment to do at least one “getting to know Gaziantep” activity every week, I had planned to visit the castle this weekend. Actually, you can’t actually go into the castle but there was said to be a castle museum. People who had gone to the museum had said it was worth the trip, although they didn’t say what they saw in the museum. In fact, the museum has nothing to do with the castle but rather tells how the ancient city of Antep became Gaziantep.
Those of you who have read Gertrude Bell’s biography will remember how after World War I, the Allies were busy trying to decide how to partition the Ottoman Empire, which had very unwisely sided with the German Kaiser in that war -- I guess one emperor stuck with another emperor. Of course, it wasn’t just the oil rich Middle East that was up for grabs but Anatolia, the heartland of the empire and what has now become the nation of Turkey. The French, who were slated to get Syria, were also to occupy the Antep and surrounding areas. The citizens of Antep and the surrounding villages put up a tremendous fight against a well-armed force – the French even bombed the city from the air. Eventually, the French gave up all claims to any Turkish lands and Antep was freed. Kemal Atatürk, who had organized the resistance to all the occupying forces, including not only the French but also the British, Greeks and Russians, rewarded the city by giving it the “title” of Gazi. The museum translates the word as “veteran.” That might not be the best rendering but the idea is that they were recognized for their fierce defense of their homeland.
All of the plaques were in Turkish and English, or a close facsimile there of. Of course, the citizens of Gaziantep have every reason to be proud of their fight for their homeland. However, you couldn’t help but recognize that the story was told partly at the expense of other citizens of the region who had suffered greatly as the Ottoman Empire fell apart. Turkey is finally trying to do some fence mending with neighbors they have eyed suspiciously for decades About two weeks ago they signed an historic accord with Armenia and last week there was a agreement signed with Syria and that removed the visa requirement for Turks traveling to Syria. If they really want these agreement to lead to long term understanding with their neighborhoods, they will have to modify the way they talk about their history.
By the way, when I got home I looked up some info on the castle. The observation tour dates from Roman times. It took its present form during the Byzantine Empire in 6 AD. Apparently the structure contains a mosque, baths, cisterns, etc. However, it is being restored, and you really can't see anything but the walls -- from the outside.
Those of you who have read Gertrude Bell’s biography will remember how after World War I, the Allies were busy trying to decide how to partition the Ottoman Empire, which had very unwisely sided with the German Kaiser in that war -- I guess one emperor stuck with another emperor. Of course, it wasn’t just the oil rich Middle East that was up for grabs but Anatolia, the heartland of the empire and what has now become the nation of Turkey. The French, who were slated to get Syria, were also to occupy the Antep and surrounding areas. The citizens of Antep and the surrounding villages put up a tremendous fight against a well-armed force – the French even bombed the city from the air. Eventually, the French gave up all claims to any Turkish lands and Antep was freed. Kemal Atatürk, who had organized the resistance to all the occupying forces, including not only the French but also the British, Greeks and Russians, rewarded the city by giving it the “title” of Gazi. The museum translates the word as “veteran.” That might not be the best rendering but the idea is that they were recognized for their fierce defense of their homeland.
All of the plaques were in Turkish and English, or a close facsimile there of. Of course, the citizens of Gaziantep have every reason to be proud of their fight for their homeland. However, you couldn’t help but recognize that the story was told partly at the expense of other citizens of the region who had suffered greatly as the Ottoman Empire fell apart. Turkey is finally trying to do some fence mending with neighbors they have eyed suspiciously for decades About two weeks ago they signed an historic accord with Armenia and last week there was a agreement signed with Syria and that removed the visa requirement for Turks traveling to Syria. If they really want these agreement to lead to long term understanding with their neighborhoods, they will have to modify the way they talk about their history.
By the way, when I got home I looked up some info on the castle. The observation tour dates from Roman times. It took its present form during the Byzantine Empire in 6 AD. Apparently the structure contains a mosque, baths, cisterns, etc. However, it is being restored, and you really can't see anything but the walls -- from the outside.
Routine
It’s funny how quickly life falls into a familiar schedule. I get up at 5:30 AM and go through my morning routine. I leave the house at 7:30 AM to go the bus stop. A van picks us up at 7:45 AM and we are at Zirve by 8:00. I teach from 8:30 AM – 12:10 PM, followed by lunch in the faculty/staff lunchroom. Then a long afternoon stretches in front of us. Usually there is some sort of meeting as well as grading and class prep. However, the vans don’t leave until 5:30 PM and our west-facing office gets quite warm. A couple of times I’ve walked up to the top of the hill behind our building to drink in the view and enjoy the fresh air. One afternoon last week I actually took my knitting and sat on a bench on the shady and breezy side of the building. At least a lot of students walking by learned a new word: knit. I get home about six. Can’t wait to get the shoes and work clothes off. I may listen to some music, have a light supper (yogurt and fruit or something like that), study a little Turkish, talk with some of the other teachers, do some class prep – nothing too heavy. Then it’s to bed with a book and lights out between 9:30 and 10:00 PM. It’s like that pretty much every day Monday – Friday. There are the little dramas around work and the frustrations of inconsistent Internet service at home. While I understand little of what is being said around me, everyone is very helpful and I get around stores and buses with a fair degree of ease. In short, day-to-day life isn’t all that exotic. Maybe that's just the way we humans cope with the unfamiliar: we make it familiar.
Of course, I do love the fresh fruits and vegetables available everywhere. I arrived at the end of the peach and melon seasons. Now its pears that really taste like pears and grapes just bursting with sugar. Persimmons have also made an appearance. Then there are the ubiquitous tomatoes, eggplants and peppers in all shapes, sizes and colors. I’m getting really spoiled when it comes to produce – and great yogurt.
Of course, I do love the fresh fruits and vegetables available everywhere. I arrived at the end of the peach and melon seasons. Now its pears that really taste like pears and grapes just bursting with sugar. Persimmons have also made an appearance. Then there are the ubiquitous tomatoes, eggplants and peppers in all shapes, sizes and colors. I’m getting really spoiled when it comes to produce – and great yogurt.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Magnum Bars
While traveling in southern Africa a few years ago, our family discovered Magnum Bars. These are truly deluxe ice cream bars – I’d have to say they give Dove Bars a run for their money. Our favorite was chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate covering. And they didn’t skimp on the coating.
Last night I had a hankering for ice cream – I hadn’t had any since arriving in Turkey. I knew where was a gelato shop but I wasn’t up to heading out to the mall on a bus. I remembered that the little corner store had an ice cream cooler outside the front door so I decided to check out their selection. You can imagine my delight to find Magnum bars – only 3 or 4 but they were there. And get this. Pistachio ice cream covered with chopped pistachios embedded in a thick dark chocolate coating. Now there’s a gourmet ice cream bar!
Last night I had a hankering for ice cream – I hadn’t had any since arriving in Turkey. I knew where was a gelato shop but I wasn’t up to heading out to the mall on a bus. I remembered that the little corner store had an ice cream cooler outside the front door so I decided to check out their selection. You can imagine my delight to find Magnum bars – only 3 or 4 but they were there. And get this. Pistachio ice cream covered with chopped pistachios embedded in a thick dark chocolate coating. Now there’s a gourmet ice cream bar!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Zeugma Mosaics
Determined not to spend the weekend meandering in the local WalMart equivalents, I made an arrangement with a fellow teacher to visit the new Gaziantep Museum, built to house mosaics from the Roman city Zeugma on the western banks of the Euphrates. Actually it had been a bronze-age village and had quite a history before its Roman incarnation. It was a “passage” across the Euphrates for both trade and military purposes. Alexander the Great passed through twice on two campaigns to the east. There was no bridge as we might imagine it, but there were a number of small islands that could be linked by rafts or pontoon like structures. A Roman Legion (IV) was actually garrisoned there, and Zeugma was on important trade routes that ran both north-south and east-west. In short, some people got very rich.
The rich people built their MacMansions (villas) on the Euphrates and then began to look for ways they could outdo their neighbors in the conspicuous consumption realm. Mosaics turned out to be the answer. I hadn’t realized it, but the way the Romans cooled their villas in these extremely hot climates was to pour water on the floor. Since there was no source of marble anywhere nearby, they used mosaics as flooring instead. First they just used the local white and tan pebbles. Then they began to get more creative, and a whole group of mosaic artists moved to Zeugma. The resulting floors were true works of art. They managed to depict light and shadow and drapery with unbelievable realism. Sadly, the city was reduced almost to ruin at the end of the third century AD, first by the invading Persian armies and then an earthquake. There were some church records after that but then Zeugma kind of disappeared.
Until very recently, no one knew exactly where the historic Zeugma had been located and of course, no one knew of the existence of these amazing mosaics. However, as part of the GAP – the regional Anatolian development project, which involves damming the Euphrates in several places for both power and irrigation – a dam was being built near the probable site of Zeugma. I don’t know the circumstances that led to the uncovering of the villas and mosaics, but the archeological teams (Turkish, French and Australian) did manage to save the mosaics and move them to Gaziantep. Sadly, there was a problem with looting. One team completely uncovered and photographed a beautiful piece depicting the wedding of Dionysus and Ariadne. However, two thirds of it was subsequently stolen. They found parts of other looted Zeugma mosaics in Texas, one at Rice University and another in a private collection in Houston. Those have been returned.
The villas are now underwater, but it is believed most of the city lies above the water line and is waiting to be excavated. I hope they are right. I could be an amazing find.
The rich people built their MacMansions (villas) on the Euphrates and then began to look for ways they could outdo their neighbors in the conspicuous consumption realm. Mosaics turned out to be the answer. I hadn’t realized it, but the way the Romans cooled their villas in these extremely hot climates was to pour water on the floor. Since there was no source of marble anywhere nearby, they used mosaics as flooring instead. First they just used the local white and tan pebbles. Then they began to get more creative, and a whole group of mosaic artists moved to Zeugma. The resulting floors were true works of art. They managed to depict light and shadow and drapery with unbelievable realism. Sadly, the city was reduced almost to ruin at the end of the third century AD, first by the invading Persian armies and then an earthquake. There were some church records after that but then Zeugma kind of disappeared.
Until very recently, no one knew exactly where the historic Zeugma had been located and of course, no one knew of the existence of these amazing mosaics. However, as part of the GAP – the regional Anatolian development project, which involves damming the Euphrates in several places for both power and irrigation – a dam was being built near the probable site of Zeugma. I don’t know the circumstances that led to the uncovering of the villas and mosaics, but the archeological teams (Turkish, French and Australian) did manage to save the mosaics and move them to Gaziantep. Sadly, there was a problem with looting. One team completely uncovered and photographed a beautiful piece depicting the wedding of Dionysus and Ariadne. However, two thirds of it was subsequently stolen. They found parts of other looted Zeugma mosaics in Texas, one at Rice University and another in a private collection in Houston. Those have been returned.
The villas are now underwater, but it is believed most of the city lies above the water line and is waiting to be excavated. I hope they are right. I could be an amazing find.
Moving Day
I woke up this morning (Saturday) with a strange conviction – I was going to change apartments. One of our fellow teachers had to return to the US before the semester began because of some health issues. She’d had a corner apartment on the backside of our building, facing northeast. When she left, I’d considering moving into that apartment. However, I had gotten kind of settled in my own abode and had forgotten about it. How strange it was to wake up this morning knowing that I was going to move that day.
Of course, I had to make arrangements with the building super. He spoke no English. I looked up the words for apartment, quiet and noisy. I told him my apartment was noisy (making appropriate vroom, vroom sounds) and Mary’s was quiet. He quickly got the picture and opened the new apartment for me. A friend helped my move my things – I’m still on the same floor.
What a blessing. My old apartment faced up the hill, toward the east. My view was of a trash-strewn vacant lot and some apartment buildings above it. Since the weather comes from the west, all I got when I opened the door to my mini-balcony was street noise and dust. The living room of the new apartment has three windows – two corner windows and one next to the kitchen nook. A cool breeze blew through the apartment all afternoon. I now look out over rooftops below me and into the hills beyond. Directly below me is a little garden behind a duplex. They have a couple of geese, a few trees and an arbor with some flowers still blooming. This morning there were doves and birds (little brown jobbies) flitting into the trees and dropping down to drink out of the water trough that was there for the geese. It made me think of the biblical phrase about everyone having his own vine and fig tree – right here in urban Gaziantep.
Of course, I had to make arrangements with the building super. He spoke no English. I looked up the words for apartment, quiet and noisy. I told him my apartment was noisy (making appropriate vroom, vroom sounds) and Mary’s was quiet. He quickly got the picture and opened the new apartment for me. A friend helped my move my things – I’m still on the same floor.
What a blessing. My old apartment faced up the hill, toward the east. My view was of a trash-strewn vacant lot and some apartment buildings above it. Since the weather comes from the west, all I got when I opened the door to my mini-balcony was street noise and dust. The living room of the new apartment has three windows – two corner windows and one next to the kitchen nook. A cool breeze blew through the apartment all afternoon. I now look out over rooftops below me and into the hills beyond. Directly below me is a little garden behind a duplex. They have a couple of geese, a few trees and an arbor with some flowers still blooming. This morning there were doves and birds (little brown jobbies) flitting into the trees and dropping down to drink out of the water trough that was there for the geese. It made me think of the biblical phrase about everyone having his own vine and fig tree – right here in urban Gaziantep.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
I had known that German is the second language for quite a few older people in Turkey. Many of them went to Germany as guest workers to help rebuild the country after World War II. Many stayed, of course, but many also returned.
This evening I went across the street to eat at a little restaurant that bills itself as Turkish home cooking. The cook and proprietress is a dear woman, mother of two children. However, I’ve always seen an older woman floating around in the background, helping. And a gentleman always takes your money as you leave.
I’d kind of given up going there for dinner because the lunch at school is so filling. However, today a new faculty member, an economist from Canada, moved into the building. He was looking for someone to go eat with him, since he had nothing in his apartment. He also wanted to borrow our communal mop, bucket and broom to clean out his apartment and needed some basics like water, milk, shower squeegee and asked me to accompany him to our corner store. Kind of funny that I’ve become an expert.
Anyhow, I went to the restaurant, and the older woman said something to me in German. I answered back in German. I think she wanted to say something in English but didn't know any English. So she did the next best thing -- used the little German she knew. It turns out she lived in Germany for 11 years, and her daughter teaches German in a high school in Gaziantep. Then when the gentleman came in to take our money, he also spoke German. In fact, he had a very good accent and a better grasp of the language than the woman I assume is his wife. He apologized, saying he’d been back in Turkey for 30 years, but I was amazed at how well he did. They said to come back tomorrow to speak with their daughter. I’ll do that. Small world. Maybe I’ll trade German conversation for some VERY BASIC Turkish conversation
This evening I went across the street to eat at a little restaurant that bills itself as Turkish home cooking. The cook and proprietress is a dear woman, mother of two children. However, I’ve always seen an older woman floating around in the background, helping. And a gentleman always takes your money as you leave.
I’d kind of given up going there for dinner because the lunch at school is so filling. However, today a new faculty member, an economist from Canada, moved into the building. He was looking for someone to go eat with him, since he had nothing in his apartment. He also wanted to borrow our communal mop, bucket and broom to clean out his apartment and needed some basics like water, milk, shower squeegee and asked me to accompany him to our corner store. Kind of funny that I’ve become an expert.
Anyhow, I went to the restaurant, and the older woman said something to me in German. I answered back in German. I think she wanted to say something in English but didn't know any English. So she did the next best thing -- used the little German she knew. It turns out she lived in Germany for 11 years, and her daughter teaches German in a high school in Gaziantep. Then when the gentleman came in to take our money, he also spoke German. In fact, he had a very good accent and a better grasp of the language than the woman I assume is his wife. He apologized, saying he’d been back in Turkey for 30 years, but I was amazed at how well he did. They said to come back tomorrow to speak with their daughter. I’ll do that. Small world. Maybe I’ll trade German conversation for some VERY BASIC Turkish conversation
Attitude Adjustment
As I described earlier, the shower in my bathroom is nothing more than a corner of a fully tiled bathroom. There is a shower curtain that separates the half of the bathroom with the toilet and sink from the half with the shower head. There is nothing on the floor to keep the bathroom from flooding when you take a shower. I had tried damming it up with a towel, but the towel got so soaked that it often wouldn't dry out completely. I then went to just letting the bathroom flood and using my feet to push the water back into the corner with the drain. I suppose the idea is that you construct the floor so that it slants toward the drain, but that’s not the case in our building. Anyhow, I had come to kind of dread taking a shower.
I noticed that some of my neighbors had squeegees on long broom-stick like handles that they used in their showers. I was told they purchased them at an establishment variously described as faux IKEA or Home Depot-like. It’s an hour’s bus ride from where we live. Sigh. I hadn’t wanted to spend another weekend trying to buy “stuff” for the apartment.
Last night as I was walking home from the bus stop I noticed our little local market had those squeegees for sale – for 2,60 TL, about $1.75. I bought one on the spot. This morning I didn’t even think about where the water was going. When I finished showering it took about 20 seconds to get all the water back in the corner of the bathroom where it belonged. Simple. Lesson: relax and go with the flow. I wouldn’t build a shower like that but that’s way they do it here. And it’s not so bad if you have a squeegee.
I noticed that some of my neighbors had squeegees on long broom-stick like handles that they used in their showers. I was told they purchased them at an establishment variously described as faux IKEA or Home Depot-like. It’s an hour’s bus ride from where we live. Sigh. I hadn’t wanted to spend another weekend trying to buy “stuff” for the apartment.
Last night as I was walking home from the bus stop I noticed our little local market had those squeegees for sale – for 2,60 TL, about $1.75. I bought one on the spot. This morning I didn’t even think about where the water was going. When I finished showering it took about 20 seconds to get all the water back in the corner of the bathroom where it belonged. Simple. Lesson: relax and go with the flow. I wouldn’t build a shower like that but that’s way they do it here. And it’s not so bad if you have a squeegee.
Decorating
I think I mentioned that we have really nice office space – well equipped and well lit. However, I was beginning to get tired of staring at blank walls and have considered opening up my 2010 Washington wall calendar just to have a little color on at least one wall. However, before I could get to that, the problem was solved for me. Two workmen appeared this afternoon with a drill and a portrait of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. So now when you walk into our spacious and sunny office space and took at my desk, you’ll find me ensconced beneath THE portrait.
Actually, I’ve been reading the Crescent and Star by Stephen Kinzer, a book Maya lent me before I left. What Atatürk did was truly miraculous, taking the remnant of an empire that had been out of touch with the modern world for centuries and whose population was largely illiterate and creating the basis for a modern nation state. He is truly revered here. I chuckled when I found on Kinzer’s list of monuments to Atatürk the following: “In Gaziantep, a provincial capital in the south, the governor’s conference room is decorated with no less that fifty images, truly a blinding spectacle.” (p. 50, in case you’re interested). I guess that makes our one portrait a paltry acknowledgement of respect.
Actually, I’ve been reading the Crescent and Star by Stephen Kinzer, a book Maya lent me before I left. What Atatürk did was truly miraculous, taking the remnant of an empire that had been out of touch with the modern world for centuries and whose population was largely illiterate and creating the basis for a modern nation state. He is truly revered here. I chuckled when I found on Kinzer’s list of monuments to Atatürk the following: “In Gaziantep, a provincial capital in the south, the governor’s conference room is decorated with no less that fifty images, truly a blinding spectacle.” (p. 50, in case you’re interested). I guess that makes our one portrait a paltry acknowledgement of respect.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Getting a bit too cocky
Having mastered making actual phone calls using Skype and Skyping with various members of my family, I was feeling pretty good about my abilities to keep in touch. Then there was yesterday. The shuttle drops us at the campus ten minutes before class begins – truly inconvenient. That leaves me no chance to test my Internet hookup, let alone make copies or write things on the board in my classroom. However, returning from class I learned that the network was down. Then the electricity shut down. I ha been trying to get the elevator from the basement to my office floor and it was acting strangely. I pushed my floor and nothing happened; I pushed door close and nothing happened. The lights went on and off – I took this as a sign that I’d better take the stairs. We’re basically trapped on campus until 5:45 PM so there was a certain amount of thumb twiddling going on. The shocker was that we got home to find out our Internet connections in the apartment building weren’t working either. I’d scheduled a Skype session with Ted. I kept checking my connection until almost midnight and then had to give up and go to bed. So much for feeling on top of the technology. Best not to build one’s personal or professional life around Internet access.
Ellusive 4th Annual Pistachio Festival for Arts and Culture
This last weekend was the Fourth Annual Pistachio Festival of Arts and Culture. There were big banners all over town. Later I started to see billboards with what was obviously the program for a given day. It was all in Turkish, but there were usually pictures of the performing artists and times. I assume locations were also given but it was hard to know. One of the teachers found a Turkish website and thought she knew where there was a concert of traditional Italian folk music Saturday night. She and a couple of others set off into the night. Luckily she met someone at the bus stop who was meeting a friend who knew where the concert really was – in a new culture center that had previously been a church.
I was busy most of Saturday, but we decided we’d try to seek out the festival on Sunday. Somehow I imagined that there would be a central venue somewhere. We’d seen on a TV in a restaurant reporting on several folk dancing demonstrations and the proprietor said they were in the big park downtown. That made sense. Well, we thought we had located a folk dance event in a park that extends miles sort of SW to NE and ends downtown. On the map it looked like it wasn’t too far from the big mall Sanko Park. So we bussed to Sanko Park and started walking SW. On several occasions we thought we’d located the venue but there was never anyone there. I think we’d kind of given up finding the dancers and were just enjoying this truly amazing park. It is not very wide and basically follows a small creek. There isn’t much water it it and what water there is, is mostly stagnant. But this is an arid environment. I image there is more water in winter. Anyhow, there are several paths. One is more of a sidewalk down one edge. Then there is an unpaved, gravel and/pressed dirt path and then finally a brick path. The latter two kind of meander through the park, crossing over the creek here and there. There are large picnic areas (and there were families picnicking), some even with raised barbeque grills. There were playgrounds and even a tea house. We were truly amazed.
Finally we heard drums and moved in the direction of the music. Sadly, by the time we got there the dancers were leaving. However, we did see their costumes from afar. I was surprised at how elaborate they were. A couple of dancers were even wearing feather headdresses reminiscent of Native American regalia. This is something I’ll have to check out because from the quick glimpse I got, the costumes didn’t look European nor did they look like anything one typically associates with the Middle East. I’m really curious about the origins of this attire.
In short, missed the entire Fourth Annual Pistachio Festival, and I won’t be around for the fifth one. Too bad. But we did discover a very impressive park. We’d heard Gaziantep was known for its parks, and you do see little ones everywhere. However, as yet we’d seen nothing on this scale.
I was busy most of Saturday, but we decided we’d try to seek out the festival on Sunday. Somehow I imagined that there would be a central venue somewhere. We’d seen on a TV in a restaurant reporting on several folk dancing demonstrations and the proprietor said they were in the big park downtown. That made sense. Well, we thought we had located a folk dance event in a park that extends miles sort of SW to NE and ends downtown. On the map it looked like it wasn’t too far from the big mall Sanko Park. So we bussed to Sanko Park and started walking SW. On several occasions we thought we’d located the venue but there was never anyone there. I think we’d kind of given up finding the dancers and were just enjoying this truly amazing park. It is not very wide and basically follows a small creek. There isn’t much water it it and what water there is, is mostly stagnant. But this is an arid environment. I image there is more water in winter. Anyhow, there are several paths. One is more of a sidewalk down one edge. Then there is an unpaved, gravel and/pressed dirt path and then finally a brick path. The latter two kind of meander through the park, crossing over the creek here and there. There are large picnic areas (and there were families picnicking), some even with raised barbeque grills. There were playgrounds and even a tea house. We were truly amazed.
Finally we heard drums and moved in the direction of the music. Sadly, by the time we got there the dancers were leaving. However, we did see their costumes from afar. I was surprised at how elaborate they were. A couple of dancers were even wearing feather headdresses reminiscent of Native American regalia. This is something I’ll have to check out because from the quick glimpse I got, the costumes didn’t look European nor did they look like anything one typically associates with the Middle East. I’m really curious about the origins of this attire.
In short, missed the entire Fourth Annual Pistachio Festival, and I won’t be around for the fifth one. Too bad. But we did discover a very impressive park. We’d heard Gaziantep was known for its parks, and you do see little ones everywhere. However, as yet we’d seen nothing on this scale.
Friday, October 2, 2009
My First "Turkish Pizza"
The guidebooks say Gaziantep is famous for its pizza, Lahmacun. Actually, the base is just a white flour tortilla. However, it's shaped like a large oval, about 16 inches long. They smear it with a mixture of some sort of ground meat and spices. The one we got tonight was highly spiced, but apparently that's not always so. Also, in some places they give you fresh parsley to add. You fold it in half and eat away.
We got our Lahmacun just down the street. There's a little complex containing a neighborhood market that reminds me of the Korean markets in Manhattan, a bakery and a meat market. They all seem to work together. When we ordered the Lahmacun in the bakery, one of the young men took us to the meat market. A guy in the meat market scooped out a meat mixture and put it into a plastic bag. We took that back to the bakery. They have a huge wood fired oven that is used for a variety of things. While our Lahmacun were baking, they were baking pita -- not the pocket-style pita but the kind you get at the Continental in the U District. They had two paddles that must have been four feet long. The baker could really slip those pitas in and out. But the most interesting thing is that people brought in things to be baked. As we were leaving someone was bringing in what looked like a chicken-pineapple casserole. There were at least six round or rectangular pans with yummy looking dishes, most containing tomatoes and eggplants. So it looks like we may not be the only ones in these apartments without ovens. And it certainly is a sensible thing. Why fire up an electric oven when there is one across the street that's kept going most of the day. A large neighborhood over sounds like a good thing to me.
We got our Lahmacun just down the street. There's a little complex containing a neighborhood market that reminds me of the Korean markets in Manhattan, a bakery and a meat market. They all seem to work together. When we ordered the Lahmacun in the bakery, one of the young men took us to the meat market. A guy in the meat market scooped out a meat mixture and put it into a plastic bag. We took that back to the bakery. They have a huge wood fired oven that is used for a variety of things. While our Lahmacun were baking, they were baking pita -- not the pocket-style pita but the kind you get at the Continental in the U District. They had two paddles that must have been four feet long. The baker could really slip those pitas in and out. But the most interesting thing is that people brought in things to be baked. As we were leaving someone was bringing in what looked like a chicken-pineapple casserole. There were at least six round or rectangular pans with yummy looking dishes, most containing tomatoes and eggplants. So it looks like we may not be the only ones in these apartments without ovens. And it certainly is a sensible thing. Why fire up an electric oven when there is one across the street that's kept going most of the day. A large neighborhood over sounds like a good thing to me.
TGIF
Well, I made it through the first week. I taught my students the phrase TGIF and told them to say it to any of the American teachers they saw. (I also taught them the phrase “bio break” which they thought was hysterical.) Each group of students has me for 100 minutes of Communication, which includes listening, speaking and reading, and another teacher for 100 of grammar and writing. I feel a bit like an improv comedian on stage for 200 minutes. There is so much the students don’t understand, and I find myself either acting out or trying to draw words and ideas on the board. If one of the students gets it he/she usually shouts the word in Turkish. Maybe it’s more like charades than improv but whatever, it certainly keeps me on my toes. And it feels like a workout. Anyhow, that’s the way it goes.
Also we get paid today. I’ll only get paid for a week, since that is how long I’ve been here. None too soon as there have been certain set-up costs. I think I may end up buying a printer, since there is no time to print in the morning after the bus arrives (usually ten minutes before class) and I often don’t have what I need ready before going home. Furthermore, there are no networked printers. So far, the UNT administrators have let me hook my computer up to their printer to make one copy. Then I sort of have to sneak into the copy room. I’ve learned to use the fax machine to make a few copies – one of the admins showed me that trick (the fax machine wasn't there this afternoon when I went to make two copies.) But I sometimes think that I could be teaching in the bush somewhere without anything but maybe an old blackboard. We’ve just become so dependent on technology that we get miffed when something doesn’t function.
I think I may take a little walk in the hills this afternoon. The Internet is down at the moment so I might just as well enjoy the outdoors.
Update: There were no sheep this morning, but when the bus pulled out of the campus this evening, the flock was on the other side of the road. The shepherd was sitting sideways on a donkey, his legs swinging. There are some goats mixed in and it looked like there was a baby black and white goat on the ground near the donkey. Looks like the shepherd was keeping watch over him while the other animals grazed a way off.
Also we get paid today. I’ll only get paid for a week, since that is how long I’ve been here. None too soon as there have been certain set-up costs. I think I may end up buying a printer, since there is no time to print in the morning after the bus arrives (usually ten minutes before class) and I often don’t have what I need ready before going home. Furthermore, there are no networked printers. So far, the UNT administrators have let me hook my computer up to their printer to make one copy. Then I sort of have to sneak into the copy room. I’ve learned to use the fax machine to make a few copies – one of the admins showed me that trick (the fax machine wasn't there this afternoon when I went to make two copies.) But I sometimes think that I could be teaching in the bush somewhere without anything but maybe an old blackboard. We’ve just become so dependent on technology that we get miffed when something doesn’t function.
I think I may take a little walk in the hills this afternoon. The Internet is down at the moment so I might just as well enjoy the outdoors.
Update: There were no sheep this morning, but when the bus pulled out of the campus this evening, the flock was on the other side of the road. The shepherd was sitting sideways on a donkey, his legs swinging. There are some goats mixed in and it looked like there was a baby black and white goat on the ground near the donkey. Looks like the shepherd was keeping watch over him while the other animals grazed a way off.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Apple in Gaziantep
Although I am at this moment crunching on a very tasty Turkish apple from a little local market, I am actually referring to the computer folks. Apparently, Zivre struck some deal with Apple to purchase 1001 MacPro laptops. All students, staff, and teachers get them free. If you leave Zirve you have to return it, but we’ll have the use of them as long as we’re here. And interestingly, while the apple logo was everywhere, they used the Turkish work for apple "elma" and not the American company name "Apple." In fact that was the one word I understood on all those banners hanging around. (I'm working on Turkish food words -- I figure they are important.)
Today was the big public celebration of the partnership. Having worked in development at two different institutions that know how to put on classy events, I must say Zirve did a good job. They wanted the American teachers to be standing in front so we had to listen to all the speeches without understanding a work. Finally, our fearless leader, Eva Bowman, Director of the English Language Institute at the U of North Texas, got to give a little speech. She noted that today was a special day because it was the last day Turkish would be spoken within the halls of Zirve. It’s supposed to be an all English-speaking institution. I think the message was mostly for the students. If they ask me a question in Turkish, they are out of luck. But more than half the teachers are native speakers of Turkish and they are under great pressure to use Turkish in class. I think they’ve been very good about drawing the line, however.
No one could receive their computer without going through a three-hour training program. We were scheduled for last night. None of us were two enthusiastic because the language of instruction was to have been Turkish. Here’s where snafus sometimes work in your favor. It turns out no one gave the names of the American teachers to the tech guys so they not only hadn’t set up network accounts for us; they didn’t even have computers to give us. So we got to go home. We had training this afternoon from the Apple rep who’d come down from Istanbul for the event. Actually, I’d guessed he was the tech guy during the formal ceremony. All the other speakers were dressed in suits and ties. Then there was this guy who came to the mike in a sweatshirt. It wasn’t a grubby sweatshirt – it had a certain flair to it – but it wasn’t a suit. Of course, he was the techie. Anyhow we got our “training” in English. I use the word training loosely because it began with a presentation on the history of Apple and Apple products. We did get to play around with some of the whiz bang features of this new computer. Like many trainers, he hopped over the “go here, select that, then push on that” more quickly than most of us could follow. But Apple was really designed to be relatively intuitive, so eventually you can figure most things out. Anyhow, that was the big event of the day.
One thing that was nice were the refreshments. Fancy canapés and a range of juices -- good juices. And when people go out around here, they drink tea. It’s not a culture awash in alcohol. That’s a relief of sorts.
Today was the big public celebration of the partnership. Having worked in development at two different institutions that know how to put on classy events, I must say Zirve did a good job. They wanted the American teachers to be standing in front so we had to listen to all the speeches without understanding a work. Finally, our fearless leader, Eva Bowman, Director of the English Language Institute at the U of North Texas, got to give a little speech. She noted that today was a special day because it was the last day Turkish would be spoken within the halls of Zirve. It’s supposed to be an all English-speaking institution. I think the message was mostly for the students. If they ask me a question in Turkish, they are out of luck. But more than half the teachers are native speakers of Turkish and they are under great pressure to use Turkish in class. I think they’ve been very good about drawing the line, however.
No one could receive their computer without going through a three-hour training program. We were scheduled for last night. None of us were two enthusiastic because the language of instruction was to have been Turkish. Here’s where snafus sometimes work in your favor. It turns out no one gave the names of the American teachers to the tech guys so they not only hadn’t set up network accounts for us; they didn’t even have computers to give us. So we got to go home. We had training this afternoon from the Apple rep who’d come down from Istanbul for the event. Actually, I’d guessed he was the tech guy during the formal ceremony. All the other speakers were dressed in suits and ties. Then there was this guy who came to the mike in a sweatshirt. It wasn’t a grubby sweatshirt – it had a certain flair to it – but it wasn’t a suit. Of course, he was the techie. Anyhow we got our “training” in English. I use the word training loosely because it began with a presentation on the history of Apple and Apple products. We did get to play around with some of the whiz bang features of this new computer. Like many trainers, he hopped over the “go here, select that, then push on that” more quickly than most of us could follow. But Apple was really designed to be relatively intuitive, so eventually you can figure most things out. Anyhow, that was the big event of the day.
One thing that was nice were the refreshments. Fancy canapés and a range of juices -- good juices. And when people go out around here, they drink tea. It’s not a culture awash in alcohol. That’s a relief of sorts.
Two Worlds
The last couple of mornings we’ve driven past a herd of sheep just off the road leading into the University. One morning the sheep dogs were chasing the vehicles as the turned into the campus. Someone remarked that they were trying to herd us – I think they just wanted a good chase. When I pointed out the sheep, the young Turkish teacher sitting next to me said almost apologetically: it’s very traditional Turkey. I told her that it made me feel peaceful to look at them. The first morning there was also a herd of goats back down the road. And occasionally you see a cart pulled by a donkey. I’ve been told they are gypsies – Roma, as they prefer to be called. Then you go to the mall and see Burger King, MacDonalds and Sbarro's right next to each other.
The Zirve campus itself will be very modern – tastefully so. Yesterday I walked down to the Presentation Center (I’d call it a Visitor Center) to look at the architect’s model of the finished campus. It will probably be a few years before it’s complete. They are taking great care with the landscaping. They’ve planted hundreds of trees surrounding the campus; yesterday they did a lot of planning in front of our building. One deep breath transported me to riding past the dairy farms on the back roads of Madison Country – that’s a positive statement. No chemical fertilizers.
If you go to http://gaziantepcity.info/site.php?page=universities you can find four pictures of the architects’ conception of the university. The second picture is a photo of the model. In the middle there is a kind of large, concrete plaza. The building to the left is our building – the only completed one. The building to the right is finished on the exterior but there’s lots of interior work to be done. The landscaping is much nicer than the model you lead you to believe. In fact, yesterday I saw a flock of birds pecking around in some of the newly planted areas. It looks to me like they may be creating some nice new habitat for our feathered friends.
The Zirve campus itself will be very modern – tastefully so. Yesterday I walked down to the Presentation Center (I’d call it a Visitor Center) to look at the architect’s model of the finished campus. It will probably be a few years before it’s complete. They are taking great care with the landscaping. They’ve planted hundreds of trees surrounding the campus; yesterday they did a lot of planning in front of our building. One deep breath transported me to riding past the dairy farms on the back roads of Madison Country – that’s a positive statement. No chemical fertilizers.
If you go to http://gaziantepcity.info/site.php?page=universities you can find four pictures of the architects’ conception of the university. The second picture is a photo of the model. In the middle there is a kind of large, concrete plaza. The building to the left is our building – the only completed one. The building to the right is finished on the exterior but there’s lots of interior work to be done. The landscaping is much nicer than the model you lead you to believe. In fact, yesterday I saw a flock of birds pecking around in some of the newly planted areas. It looks to me like they may be creating some nice new habitat for our feathered friends.
Hockey Anyone
The other night I had to make a quick run to the mall. My neighbor had to get a new power cord for her printer. She thinks there was some sort of power surge that burned it out. Needless to say, I wanted to get a surge protector.
As we walked along the top floor of the gallery, I looked down and saw a ----- ? You’ll never guess. And ice skating rink! And even more, there was an adult in the middle of the rink with a hockey stick, hitting pucks – very softly – to a line of kids holding hockey sticks. There were even a couple of girls in the mix. It looks like youth hockey has come to south central Turkey.
As we walked along the top floor of the gallery, I looked down and saw a ----- ? You’ll never guess. And ice skating rink! And even more, there was an adult in the middle of the rink with a hockey stick, hitting pucks – very softly – to a line of kids holding hockey sticks. There were even a couple of girls in the mix. It looks like youth hockey has come to south central Turkey.
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