Republic Day & Aşure

Long Weekend: October 28-29, 2015

At Mark Antalya on Republic Day with Lily and Alex.

Another weekend, another adventure. School week was short this week due to Republic Day. October 29^th is Turkey’s Independence Day, and in observance, school ended early on Wednesday, and was closed on Thursday and Friday. Election Day was also conveniently scheduled for Sunday, October 31^st. Alex and I rejoiced for the long weekend because we needed to hunker down and study for our first Turkish exam scheduled for Monday, November 2^nd; however we ended up spending majority of the weekend entertaining our friend Lily from Konya, who came down to visit us for the weekend.

In front of Hadrian's Gate.

On Thursday, we took Lily to Kaleici. Every time we go to Old City, we see another part of it, which is actually quite exciting for me personally because I love being a tour guide. Those who knew me at Bowdoin know how much I love tour guiding. I had been dying to see Hadrian’s Gate, and on this trip, we finally found it! Hadrian’s Gate is a triumphal arch, which was built in the name of the Roman emperor Hadrian, who visited the city in the year 130.
 

Aşure delight (Noah's Pudding).

On Friday, our lovely university representative Meltem invited us to her house for a tea party. She made aşure (pronounced “ashoo-ray”), which is a dessert cooked especially during Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is similar to Noah’s Pudding in that it is a mixture consisting of grains, fruits, dried fruits and nuts, topped with pomegranate seeds and coconut. It was very delicious! Meltem Hanim also baked a yellow cake and scrumptious cookies. Asli brought her mother’s famous mercimek kofte (lentil meatballs), which were also enjoyed by everyone. All our colleagues were at this party and it was nice to relax at a home-style gathering.

Orientation Day 13: Survey & Final Words

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Today is the last day of orientation! Woo!

I enjoyed the my last breakfast at the Niza Park Otel, knowing that this luxury would soon be taken from me. Everyone hurried to the final 9am call—the waiters actually rang a bell every day at 9am sharp to remind us to go downstairs to the conference room. Some waiters were more effective than others.

There was already a sad tone to the day. Something was coming to an end. As exhausting as orientation was, it was a really great bonding activity for all of us, and in many ways, brought us closer together. We are the 2015-2016 Fulbright Turkey cohort, and there’s something special about affiliation to a common experience. Everyone’s experience in their host city will be unique, but we will all leave a mark in Turkey during these next 9 months as the 2015-2016 Fulbright Turkey cohort.

Mevlude Hanim ("Hanim" means "Ms." while "Bey" means "Mr."), the woman behind the entire orientation program, and our beloved “Mama”, kicked off the last day of orientation with a “Past Experiences: Things You Should Do and Not Do”. The presentation was quite entertaining. There were anecdotes of real stories, good and bad, that happened to Fulbrighters in the past. The anecdotes were written out like a story on a slide, followed by another slide with a Do and Do Not commentary. Mevlude Hanim showcased that the Fulbright experience has brought out the best and the worst in grantees. While some have taken advantage of the program by organizing theatrical plays at their schools, becoming fluent in Turkish, getting involved in the community, and breaking down stereotypes about America, others spoiled their experience by not following school rules and Commission regulations especially regarding travel, skipping classes to travel, conducting malicious acts towards their roommates, and getting involved with the legal system.

After our last coffee break, we took a survey and provided feedback on speakers and the presentations. They wanted honest feedback to improve the program for future years. There was Turkish folk music playing so as grantees completed their survey, they joined the crowd in the front and participated in celebratory dancing.

With Prof. Dr. Ersel and Ms. Seher

My favorite part of the last day was “Final Words” by Professor Dr. Ersel Aydini. Dr. Ersel’s academic background combined with his life experiences make him a wise and humble human being. This was apparent in his speech.

Dr. Ersel wore his executive director of the Turkish Fulbright Commission hat for the first of the speech, noting that preparation was critical for our experiences and that the Commission has given us that through the intense orientation program. Orientation was critical to help connect all the actors behind the program—Turkish Fulbright Commission, U.S. State Department, ETAs, participating universities—so that there is a network of support always there for us. “Now it’s up to you,” he said, “to make or break your experiences.” He reminded us that this is “development program”, that the universities where we will be teaching are developing state/public schools. “You’ll see imperfections,” he said. The Fulbright program is giving a little push to the large Turkish government initiative to build universities across the country. Be gentle with your criticism and propose constructive feedback, he said.

Dr. Ersel, who has taught at the Harvard Kennedy School, then wore his academic hat and advised us to keep in perspective that Turkey is undergoing a huge transformation, that it’s a huge opportunity for us to be here during this critical time. “Most things are in metamorphosis,” he said. “Everything is in hybrid form—civil society, education system, democratic process.” Turkey’s rich history makes it an interesting place to be, and we should make real observations about what’s happening around us. In that sense, “don’t waste your year,” he advised. “Don’t go back the way you came in. Because maybe in 20-35 years, you won’t be able to find this type of country, not even in Turkey.”

He warned us against a small trap: The White Man’s Burden. “It’s fake and looks ridiculous,” he said. Don’t fall victim to the trap that it is your job to come in and “save Turkey” because people will notice it. This is not a place for that type of colonialism. “Problems are universal,” he said, “but they come in different clothes and faces.” They look different because of the different geography and culture. We are all familiar with radicalism, racism, police brutality—we have seen these things in the United States and we shouldn’t be shocked if we see them in Turkey.

Dr. Ersel ended his speech by saying that we should view our experience as a supermarket in which we are entering as a shopper. “Make the most of it, and don’t waste it,” he said. All actors are ready to help and support us 24/7. We should leave Turkey by experiencing to the common values of humanity. “Add to the bucket, fill it with your pebble, so that when the pebbles are dropped in an ocean, the ripple effect is larger,” he said. “Be a part of something bigger.”

Orientation Day 2: Briefings & Turkish Lessons

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

On day 2 of Orientation, we were welcomed by special guests from the Turkish Fulbright Commission, U.S. Embassy in Ankara, and the Turkish Council of Higher Education. But the day mainly consisted of briefings from State Department officials. During the "Turkish and U.S. General Overview," it was interesting to learn that there was a 73% unfavorable view of US among Turks in 2014, and that number has been pretty consistent over the past decade. Despite this, however, NATO member Turkey is a strong ally of the United States especially for its strategic geographic location to Afghanistan, the Balkans, Libya, Somali (piracy issue), Iran, and Syria. We were also encouraged to learn more about the party system as the Turkish presidential election approaches in November. One party in particular, the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party), an insurgent group demanding separation from Turkey to form Kurdistan, was called out as a terrorist organization. This drew lots of questions from the audience, and I quickly realized that the minority Kurds were a contentious topic in Turkish politics.

One brave Fulbright student sincerely asked an interesting question for which he apologized but said he was genuinely curious to know. It caught everyone off guard. "You said that the United States defines terrorists as those who use violence to achieve political ends, but doesn't the United States  also use violence or enable organizations/rebel groups that support such means?" The State Department officials answered very diplomatically and said it was a complicated question because there are many definitions of terrorism and multiple schools of thought on how to define the word/concept. The room became silent and the topic later became a dinner conversation.

During the "Security Briefing", perhaps the most engaging of the presentations, we were advised about taking general precautions about our safety when interacting with locals (watch out for pick-picketers), being outside (carry a copy of passport at all times), (not) participating in political rallies, and regional travel (avoid southeast). The terror threat level in Turkey, as ranked by the U.S. State Department, is critical because of transnational and indigenous terrorists while crime threat is low. Everyone scribbled the emergency phone numbers at the end of that presentation.

During the "Health Briefing," they cautioned us to drink only bottled water, be careful of bugs outside, and to always keep an emergency and insurance cards on us at all times. The "911" version of Turkey is 155 for police and 112 for medical emergencies.

The "American Citizen Services" was dry and simply told us about what the U.S. embassy can do for us while we are abroad such as passport renewals, etc. One cool thing to note is that after January 1, 2016, they are no longer adding additional pages to passport books for anyone; you are required to get a new one. I think it would be wise to add a few more pages to my passport...

The 12-member Turkish Fulbright Commission then had a 30-minute panel about who they are and what they do; they manage and coordinate various the exchange programs. After a lovely coffee/tea break, we had three hours of Turkish language instruction! I was placed in a beginner class and my teacher only spoke in Turkish, forcing us to figure out what she was saying. We learned how to say the following phrases:

• Hello, my name is __, what is your name?
• How are you doing? I'm doing well.
• How old are you? I am ___ years old.

Here is a short video of me practicing my very first Turkish phrase later that night.

Görüsürüz!

Adapting to Time, Tea, Olives, and More

I wanted to jot down a quick post about things I am learning and adapting to:

1) Turks use military time. Instead of 2:30pm to denote the afternoon, they use 14:30. I know it's simple math to add the numbers to hours past noon, but I have found myself counting on my hands to make sure I am accurately keeping track of time. So odd to see 19:00 marked for a 7pm dinner call. But fear not, I shall soon be an expert.

2) Turks use British style to denote dates. In America, we would denote September 1, 2015 in short date as 9/1/2015 (month first, day second, year third), but Turks use the British style of 1/9/2015 (day first, month second, year third). For single digit days and months, this is really confusing. My brain is trying to learn new faces, names, Turkish words, and now a new way of arranging numerics. The funny thing is that Pakistan also uses DD/MM/YYYY format so I remember learning to write dates that way when I went to school there as a little girl.

3) Turks don't wait for their turn. I experienced this when I attempted to apply for my visa in the Boston Consulate office, and I experienced it again at the Istanbul airport. There is no respect for waiting for your turn to be helped. Turks love cutting lines, asking their questions, and interrupting someone else being helped. I found this to be extremely frustrating at the airport because I was frantic about missing my domestic flight from Istanbul to Ankara and I expected to be served with proper customer service. I quickly realized that was the American in me and I needed to keep an open mind to fully experience Turkey.

4) Turks love tea. There's no freshly brewed coffee; they use powdered/crushed coffee beans which they mix with boiling water, milk, and sugar. Tea, on the other hand, is widely enjoyed here. We have tea/coffee breaks scheduled twice a day for our Orientation. Not to mention the assortment of cookies they offer reminds me of Pakistani bakeries.

5) Turks love olives. Like tea, olives are also very enjoyed here. Turks love all kinds of olives; black, red, green, other colors. At the Niza Park Hotel, olives are served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And I have made it my goal to eat at least three black olives a day. This reminds of my Boston roommate Abi who used to indulge in a can of black olives with me. Did you know that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of olives make them a natural for protection against cancer?  Looks like I'll be eating healthily here!

6) Turkish money is called lira but the acronym TL is pronounced "Tay-lay". The subunit of a Turkish lira is kuruş (pronounced ko-roosh), just like cents are the subunit of a dollar. One Turkish lira is equal to 100 kuruş. So far, I've only seen 1 Turkish lira coins and I'm not sure if they have coins for kuruş. That is all on this one, just a cool cultural thing I thought I'd share since currency is kind of important :)

Why do airports make you cry?

August 29, 2015

Today is my last day in the U.S. and it has been a pretty hectic one. I woke up two whole hours earlier than my normal summer hour, noon, and finished packing. My older sister took me to the mall to get comfortable Nike shoes, but malls over the weekends are crowded and it took us longer than we had anticipated. Nonetheless, we got home in a timely fashion, ate Mom's delicious chicken biryani, and got ready. As per tradition, my family took photos and then we all prayed for my safe journey. Around 5:30pm, we hit the road for Dulles airport.

I'm flying Air France from DC to Istanbul, with a quick layover in Paris. I packed two checked luggage, one carry-on, and a backpack. Luckily my first checked luggage was free, but the second one cost $100. There's nothing in the world I hate more than luggage fees. But alas, such is life. And no, this is not what made me cry at the airport.

Next, my parents and my younger sister went to the exchange booth because I wanted to have some Turkish lira on me before I got to the country. The current rate in the market is 2.91 lira per dollar; but the guy at the booth cheated us and gave us 2.51 lira per dollar, in addition to charging us a $10 service fee. Baba was not happy about this, and I rolled my eyes in frustration. There are some things in life that you just have to accept; sadly, a corrupt world is one of them. Again, no tears here.

The Departure Gates. That's where it happened.

There was a man standing in front of the big sign labeled "All Departure Gates." His job is to check boarding passes and only let traveling passengers through, which means he probably witnesses a lot of emotional moments. What a tough job! Speaking of emotional moments, my family and I had mine. My mom started crying, which made me cry, and we shared a warm hug for a good two minutes. Then I turned around, and saw Baba teary-eyed, and I hugged him goodbye too. Last time I saw Baba cry was when he dropped me off at Bowdoin College back in August 2009. Finally, I hugged my airport photographer, my sister Laraib and proceeded towards the man witnessing the scene. I didn't want to look back but I couldn't help it. I waved my family a final goodbye, took a huge breath (which helped clear out the emotions), and went down the escalators.

Saying goodbye to my family at Dulles Int'l Airport.

There's something about airports that just brings choking tears to people's eyes. I don't know what it is. Maybe they spray something special in airports to make sure eyes water up. Parting from family members, regardless of the occasion, is very symbolic and often emotional. I told my mom she had nothing to worry about because I would be back in 9 months, and she and Baba would be visiting me in a few months too - that we will all be reunited in just a matter of short time. This didn't console her much because I knew the thought that was lingering in her mind -- it was the same one that lingered in my mind. The thought that no one likes to admit but expresses with their tears: what if there is no next time? What if this is it, this is the last time you see your family?

As scary as that thought may be, I'm an optimist so I like to think the best of every situation. I am confident that my travels will be safe and that I will return to the USA in one piece, inshAllah. That said, there was one last thing that made me cry at the airport: I badly chipped my left thumb's nail, so much so that it bled a little. It must have happened at some point while I was handling luggage. I didn't have clippers on me, so a bandaid did the trick.

Some News

First, some good news: I got my work visa on Monday! Woo! I'm so happy to check that off my list. It's a huge relief. I went to the Turkish Embassy on Monday, August 3rd between 9am and 1pm, just as the shrewd lady had advised. When I picked up my passport, the lady handed me a receipt and quickly bid me adieu. While I've had warmer encounters, that morning, I was just happy I got my vize.

Second, some okay news: I've started packing a little bit, but not too much. I can't decide what clothes to take, what items to leave behind, what can be bought in Turkey (like shampoo and soap) and what cannot (apparently index cards). I'm not sure if I should pack some American board games like 'Apples to Apples' or 'Uno' -- would my students even enjoy them? One of my roles as a Fulbright Scholar is to serve as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. Hmm, I need to think some more about how I can best convey the values of America while still keeping the classes fun and engaging. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any!

Third, some exciting news (saved the best for the last): I have received my flight itinerary from the Turkish Fulbright Commission. It's official -- I am flying out on Saturday, August 29th! I will be having a small layover in Le France before arriving to my final destination of Istanbul. In talking to other Turkey Fulbright scholars on Facebook, looks like we are all arriving to Istanbul around the same time. All of us will then have a connecting flight to Ankara, where we will have a two-week Orientation. In preparation for the intensive Orientation, I have checked out some books from the library to learn some Turkish phrases.

This is all becoming real, slowly by slowly. I suppose you can say the countdown has begun.

Placement News: Antalya!

Antalya is located on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey.

In late May, I found out about my placement in Turkey. Typically, Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) are placed in remote areas of a country where the need for good teachers is more dire than big cities. I've been told that I got very lucky; instead of a village, I got what many people call the paradise of Turkey: Antalya.

Antalya is located on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey and is known for its beaches that attract tourists from around the world (see map above). For those who love history, Antalya is one of the oldest settlements of Anatolia and the region was ruled by many different civilizations including the Hittite Empire, Byzantine Empire, as well as the Ottomans. Because Antalya is the 8th most populous city of Turkey (Istanbul being the first and the capital of Ankara being the second), it is not as conservative as other parts of the country. All my life, I have navigated both conservative and liberal environments, and I look forward to the challenge that Antalya will bring. 

Images you get when you google "Antalya".

No Turning Back

There's a famous quote by Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, "Think 100 times before you take a decision, but once that decision is taken, stand by it as one man." To say that I thought about accepting the Fulbright Fellowship a 100 times would be an understatement.
 
The decision to accept the Fulbright Fellowship was a tough one. My parents had concerns regarding security in Turkey (the country does share a border with Syria after all), I wasn't sure this is what I wanted to do with my life, and 9 months seemed like a really long time to be abroad. To make sure I was not making an irrational decision by rejecting the offer, throughout April, I consulted friends, mentors (even at work - shout-out to Steve!), teachers, relatives, my college host parents in Maine, former Fulbrighters, and even grad school admissions officers. The following comments echoed: "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," "no one turns down a Fulbright!," "you're 24 without familial commitments, when else would get this chance again?"

At this point, I found myself leaning towards accepting the fellowship.

However, it wasn't until early May that my parents changed their mind, and with their support, I made up mine. The change in mindset was driven by the fact that I was awarded the Pickering Fellowship, which helped solidify my future plans -- for graduate school and career. Having concrete plans reassured my parents that I hadn't gone astray. The Pickering Fellowship allowed me to defer for one year, which meant I could attend policy school in fall 2016. It was a win-win situation, and it felt like a dream come true. I'm passionate about international relations, current events, and policy-making, and a career in the U.S. Foreign Service seemed like the perfect fit. At once, I felt overwhelmed and incredibly blessed for these opportunities.

I am grateful to Dr. Caryl McFarlane of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, which administers the Pickering Fellowship. She played an important role in nudging my parents by putting my dad in touch with Dr. Daniel Kramer, director of U.S. Student Programs at the Institute of International Education (the organization that administers the Fulbright program). A phone conversation convinced, and further reassured, my parents that accepting the Fulbright was a wise decision for me. If anything, Dr. Kramer said, it was a step towards my career in foreign policy. My parents agreed. And I was relieved. Sometimes it takes an outside person to help your cause.

With my family on board, and support from friends and mentors, I finally made my decision -- and I fully stand by it as one woman. There's no turning back now.

An Unusual Dilemma

This might sound silly to some, but believe it or not, I actually contemplated accepting the Fulbright Fellowship. Who would turn down such a prestigious honor, you ask? The opportunity to get paid to spend a year abroad sounds like the perfect adventure on a twenty-something's bucket list. Especially a twenty-something who regrets not studying abroad in college. So, why, after spending hours and hours on the application, and going through nearly 10 drafts to refine my essays, did I hesitate to jump in the air with excitement when I got the congratulatory email?

For some reason, neither the glamor of the fellowship nor the many draws of Turkey (the famous Istanbul, cheap flights to Europe, beautiful mosques, rich history, exotic vacation spots) were enough to convince me that I should leave my stable job at Liberty Mutual. Because I was not expecting to be selected, I now found myself in an unusual dilemma. At one point, I wanted this experience, and for some unexplained reason, I had a change of heart.

I'm still not sure what it was, but I think my anxiety stemmed from both personal indecisiveness and familial pressures. The thoughts of packing, moving, and leaving my lovely, spacious apartment in Boston scared me. I also did not know what I wanted for my next life adventure -- grad school? law or policy? another job? move to DC? this fellowship? -- or maybe I didn't want anything. Maybe I wanted to stay at the Fortune 100 company and continue to up my baking skills with my roommates. But, what would Kate Myall and Cindy Stocks (ladies instrumental in helping me with my application from the Bowdoin fellowship office) think of me if I turned down the Fulbright? Would their and my hard work go in vain?

At the same time, I wanted to be respectful of my parents' wishes. I want their blessings in everything I do in life, therefore getting their buy-in was important to me. While they were very proud of my receiving the fellowship, when it came to deciding between starting policy graduate school this fall or spending 9 months in Turkey, the 'desi' in them opted for the first choice. Understandably so; as immigrants to the United States, they've made many sacrifices to see their children achieve the American Dream. Going to a top graduate school and starting my dream job (sooner rather than later) would be achieving the American Dream; blowing off a year in a foreign country is what a rebellious, liberal, 24-year-old would do after reading the Buzzfeed article, "27 Surreal Places to Visit Before You Die" (see #9). I don't think I'm rebellious, but you get the point. And then of course there's the unspoken pressure of getting married (saving that topic for another time).

By late April, I still had not made up my mind. Fulbright aside, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, period.

Why Turkey?

Those familiar with the Fulbright application process know that we have to make a very strong case for why we want to study or teach in the country to which we are applying. Often, this means applicants can speak the host country's language, have done academic research in that country or region, or have a very compelling reason to immerse oneself in the desired country's culture. I fell in the third category.

My reason for applying to teach in Turkey was a very personal decision. In my continual search for understanding my identity, I wanted to be in a country that would give me a new perspective. 

I remember disliking school as a little girl in Pakistan. There were limited educational opportunities in the village where I grew up, and I lacked the motivation to do well because I knew I would end up as a housewife. However, my perspective changed drastically when, at age eight, my parents made sacrifices so their four daughters could have better opportunities and my family immigrated to the United States. My life story can be summed up as “East meets West,” much in the same way Turkey is currently positioned: at the crossroads of the Middle East and Western Europe. I constantly carry two identities, the traditional Eastern and the modern Western, and they are a part of my life narrative.  For much of life--16 years--I grew up as a Muslim in a Western country, the USA. If awarded the Fulbright, I wanted to experience what it's like to be an American in a Muslim-majority country.

I constantly carry two identities, the traditional Eastern and the modern Western.

Email Day

In Fall 2014, I decided to throw my name in the hat for the Fulbright Fellowship. I didn't think I would win, but I've never deterred from a challenge of applying to anything in life. I knew that winning the Fulbright was extremely difficult, that this prestigious fellowship is reserved for the select few, so I was sure not to keep my hopes high. Moreover, I was not serious about living abroad for a whole year; but as with all things in life, I told myself I would cross that bridge when, and if, I got there.

On March 19th at 11:37am, I received an email titled "Fulbright Application Status (P)." I'm not quite sure what the "P" stood for -- maybe it meant 'pass', in the "sorry, you didn't make it, we're passing your application" way. I was at work and it was almost lunch time, so I opened the email on my iPhone, knowing I'd be reading a rejection email. I already had the mushy-gushy sentences running through my head; "Thank you for applying...there were too many strong applicants this year...we wish you much success in your other endeavors... come again.." and blah, blah, blah.

Much to my surprise, though, the email started with a "Congratulations!"

Introduction - Hello!

Hi everyone, welcome to my blog! For those of you who do not know me, my name is Mariya Ilyas. I'm a proud Muslim-Pakistani-American and a very proud Bowdoin College alumna. I love meeting people, traveling to new places, and discussing international affairs with anyone who is willing to entertain a conversation about current events.

The purpose of this blog is to share my experiences of being in Turkey on a Fulbright Scholarship. I will do my best to update this blog as often as possible, but no promises. I know that some experiences are meant to just be experienced in the moment, some are not worth sharing, and some are entirely personal. For this reason, I hope to give you a glimpse, not a memoir, of my time in Turkey.

I hope you enjoy reading this, and I look forward to your comments and feedback.