Family Visit to Turkey

March 20-28, 2016

After the Bursa trip, I was excited for my family’s visit to Turkey. My mother, father, older sister, and younger brother would be coming from March 20-29 for a total of 10 days. This is something I had been anticipating since January. I had booked their domestic flights and made accommodations for both Istanbul and Antalya. Everything was queued up and the only thing pending was their arrival.

In front of Ayasofya with older sister, younger brother, and parents.

The Day Before

I flew to Istanbul one day before, on Saturday, March 19^th. I was on a Pegasus flight that flew into the Sabiha Gockcen Airport around 10:30am. I had planned to spend a night with a Pakistani-American woman named Sophia Umar and her husband in their apartment in an upper-class neighborhood known as 4.Levent. Sophia and I connected online through “Muppies,” a Muslim professionals network. I was scheduled to catch a bus to her house after my flight, but as soon as I got out of the airport around 11am, I saw that I had several missed calls from Kari, the Fulbright program advisor. I became nervous because it can only mean something bad if the Fulbright Commission is trying to reach you. They had warned us not to travel this weekend, but I had informed them that I couldn’t change my plans because my family was set to arrive on March 20. I feared the calls were related to security. When I called Kari back, my suspicions came true. Unbeknownst to me was that a suicide bombing had taken place at İstiklal Avenue (central shopping street) at 10:55am that morning and the Commission needed to know I was safe. I was shocked that yet another attack in Turkey had taken place. The attack reportedly killed 5 people and injured 36 others.

Disturbed by the news, I cautiously walked towards the buses lined up outside the airport. I needed to find bus E3 to take me to Sophia’s neighborhood. A husky, charming bus driver was smoking a cigarette outside bus E3 when I approached him. He told me that the bus was scheduled to run at noon. As if he could read my emotions, he puffed out smoke, turned to me and said: “Oturmak ester misin?” Would you like to sit? I smiled and answered, “Evet, lütfen, eğer problem yok.” Yes, please, if it’s not a problem. With my curls bouncing on my shoulders and red lipstick drawing unnecessary attention, I quickly realized that my appearance was not the most appropriate given the events of the day. But how was I supposed to know? The driver then boarded the bus and we talked in Turkish; by now, I was comfortable fluently answering the basic curiosity questions of Turks: Where are you from? What do you do? Are you single? How old are you? After the driver’s fourth cigarette, I couldn’t bear the second hand smoke any longer so I offered him Dentee gum from my purse. Out of politeness, he took a piece. We continued chatting while chewing gum to kill time. At least he stopped smoking.

Finally, around noon, the bus filled up with more passengers and we embarked on the bus route. At one of the stops, the driver bought coffee for himself and me. I felt uncomfortable by this gesture of special treatment, so I offered my cup to the gentleman sitting next to me. He and others around me insisted I drink it, “ikram” they said, our treat. They could tell I was a foreigner. This isn’t the first time I received special treatment from Turks; their hospitality and respect for foreigners, especially Americans, is indescribable. I’ve acknowledged this privilege and sometimes when I would feel too guilty, I downplay my American-ess and up-play my Pakistani-ness, but my rapid-fire English in an American accent do not help me with these missions. This hospitality reveals the immense amount of respect and love Turks have for Americans. I feel double the love when they learn of my Pakistani origin.

When the bus came to the final stop, where I needed to get off, the driver asked me if I wanted to have lunch. Again, these gestures of hospitality are far too common, but as a young girl traveling on my own, I often take caution. I politely declined and told him I was running late for another scheduled lunch. I wanted to thank him for his kindness though—letting me sit on the bus for an hour, chatting with me, keeping me company, buying me coffee. Saying “teşekkür ederim” didn’t feel enough. So, I whipped out the Dentee gum pack, smiled, and offered it to him, adding in mumble-jumble Turkish: “If you ever feel the urge to pull out a cigarette again, I hope you reach for gum instead.” He smiled graciously and thanked me for the American commodity. We wished each other well. Even though our paths may never cross again, I was grateful that they did for the brief period.

Sophia picked me up from the bus station (near a big mall) and we walked to her apartment. She had set up a guest room for me and I met her husband. It was a stormy day and news kept pouring in about the attack on all news channels. We heeded the warnings about staying in and watched a movie in the living room instead of going to Prince’s Island or to the Istanbul Art Museum as originally planned.

Muppies dinner with Sophia, her husband, and friends.

That evening, after things seemed to have calmed down, we had dinner at an Italian pizza place called Upper Crust Pizza on Küçük Bebek Cadessi. I had organized this meet-up for Istanbul members of Muppies. There isn’t a big community of Muppies in Istanbul, unfortunately, but we had a turnout of about 6 people nonetheless, which was pretty good for a first go. The company included Sophia and her husband, a Pickering fellow studying abroad in Istanbul Salman Haji and his friend, and one other Pakistani girl named Nazia. Everyone introduced themselves and shared how/why they were in Istanbul.

There was a bookshelf next to our table and one book caught my attention: How to Become Rich by Donald Trump. As we waited for our pizzas, I humored the crowed by reading short excerpts from Trump’s book. “For many years I’ve said if someone screws you, screw them back,” writes Trump in a chapter titled Sometimes You Still Have to Screw Them. “When someone hurts you, just go after them as viciously and violently as you can.” I was appalled at such a published text! In another chapter titled, Have an Ego, Trump shamelessly writes, “As you know, this rule has been easy for me to follow. But hear me out—I’ve got a good reason for it. Having a well-developed ego, contrary to popular opinion, is a positive attribute. It is the center of our consciousness and serves to give us a sense of purpose.” The scary question is, will Trump’s ego help him win the General Election??

Family Arrives

The next morning, I had kahvaltı with Sophia and her husband, and hurried over to the hotel to drop off my belongings before picking up my parents. I didn’t realize this until I got off at the hotel, but I was being followed by a young Turkish man. I saw him lurking outside the hotel and I recognized him from my train ride. I picked up my pace and turned on different streets, but he managed to catch up. I confronted him and he said he wanted to help me. I told him I didn’t need any help but he insisted. He followed me on the train to the airport as well. My “longer route” made me late to pick up my parents, for which I was extremely embarrassed. As soon as I got to the airport, I ran as fast I could, dodging in between people until I lost sight of the man. My parents landed at 4:30pm and I arrived at 5:15pm. I felt horrible for being late, and my vision for welcoming them didn’t pan out. I had planned to wait at the arrivals gate with a hand-made sign that read “Hoşgeldiniz” (Welcome) with tulips around the word. Instead, I found them in the waiting area, wondering where their daughter was. They even had to use a stranger's phone to call me. Upon arrival, I hugged them and showed them the sign. It was so great to see them! I didn’t want to ruin the moment by telling them about a horror story of being followed, so I lied and told them there was extra traffic on the road because of what had happened yesterday. 

Touring Istanbul

Thanks to Attia’s hotel points, we stayed at the fancy Double Tree by Hilton Istanbul – Old Town hotel. It was quite luxurious, with comfortable bedding, a hamam in the basement, and buffet-style breakfast included. We even got complimentary cookies upon check-in. Our stay at the Hilton hotel was lovely; we even took advantage of the hamam bath, steam room and the sauna (dry heat).

Istanbul view from Sulemaniye Mosque's courtyard.

We spent four days in Istanbul and I showed my family all the tourist sights that I was familiar with— Sulemaniye Mosque (my favorite!), Ayasofya, Blue Mosque, Topkapı Sarayı, and the Grand Bazaar. We also did new things that I hadn’t done before, such as a boat tour around the Bosphorus, shopping at the famous Egyptian Spice Bazaar, and going up to Piyerloti Hill via Eyüp Gondola aerial lift ride. There were a few hiccups in our trip, of course, including being tricked by taxi drivers. I’ll share three quick stories and then let the pictures tell the rest. 

The first story involves an aggressive, stubborn, and lying taxi driver who dropped us off Piyerloti Hill despite our wanting to go to Sultanahmet Square. He insisted that there was too much security in that area, tourists weren't allowed, and buildings were closed. He knew that Sultanahmet was only a five-minute ride away (and thus a cheaper fare) so instead, he cleverly decided to drop off the non-Turkish speaking tourists at a location that was 30 minutes away (for a fare of 80 lira). We paid the crooked man 60 lira and shooed him off, with Baba yelling at him in English and he yelling back in Turkish—and me understanding both of them and wishing it was over. This experience ruined the start of our day yet we managed to have a great time any way—because when you’re traveling, you just have to go with the flow. Even though we hadn’t requested to be at Piyerloti Hill, it turned out to be a fantastic spot with breathtaking views of the entire Istanbul, both east and west, Asian and European. You could see the Golden Horn Bridge and the Bosporus Bridge, the Galata Bridge and Faith Sultan Mehmet Bridge. You could outline all seven hills of the city with your finger and point to the mosques that smiled from afar. Oh, it was quite a sight!

Istanbul in all its glory from Piyerloti Hill.

The second story is that Attia almost got pick pocketed at the Egyptian Spice Bazaar. She felt someone’s hand tug at her iPhone inside her purse; luckily her reflexes made the culprit drop the phone and dash away. In the busy streets of squirming tourists and storekeepers loudly yelling deals, one must be very careful of their belongings. Mom indulged in spices and silver coffee cups. Attia bought jewelry and evil eye key chains. Baba bargained for electronic items such as car phone chargers. Dani was just hungry for food, though he did buy 5-lira selfie sticks. And me? I’m always shopping for gifts for others.

The last story is about tourist traps. We bought lokum (Turkish delight) at one shop upon entering the Spice Bazaar, and two shops later, realized we were overcharged. When an Indian guy approached us and told us that his shop sells lokum for a lower cost, Mama and Baba were not too thrilled. Everyone falls victim to the trap (remember how many times I did that when I moved here?); there’s just no way around it. We used caution thereon after.

Touring Antalya

Antalya’s trip was equally successful. We didn’t have the luxury of a Hilton hotel, but my spacious apartment sufficed. Mom and Dad slept in the third, unused room; Attia took my room; and Dani and I crashed on the living room couches. Alex was a friendly host and welcomed my family into our apartment, and even helped me prepare a homemade kahvaltı, which we enjoyed on our balcony. We invited her to all our adventures—she was like another sister, since we were missing Laraib and Maryum.

Like Istanbul, we managed to cram a lot of sights in a few, short days. We relaxed and ate mediye (stuffed mussels with aromatic rice) on Konyalatı and Lara beaches; spent a lovely afternoon walking around the Düden Şelalesi (Waterfall Park); enjoyed an entire day in Greek ruins at Side; and walked the curvy bazaar streets of Kaleiçi. We met our landlords for dinner at a restaurant, and then they invited us to their house for a full feast. My family also got to meet my Turkish Hocalarim (teachers), colleagues like Meltem and Asli at Akdeniz University, Konak Kafe Baba, and our Pakistani family (Adnan Bhai hosted us). Mom wanted more time to shop, but because Attia was moody, our scheduled trips were quite delayed. In fact, of my 3-page planned agenda, only one-half was covered. I suppose it’s better to over plan and not meet all the destinations than to under plan and run out of things to do. Plus, Antalya is SO big, it took me several months so see all of it; expecting my family to cover the same amount of ground in a few days was unrealistic for sure. Nonetheless, we had a lovely time in Antalya.

It was so lovely to see my family and be surrounded by their presence. Living abroad is taxing, and seeing familiar faces is comforting. I am happy that they got to see where I live, how I commute to work, where I work, who my friends and colleagues are. It’s one thing to share these details over the phone, and completely another to experience it first-hand. Hopefully the visit filled in the missing details in their heads when they thought about me in Turkey. They also got to see what makes me happy: speaking a foreign language, interacting with diverse types of peoples, finding solutions to my own problems—this is my “zone.” I like being independent, I like navigating my own path, and I love sharing it.

Family Departs

Sometimes visits can be renewing. For example, after meeting Muzaffer Hocam, Baba encouraged me to continue my Turkish lessons. “Why did you stop?” he asked me. “If the school won’t give you teaching hours, at least take advantage of this great opportunity.” This was the push I needed to re-motivate myself and find a renewed purpose of my life in Antalya. A day after their departure, I showed up to class sharply at 8:30 a.m.

When I dropped off my family at the Antalya airport at 6am, warm tears streamed down my cheek. I courageously held back my tears until after they passed through the security checkpoint. I walked outside, feeling sad and exhausted after 10 days of nonstop travel. I sat on the curb and waited for my bus, making zero effort to clean the tears that trickled down my neck onto my jacket. With my blurry vision, I saw a tiny bird fly nearby me, chirping for food. I had nothing to offer the baby bird. It had clearly survived on its own for so long, but suddenly it was lost again. I felt bad for the bird. I secretly prayed that its mother would come rescue it, feed it worms, tuck it under warm arms, and take it home.

Summer Updating

Hello readers -- happy summer!

I've been back in the States for a little over a month now and time seems to be flying at the speed of light (I think those two concepts are actually connected somehow in science, who knows). Anyhow, I apologize for leaving my blog abruptly, but fear not, my faithful readers, the remaining blog entries from my adventures in Turkey are coming this summer. I'm dedicated to finishing up my blog so bear with me as I reflect back on some of the events. Lots happened after the Bursa trip, so stay tuned.

What am I doing now? This summer I am interning at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC. Completing this 10-week domestic internship is one of the requirements of the Pickering Fellowship (completing one overseas internship is another requirement, to be fulfilled next summer). I applied and was selected to work at the Pakistan Desk; a deliberate decision to learn more about the politics and domestic issues of my birth country, especially in the context of a US-Pakistan relationship.

So far, everything is going well. I love what I do! I work specifically for the Political/Military team, but also support projects for the Politics, Economics and Congressional Engagement teams. I attend 'important' meetings, write cables (official informants), and organize visits by foreign government officials. I also have opportunities to participate in human rights and refugee discussions as well as attend lunch lectures on topics ranging from how conflict shapes religion (as opposed to the opposite) and US policy towards Iran. And then there's the "build your network" coffees and introductions with civil servants and foreign service officers. Everything I do has real impact and I see the fruit of my work. This work is much different than what I did at Liberty Mutual, though the skills I gained there (such as data analysis and communication) are proving to be quite useful in the public sector. It's already been 5 weeks, and I'm half way done with my internship.

With that, I leave you with some blog entries to come! Thanks again for reading!

Bursa: The Birthplace of the Ottoman Empire & Yalova

March 11-13, 2016

During the second weekend of March and weekend before my family’s arrival, we traveled to Bursa, a northwestern city located a few hours away from Eskişehir on the east and a few hours away from the Sea of Marmara and Istanbul on the west. It was the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, is the fourth most populous city in Turkey today, and is known for its rich green beauty found in forests, parks, and gardens.

We had reached out to the Bursa crew weeks before to arrange housing. Some were out of town, but still opened their homes to us. Cicely Hazell, for example, had personal things to take care of but let us into her apartment, which she shared with two other Fulbright girls. We had planned this trip with the Eskişehir girls (Lizzie and Michelle), who arrived a few hours before we did. After our 10-hour-plus bus ride, we got in late and were super tired so we hit the couches for some sleep.

Saturday

The next day, we started our day by having brunch. I ate köfte and rice, which was quite filling. The other girls nibled on small dishes, saving their appetite for Bursa’s famous iskender kebab. “İskender kebap is one of the most famous meat foods of northwestern Turkey and takes its name from its inventor, İskender Efendi, who lived in Bursa in the late 19th century,” says Wikipedia.

Afterward, we visited the famed Ulu Cami, also known as the Grand Mosque of Bursa. The mosque has two minarets and 20 domes, and was built using Seljuk architecture. Unlike other mosques I’ve visited, Ulu Cami has a fountain (called şadırvan) inside the mosque where worshipers can perform ritual ablutions before prayer. Typically the şadırvan is outside a mosque. What makes Ulu Cami so unique, however, is its 192 monumental wall inscriptions written by the famous Ottoman calligraphers of that period. According to Wikipedia, the mosque has one of the greatest examples of Islamic calligraphy in the world.

After the mosque, we walked to the city bazaar. Bursa is famous for scarves and especially silk (ipek). There’s a famous market called “Koza Han” within this grand bazaar where women flock for scarves in every shape, design, color, and material. It was very overwhelming! Given that I’ve been buying gifts up until this point, I decided to treat myself to an ipek scarf, which was quite pricy (50 TL). The store owner would not budge below that price even though Lizzie, Alex, Michelle, and I all bought a scarf from him. It was a good investment I thought. Plus the scarf was so beautiful! It had traditional tulip designs on it, and was turquoise, which is the color of Turkey. Later, we all did some more scarf shopping around Koza Han for family and friends and broke bank (but in Alex's case, quite literally).

We walked through the pazar (food market) and tasted different fruits and foods, like fresh strawberries, cheeses, and olives. We ran into two other Fulbrighter friends, Yalova Fulbrighter Sarah Khalbie (she had visited us in Antalya back in the fall) and Bursa Fulbrighter Ian Montgomery. As we walked through the streets of the crowded bazaar, someone brandished a small card in my face. My immediate reaction was to take it so as to get it out of my way. The card had a dua, prayer, written on it in Arabic. I thought this was a warm gesture, but then I saw that the young man who gave me the card started following me. When Sarah noticed what was happening, she said you have to pay him now, that’s how they make money. I didn’t realize it was a street beggar who had tricked me into giving him money. I reached for my wallet to search for some 1TL coins, but the beggar didn’t seem satisfied with 2 lira I handed him. He kept making a gesture with his hand towards his mouth and begging for more; he spoke Arabic and I figured he was trying to say he needed more money for food. I got nervous because I didn’t have a 5-lira bill on me, so I apologized and quickly walked away and caught up with the group.

Ian is a tall and animated person, and an absolute sweetheart. He took us to a place called Tophane, which is a hilltop view of the city. We drank çay and showed off our scarf purchases from the day, per Sarah and Ian’s request. After about an hour, we all started walking towards a famous İskender restaurant. Sarah and I branched off to look through a few shops. When we caught up with the others at the İskender restaurant, the rotating döner had finished for the day and they could only accommodate four people. No problem! Sarah and I found another lovely restaurant and enjoyed İskender kebab as well. At our restaurant, the waiter came and poured boiling melted butter all over our kebabs—yum yum! The 25TL meal, which included ayran (yogurt salty drink) was worth every kuruş. It was also nice to catch up with Sarah in a private setting and seek advice.

With Ian and Sarah at Tophane, overlooking Bursa.

Sunday

On Sunday, we had one of the best kahvaltı I have ever had in all of Turkey. Ian took us and his friend from Turkmenistan to a small village called Cumalıkızık which is now famous for its breakfasts. Kızık is the name of one of the 24 clans of the Oghuz Turkish tribe, and Cuma (Jumah) means Friday. Apparently kızık people gathered in this village on Friday’s for worship. In fact, according to Wikipedia, Cumalıkızık in specific and Bursa in general is the birthplace the Ottoman Empire. “The Ottoman Empire, also known as the Turkish Empire, Ottoman Turkey or Turkey, was an empire founded in 1299 by Oghuz Turks under Osman I in northwestern Anatolia.” That’s pretty cool! In Islamic history, the word Ottoman is synonymous with “Osmanli,” after the first sultan. 

Our kahvaltı was huge, it was for eight people. It included bread, jam, honey, kaymak (cream), butter, tomato sauce, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, gözleme (similar to Pakistani parathas, flat fried bread sometimes filled with potatoes or other vegetables), and much more. And we had a whole pot of tea to ourselves. It was so filling! Kahvaltı typically costs 20TL all over Turkey; some places like this village serve a ton of food, while other places like restaurants serve minimal. I love making videos and creating memories, so I asked if others would be interested in making a small video of our kahvaltı experience. Everyone agreed. It's too large to upload on my blog, but here's the link.

After our breakfast, we roamed around the streets of the village, stopping every now and then to admire the old houses and the deserted buildings, and posing in front of a few. The village smelled of fresh sheep feces, as well as fresh vegetables, and it reminded me of my childhood of growing up in the Bandi Dhudan village in Pakistan. We lived next to farmers who walked their herd every day and harvested their crops year-round. At one point, the girls found a hungry dog and started feeding it. Given my fear of dogs and cats, I watched them from aside, though I did manage to muster the strength to pet one cat with Ian.

We hopped on a bus back to the city center, where we said goodbye to Ian’s friend and Ian returned home for personal errands. The girls and I decided to visit Yeşil Camii (Green Mosque), which is actually kind of blue-ish in reality. This Green Mosque is a large complex that consists of an actual mosque, mausoleums, madrassah (Islamic school) kitchen and bath. The mausoleums were exquisite, tombs covered in beautiful blue tiles with calligraphy written on them. People prayed at these tombs and we paid our respects by covering our heads and walking around silently. The mosque was also a piece of art, and very different than anything I had seen so far. Yeşil Cami, for example, has vestibule at the entrance leading to a central hall, small rooms tucked away on the east and west sides, as well as a huge iwan surrounding the mihrab (semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; or Kaaba in Mecca). The interior of the mosque is decorated with thousands of mosaic of blue-green tiles. I suppose every sultan wanted to leave a unique mark as their legacy, so they all commissioned unique mosques to be built.

 

Later that evening, we hung out at Ian’s apartment where a few other Ankara Fulbrighters were crashing for the weekend. It was nice to see them, but I was preoccupied with our school situation, which had over the course of the week, gotten out of control. I was stressed out about the school bureaucracy and the politics between the Turkish Fulbright Commission and the State Department. Alex took an overnight bus back to Antalya, while I decided to go to Yalova and spend a day with Sarah in her hometown.

Monday (Yalova)

It rained on Monday which contributed to my depression about the school situation, but Sarah was a wonderful host and welcomed me in her apartment. I purchased a flight ticket for the next day, and went to bed. The next morning, I went with Sarah to her school and observed her teach about outer space. She invited me to guest lecture in a few of her classes, which I really enjoyed. Sarah is a very animated and spirited person, it was a joy to watch her interact and motivate her students. For some reason, the students were not as excited as normal, and Sarah and I later figured out that it must have been due to the Ankara bombing the week before. We got home around 10 or so, and she made me a kahvaltı with eggs, kaymak and honey (which she had bought at Cumalıkızık), tomatoes and cucumbers. Her site mate Keith joined us a little while later and he brought fresh bread with him.

Despite the rain, Sarah showed me her quaint little town, which stares at Istanbul from the other side of the Sea of Marmara. We browsed through some clothes and trinket shops and walked by the shoreline as it drizzled. After Sarah finished teaching, we headed to a restaurant near the ferry dock where we ate delicious hamsi balık ekmek (anchovy fish sandwich). I couldn’t help but start weeping because of all the things that were going wrong at our school, and lack of support from institutions. I told Sarah I regretted coming to Turkey, and she tried to console me and help me see the positives in my experience. She was a great support. I stopped crying before Keith joined us for dinner. After an hour, I boarded a ferry that would bring me to Istanbul. I caught an evening flight from Istanbul and was home in Antalya at the wee hours of the night due to delays. This was a long but wonderful trip – full of emotions that took a roller coaster ride.

"Everything will be okay," whispered the sea.

Picnic at Orman Park

March 5, 2016

After much travel in February, we decided to stay in Antalya the first weekend of March. We had a picnic with our Pakistani friends on Saturday, March 5^th at a nearby park called Orman Park.

Walking along a highway to Orman Park.

Getting to Orman Park was quite an adventure, however. Alex and I were traveling with Qasid Bhai from Meltem. We took a bus which we thought would drop us off at the entrance of Orman Park. It did drop us off at an entrance, but this entrance was under construction and therefore the lower end of the park was not in use. We walked along the fenced area hoping to find a way in, but based on the number of bulldozers I saw, I knew this couldn’t be where the others were. After asking the village locals, we went back to the bus stop. At this point, Qasid Bhai offered us two options: to walk straight up the road or wait for a second bus. It was scorching hot and we didn’t think the walk would take that long, so we set afoot to find the real Orman Park.

The road was a highway, twisting and turning up an incline. We regretted our decision once we had walked about 10 minutes away from the bus stop. Adnan Bhai people (his wife Madiha Bhabi and our friend Suhaib Bhai) had already reached the park and were waiting for us. We told them our situation and Suhaib Bhai reassured us that it was only 15 minutes away. He lied, he didn’t know how far away from the park we were. At one point, a nice Turkish woman stopped her clunky, red car to offer us a ride. However, as soon as we got in it, her engine stopped working. This was both funny and awful—our bad luck got passed onto her. We got out of the car to give the car a push but to no avail. Finally, we thanked her for her kind gesture and started walking again. After about another 10 minutes, we saw her pass by us, but this time, she didn’t stop to help us. I guess she learned her lesson, but in our defense, it wasn't our fault.

I moaned and groaned as we continued walking uphill. Every now and then I would wave at a passing bus or car, hoping a nice person would let us hitchhike with them. This was out of pure fun but I held a breath of hope nonetheless. At about the half-way mark, we stumbled upon the statue of Mr. Atatürk. It was Mount Rushmore-style; his huge face was carved out of stone. We took some photos, rested a bit, and then continued our trek. After another 15 minutes of walking alongside the busy highway, we saw Adnan Bhai standing with his car near the right entrance of Orman Park. We finally made it!

  

We apologized to everyone, and helped carried the food supplies to a picnic area. We found two tables next to each other, and decided to settle there. We used one table for prep work, and the other was set for lunch. I helped Madiha Bhabi make Pakistani parathas (flat blood fried in oil) over a gas stove, and she later fried chapli chicken kebabs (flat kebabs), the dough of which she had prepared at home. Adnan Bhai made fresh Pakistani chai, and once the table was set, we all gathered around to eat a delicious meal.

 

After a filling meal, we played badminton and ludu, took photos overseeing all of Antalya, and walked around the park to enjoy the fresh air. It was a lovely picnic day and spent with great people. I am so grateful for low-key weekends like these.

Eskişehir: Old City With a Modern Twist

February 26-28, 2016

On the last weekend of February, we visited our two friends Lizzie and Michelle in their town Eskişehir, which is located in northwest of Turkey. “Eski” means old, and “şehir” means “city.” This old city was a perfect getaway for Alex and me, as we hadn’t had any major travels since Europe in January, and our midyear evaluation in Ankara doesn’t quite count because it was required and therefore not relaxing. Like Konya, Eskişehir is not a popular city for Fulbrighters to visit, and like Konya, it proved to be a hidden gem.

It was a 10-hour bus ride to Eskişehir! Yawn! I have been on so much bus travel in Turkey, it’s crazy to even think about. Dare I calculate the total number of hours I have spent in awkward sleeping positions with cramped legs? Alas, ‘tis is the life of a tourist/avid traveler. When we got to the Otogar (bus station), we took the tramline to the Anadolu Universitesi, where Michelle and Lizzie met us. After dropping off our belongings at their house (I shared a futon in Michelle’s room, Alex shared the futon in Lizzie’s room), we all went out to a restaurant nearby known particularly for its köfte (meatballs). In Pakistani cuisine, köfte are actual meatballs; in Turkish cuisine, köfte are both meatballs and flat meat kebabs. After Adana kebab, köfte is my second favorite food.

The next morning on Saturday, we started our day with a hearty kahvaltı (Turkish breakfast) at our hosts’ house. Lizzie made us menemen, a popular Turkish breakfast dish which includes eggs, tomato, green peppers, and spices such as ground black pepper, ground red pepper, salt and oregano. We had bread with butter, Nutella, kaymak (cream), and honey. We also ate bananas and apples and sipped on juice. Afterward, we walked around town, popped our head in and out of stores, and enjoyed the good weather. I loved the metal statues adorning this quaint town. For example, there were was a sculpture of a man peeking out of a manhole, and another sculpture of an elderly couple sitting on a bench. I love city art such as this. Antalya’s Kaleici has something similar, but ours is green and the statues are wearing Roman garb. We even took pictures inside the bucket of Nasrettin Hoca whose many sculptures were scattered throughout the city. Nasrettin Hoca is an admired philosopher and a popular children’s character whose thousands of stories have wit, wisdom, and subtle humor. Supposedly, Nasrettin Hoca was born in the Hortu Village of Eskişehir which is why he’s so revered here. A while back, our university representative Metlem invited us to attend a puppet show by Nasrettin Hoca with her son Demir. I remember the auditorium being filled with families with their children, all of whom wanted a picture with this character.

In the afternoon, we stopped for some chit-chat food. We tried Eskişehir’s famed çibörek, which is a thin layer of boiled, flattened minced meat encased in a lightly fried filo pastry. We also tasted leblebi (roasted chickpeas) over boza (fermented wheat drink). I wasn’t a fan of the boza, but I loved the çibörek. Something interesting happened while we were enjoying these snacks. Michelle and I sat on an empty bench, while Alex and Lizzie stood in front of us. Suddenly I noticed an old lady dressed in a hijab and abaya staring at us. I asked Michelle if she knew who it was and she said she did not. We offered this teyze (“auntie”) our bench, thinking she wanted to sit down. And then we offered her our food, thinking she was hungry. But no, she wanted none of these things. Instead, she continued to stare directly at Alex, whispering some things under her breath. After a few seconds, she walked up to Alex, touched her curly hair, and told her in Turkish that she needed to cover head because otherwise she will get “kuna” (sin). We were so surprised with what was happening that we didn’t know what to do. We tried to tell her to shoo off, but she stood there giving Alex the evil eye. Soon after, she walked away on her own and we stood staring at each, shaking our head both in disbelief (so bizarre!) and not surprised (because it’s Turkey and no one respects personal space).

Later that afternoon, we took a dolmuş (pronounced “dolmush”), which is a small square-ish bus in Turkey, to Sazova Park. This park has a Fairytale Castle as well as parks, swings, and open areas for kids to play in. It was constructed so that children can live through the stories they read with legendary characters and magical places. I have never been to Disney World or Disneyland in the United States, but this came close to those places. The castle was white with blue conical hats. We got to go inside and on top, where we enjoyed full park view. Typically there are Ottoman costumes that yabancılar, or foreigners, can try on and take pictures in, but unfortunately this time there weren’t any. I made a mental note to put this on my to-do list for Turkey. I would love to dress up in Ottoman clothes one day—they’re so pretty!

That evening, before dinner, we went to an exhibit that displayed mosque designs from around the world. This was really cool to see, as I have never seen nontraditional mosques (those of different shapes and sizes). Lizzie and Michelle took us a fancy restaurant whose name escapes me at the moment. It had a very antique feel to it, decorated in carpets, pots and pans, and wooden columns. It was very crowded because it is a popular restaurant and it was Saturday night. We waited 30 minutes for our name to be called; when we were seated, it was totally worth it. We ordered a combo of shish chicken, lamb, and ciğer (pronounced jigar, which means liver), as well as çiğ köfte. We got lots of fat bread and salad with this order, which was very filling. I loved this restaurant for its ambiance, live music, and great food.

Sunday was equally eventful. We had kahvaltı with one of Michelle and Lizzie’s colleagues named Günce (which means diary) and her boyfriend inside an old Ottoman house now turned into a restaurant. Turkish kahvaltı truly is always delicious because it’s composed of a little bit of everything. The table is adorned with small bowls that have jam, honey, kaymak, butter, olives, and different cheeses. Big plates have menemen (scrambled eggs), gözleme (fried flat bread similar to Pakistani paratha), tomatoes and cucumbers. Choice of drink is almost always warm çay. After eating, we all had Turkish coffee and I asked Günce to read my fortune. She spotted a big fish in my coffee cup, which she said symbolized prosperity. She said there was an angel waiting for me at the end of the road; that something big will happen at the end of the year, and that I would find out my kismet (fate) by the end of 2016. She also said that she saw dancing ladies but didn’t know what they meant. 

After breakfast, we roamed to the Sunday market where elderly ladies sold handmade jewelry and crafts. I bought a back necklace with Ottoman-esque coins hanging from it, a few pairs of earrings, and an evil eye bracelet. We then wandered Eskişehir’s colorful Ottoman houses in the old city of Odunpazarı. These houses are now function as craft shops, cafes, or restaurants. We stumbled upon a shop specializing in glass crafts. When we walked in, we saw there were two artists working at their desks with open fire gun. Customers and tourists surrounded the table, awing at the talent and marveling at the creations. I bravely asked if I could try to make something…and much to my surprise, the artist said “yes, why not?” Before I knew it, I was wearing goggles and melting a yellow glass rod. In just 15 minutes, I created my very own evil eye pendant; but unlike the traditional blue, I chose yellow because it is my favorite color. Lizzie even made a video of me creating the pendant—what a cool memory to look back on. After my pendant cooled, I bought it for 10 lira. Alex and Michelle followed suit, so Lizzie, Günce, and I decided to walk the streets of Odunpazarı.

After having fried ice-cream and a cup of tea, we headed to Şelale Park, where we saw a beautiful sunset. The hill on which we stood was steep and people could be seen lying on the grass, rolling down the hill, or just sitting on a slant. We had more çay (drinking 3-4 cups a day is quite normal and has even become my habit) and headed out for dinner. We said goodbye to our new friends, ate a quick sandwich, and returned home to pack. We took an overnight bus back to Antalya, and slept the following day.