Turkey: The Land of Bee-uuutiful Beaches!

So, it seems I've taken quite a hibernation from posting blogs about the wonders of life here in this Eastern/Western mash-up, but fear not. I am out for the spring, and even have some freshly tanned skin to celebrate! The weather is cheerful, no more rain thank god!, and the days are now long and bright. So, that means I have much more time to update this baby and no excuses!

As I was looking through my pictures trying to decide what memory to draw out of the recesses of my computer hard drive, I came across these two beautiful beach pictures.

Here's the beautiful beach at Olympos. (Another town in Antalya) This was from the Bayram in October...oh so long ago.

This is Kaputaş beach, about 30 minutes north of Kaş. Ironically almost the same picture as above....

So, I thought what better way to celebrate the rebirth of this blog, than to rub the beachy beauty and summer sunshine in the faces of those Iowans, who are hopefully getting a little taste of warmth, although in Spring you never know what to expect.

This past weekend I went to Kaş, a cute little touristy town off the western coast of Turkey, in the Antalya province, I believe. Well, this is a little traveler's paradise! The windingly narrow streets are lined with quaint cafes and shops. While a little touristy, it was still a calm little beach town that had much need Italian espresso and import beer...my kind of vacation!

Now, the best part of this area is the beach! Kaş is known for its rock beaches. Now, I'm talking actual rocks! I've never seen anything like this before, but the beaches are almost cliffs.

Now, its true that I just got this off of google, but you can see what I'm talking about.

We, however, trekked it by dolmuş, or little cramped bus, to a beach about 30 minutes away...the best beach of my life....Kaputaş.

This may look familiar to you....because this beach is famous! It is found inspiring young travelers on the cover of the Lonely Planet Turkey guide! 

And I was there! All day...letting my white skin air for the first time...and actually getting a bit pink!

More to come on this adventure! On the way home, we stopped at St. Nicholas' church...stay tuned. (I promise to update more :) )

Turkey: The Land of Travels Part 1

Ok guys! I'm going like wildfire today :) Just for all of my loyally devoted fans! (Hah!! I think that means Mom and Grandma only, but what can you do?! Maybe the dog looks once in a while too!)

Here is my long awaited post on travels! I've visited many places in Turkey and still have so many more. My first excursion was Afyon. You can see the "Poppy Castle" post. And then...nothing. Well, here's the somethings that went down:

1. We had an extended Bayram holiday. *Cultural Lesson* It is a holiday to celebrate Abraham and Isaac. This is known as the "Sacrifice" holiday or the sheep killing holiday in the Western world, but it's much more than that, obviously. Yes, sheep are sacrificed, but it is a time of family. Everyone goes to their hometowns and spends family time. There's more to it, but there it is in a nutshell. It lasts for 8 days or so, so it was a nice holiday for me :)

We decided to go to the sunny beaches of Anatalya (on the southern coast), and hike a supposedly beautiful, beach-strewn woodsy path. The first day was spent at the beach. I hadn't tasted salt water in years, and man was it wonderful!

We then hiked....for 10 hours!! 8 or so of us set out on this great expedition. Well, it wasn't supposed to be so great, but it turned out to be MASSIVE!!  It all began with a beautiful day and smiling Fulbrighters...

We hiked through the woods, packs full, and bodies itching to get into the cool sea. Little did we know what was coming ahead....

It was such a nice trail. The hike though the woods was fairly easy. We'd hike and then come to a beach, where we could swim or just put our feet in. Then, we were supposed to come to another beach...but it never showed up....

We were following these red and white stripped tapes hanging from the trees. Incidentally, this was incorrect. I repeat, INCORRECT! So, we ended up climbing the side of a mountain instead of a beach...and we hiked into the night.

Along our way we picked up a friendly couple from one of the Carolinas who were also lost. When they heard we were Fulbrighters, they decided to tag along....bad choice. Although the husband did comment that they were safe due to us being the "America's best and brightest," woops! Look where that got them! Lost!  And ironically, he was a forester....

As the night drew on, we began to climb the mountain by moonlight. My spirits were high. Nothing could be as difficult as the Bursa hike. (I'll fill you in on this later) So, I was chipper and ready to move forward! Others, however, were having a tough time as we rounded on our 8th solid hour of hiking.

We just kept going up and up! Pretty soon we saw a light in the distance, and my first thought (I have no idea why) was ah! someone's going to mug us! Or something of the sort. Now my wits must have been dwindling as well!! It turns out, she was a young woman from Malaysia in Turkey for a walking holiday and she was also lost. So we weren't the only idiots!

She had been on the phone with her tour guide, and he told us to wait and he would come. We all pooled our water and food-stuffs. And we were set when the Carolina couple pulled out a water bottle full of mixed Raki. (A strong Turkish liquor that tastes of Anise) We were set to wait it out.

After a couple rounds of the Raki, the woman's tour guide told us to walk up the mountain until we found a road. Eventually we came to the road, and we were tight and safe in hostels but at least 12. 10 hour hike, check!

Look back for travel stories Part 2, and I have a feeling Part 3 and 4....etc!

Turkey: The Land of...a very busy Fulbrighter who is very sorry to leave you hangin'

Well folks, it seems that this blog has taken a back burner for...oh...about 3 months now. Sorry! But you do know that I am still breathing or haven't been eaten by the wild dogs and cats on the streets of Eskişehir, because I have been updating the FB photos! Again, so much has been accumulating: work, travel, household chores, etc. I just haven't made time for you all, but now I am repenting and coming back to the homeland!

 So...over the past 3 months I have taught one module, a pre-intermediate class of such enthusiastic students. And might I toot my own horn and say that all 28 passed! :) Woo-hoo. Point for me! They really were the best class to begin with. They were so happy to be in class, when they were awake or didn't have a headache, which happens quite frequently. And even though they grumbled about having to get out of their seats to play games, afterward they told me how much they loved it!

During a unit on complaints, two students wrote the best letter of complaint, and I must share some highlights (completed from memory):

Dear Allison,

We have some problems. You need to get your watch fixed. We are so hungry and need to get out of class on time. Two students died of starvation. Please have mercy on us! Also, we have desks for a reason. We like to sit in our desks. Please don't make us move around the room. Have mercy on us!

...and so on. What kooks! These two guys were the best! (And extremely bright for their level!)


Hmm...I am now in my second module of teaching. I have now moved on up to the B2.2 side, or the most advanced students in the prep-school. Or at least they claim to be....we'll see....they are definitely less eager than my previous class. No funny letters here.

But, I'm almost done! One more week left and then exams. After that is break!! I get about 7 or so days. (I'm biting my thumb at those with a month or so, or heck even two weeks!! Which is nearly every other Fulbrighter!!!) But, all of that aside. I'm going to Gaziantep to see the lovely ladies and then maybe travel around...we'll see. Oh, the adventures in Turkey. And the great Turkish mentality of planning at the last minute!

Anadolu Universitesi: The land of The English School (and I mean THE)

I have been asked many a time, “So…where are you, what do you do, do you like it? Do you STILL like it?” And I have only three answers, “Anadolu University, I teach English, and Yes I do.”

                Now, if you have done your homework and googled Anadolu University, you will have discovered that it is the largest university in Turkey and the fourth largest in the world, or so Wikipedia says. As you can assume, the English language department is similar. It’s HUGE! Most Fulbrighters are in the midst of 7-10 other English teachers, well hold on to your socks, because I am one of about 200! We have over 3,000 students in our hazırlık (prep) school alone! That’s twice the size of Simpson College!! Wowza!

                The department is so large, they have their own gigantic building. (I am standing in the foyer below.

Now, I live on the main campus, which holds all of the student-y things: dorm, cafeteria, library, regular Turkish departments, student center, cinema, coffee shops, etc. The hazırlık “department,” English only speaking departments (aviation, engineering, etc.) plus the other foreign languages are on this other campus. (about 15 minutes away).

                While the teaching load varies from Fulbrighter to Fulbrighter, with 21 being our max, I am hovering somewhere around the edge of 21. Here every weekday, I work about 4-5 hours Monday, Wed, and Friday, with a side dish of 8 hour tutorials. I work with one wonderful pre-intermediate class for the bulk of my load out of this horrendous book called Speak Out. (good for speaking, as the name implies, yet extremely bad for writing. The numerous grammar mistakes in reading passages serve as evidence.  The students seem to like it, though, I think…

                The tutorials are on me! And oh the fun we have J. We learned about the farms in Iowa, they made up stories about some of my friends from home, and now we’ll learn about Halloween! Bring on the pumpkins and nightmares!

Afyon: The Land of the Poppy Castle

A weekend trip down south a couple of hours, spending a weekend with a good friend, what more could you want in the land of Poppies and Castles? Afyon is a fairly large city in the center of Western Anatolia (Anatolia meaning the land mass of Turkey located in the “Middle East”). Every time I told a colleague that I was going to Afyon for the weekend, they would laugh and ask why. Why? Because that’s where my peeps are!!

After successfully getting a bus ticket and finding the bus stop, in a haphazard, Turk-lish, I was in Afyon, greeting and enthusiastic EJ! Now, Afyon is a fairly large city, but it differs greatly from beloved Eskişehir. It is about as large in land mass, but definitely lacking in population, so Afyon was a perfect, relaxing get away.

We began with a walk to see the city, with the most amazing Atatürk statue ever!

Then we scaled the castle!! No, we did hike, though, and it was a long haul!! 

The sites, however, were breathtaking!!

EJ taking in the view:

We then walked along the old streets lined with Ottoman homes. Oh the history!!

Hospitality: A Turk’s Last Name

 The Turkish are known as a über hospitable people, however let it be known that if you turn down tea, you may be dead to the world. Maybe it’s the kind face, the weird confused expression, or the fatigued “lütfen” (which means ‘please’), but I have only been met with kindness here. And thank goodness for that!

Just a couple of days ago, we were free to roam the streets of Eskişehir all day, and I branched out on my own. Mind you that my Turkish is still basically nonexistent, however I am attempting my butt off. I was discouraged when I couldn’t understand simple words such as 5 (beş) and even couldn’t comprehend enough to only buy ½ kilo of strawberries. As I walked around the crowded markets and streets lugging this 1 kilo bag-o-berries, I was a bit discouraged. But, in an attempt to rectify this, I pushed forward, and into an office supply store, I went. In search of some poster board.

After finding the needed board, an English speaking employee bee-lined over, hoping to make a sale. Now, I think he remembered us from earlier in the week when other office supplies were bought, so he knew English was the ticket. (And with my short hair, I stand out like an elephant on a golf course, great…) “Ne kadar?” I ask, meaning “how much?” and he answers “dokuz,” 9. 9tl!! Wow, no dice! But then as I say no…he offers me….some BAKLAVA, and what can I do but accept, scarf it down with many “çok güzel”s (very good) and buy the poster board. Wow, did he understand the American way. Offer free food, and we’re in.

So a lesson, if you are ever offered Baklava, don’t think twice about accepting the crispy, gewey, morsel of goodness. And, maybe, if you are on the fence about a purchase, something great may find its way to you per the shopkeeper.

Another tale of hospitality came this morning. As we waited at a bus stop to make our way to the English campus, a small white van pulled up. A nice, old Turkish man told us to jump in…After some uncertainty, he told us he was the coffee vending machine man and the guards told him to take us because we had missed the bus. (Actually the guards told us the wrong place to wait.) So, we jumped in and made our way to the other campus. After arrival, he was so proud and had to show us his coffee machine. And what a machine! It dispensed tea, coffee, espresso, hot chocolate, and all with sugar and milk options!  He then offered us free coffee! Wow! What a welcoming morning!

And I have to say a “teşekkürler” (thank you) to the baklava man and coffee vendor. The baklava brightened my day when I was feeling blue, and probably didn’t even realize it! And the coffee man made such a bright start to our day!! So spread the wealth, people. Do something kind, even if it is unconventional for a total stranger. Pay it forward!

Sign Me Up Scotty

Eskişehir: The land of strange signs….?

Our night on the town consists of walking, and walking, and walking. While the Saturday nights of most Eskişeherians (yes I made that up) consist of hitting “bar street,” we walk and see the strangest things. (Yes there truly is a “bar street” consisting of bars. What can you expect in a college town. While we have yet to visit this main attraction, we certainly walked by during the opening hours of the charades. But, not to worry, we will stay safe, tucked in our beds with dreams of Turkish delight and verb conjugations in our heads for the rest of the year.)

Anyhow, signs vary from culture to culture, in the West a thumbs up is a good sign, but in many Eastern countries, well, make sure to keep that thumb down! Others are universal, such as green = go or red = warning! stop! Well, tell me folks about this sign….it’s not quite so universal…

Only men can cross? Maybe…Only gentlemen can cross? Could be, but nearly all males would be held back…secret agents (then I could certainly slink across)…the pondering continues…

Or this symbol outside of a restaurant. A coffee restaurant, if I remember correctly. It’s a sight you would expect in Iowa, not Turkey.

Hah! Yes, your eyes aren’t fooling you, it is indeed a cow relaxing in a cup of coffee. Too good to pass by without a picture!! Bahahaha!

So, when out and about in another country, or even in your own, take a look at the locals to figure out the gist of life. What do they do? How do they do it? What do they value, um cows and coffee perhaps? Green almost always means come, and a friendly smile will always be inviting, kind, or endearing. J That’s what I’m relying on, certainly not my Turkish!!