Queen of the Cotton Castle

After Friday's night class, my academic faculty student and his wife invited me to the movies with them. I graciously accepted, and the three of us headed to see the last installment of the Twilight series: Breaking Dawn.

The film was in English with Turkish subtitles, so I was able to quench my thirst for pop culture with ease. Cinematic genius, it was not, but it was a fun way to end the school week.

A Belated Thanksgiving with the Fulbright Crew

As the fourth Thursday of November approached, the Afyon Fulbrighters eagerly planned a Thanksgiving get-together. We started with humble intentions and a grocery list, but like passengers pushing a stalled-out car down a hill, momentum soon had us speeding down a highway. A stuffing and cranberry sauce highway.

Planning began two weeks ago when we settled on a menu. Traditional American fare was achieved through slight recipe tweaks and extensive shop-scouring. Buffet-style we served:

• Turkey
• Mashed potatoes
• Carrots
• Green bean casserole
• Stuffing
• Rice
• Vegetable soup
• Cranberry sauce

A Tale of Three Cities

Kurban Bayram means Sacrifice Festival. This Muslim holiday honors Abraham's obedience to God and is celebrated 70 days after Ramadan each year.

While many of my students bused to their hometowns in various corners of Turkey, I bused to some of Turkey's most important and beautiful cities. During this short vacation I ventured east with a fellow Fulbrighter (Check out her blog here. She'll have more details and pics than I do), and on our journey we saw the iconic "fairy chimneys" of Capadoccia, the sacred fish of Balikli Gol, and tasted Turkey's best baklava in Gaziantep.

Halloweenless

Today is Halloween back home, but in Turkey it's just the last day in October. Meh, I can live without Halloween. Check out my uncostumed and uncandycorned weekend recap here:

After proctoring a midterm exam on Friday morning, I went to my Turkish lessons. This time we covered the differences between conjunctions (but, yet, however, because, therefore, ect.). It's tricky, and I'll need to spend some time on the topic, for sure.

This 3rd grade Turkish book is a little much for me.

I sometimes know what this says. Only sometimes, though.

Istanbul

This past weekend I got my first taste of Istanbul. As Turkey's largest city, this cultural powerhouse is a far cry from Afyon. Needless to say, I was impressed and will definitely be returning to check out the numerous sites the city has to offer. Unfortunately it poured rain both days we were there, but we persevered. Saturday was my birthday and Sunday was the Istanbul Marathon, so in spite of the rain the Fulbright crew had good times.

Hanging my Hat in Afyon: Finally Settled

I've been in Turkey for just under a month and I'm happy to say we've finally settled in Afyon. After much running around, our apartment now has beds, a functioning stove and various other necessities. I'm becoming familiar with the streets of this small city and the small city is becoming familiar with me. Not many foreigners come to Afyon, so I often get asked "Nerelisiniz" (where are you from?).

So, two other Fulbrighters and I climbed over 500 steps to the castle that looms behind our apartment the other day. Here are some images from the adventure:

Afyonkarahisar: Black Fortress of Opium

Here is an image of Kocatepe Camii in Ankara. This mosque is the 2nd largest in all of Turkey and is just as beautiful inside as it is outside.

Merhaba Turkey

Selam,

The last few days have been a flurry of activity. My travels to Turkey were relatively easy, but 24+ hours of traveling including 3 airplanes and their less-than-nutritious accompanying meals wore me out. I was ready for bed upon arrival.

Since that much needed first night of sleep, I've been attending various workshops and lectures provided by Fulbright to help orient us (fellow ETAs and myself) to the Turkish language, politics and culture.

Earlier today we were lucky enough to tour Atatürk's mausoleum and museum. The site was beautiful and the deep connection between Atatürk and his people could still be felt, despite it being decades since his death.

Below you will find a view of Ankara from the mausoleum. The bustling capital city looks serene in the photo, but be sure that the streets are full of honking cabs.

Ankara

The area outside the city reminds me of Las Vegas, NV with its sparse, dry mountains.

Ankara is providing a wonderful introduction to Turkey, and I look forward to the remaining week I will be spending here.