Pamukkale Adventure

Today I rose, but I certainly didn't shine... waking up before the sunrise tends to do that to a non-morning person. I crept out of my host family's apartment close to 6 am. Why you may wonder, especially on a Sunday?! I had an adventure in store for me today along a handful of other AIESEC interns: Pamukkale. Pamukkale is absolutely gorgeous! And mind-boggling at the same time. It looks like snow, but in fact it is calcium carbonate. In Turkish it is translated as "cotton castles" also known as a travertine. (Only right now, after reading Wikipedia, did I find out it's slightly radioactive...awesome.) Back in the day, like way back in the 2nd century B.C., the Romans used these hot springs as baths. I can attest to it being hot, I think I walked away with slightly burnt feet today from the stones.  Unfortunately coming to Pamukkale is quite a trek from Izmir! It took a bus ride of about 3 hours just to get to Denizli, the province in which Pamukkale is located, then another bus to the actual park. Long story short, I spent about 10 hours on different transportation systems today. Welcome to Turkey! :)

At first I thought the picture above was the only attraction to see at Pamukkale, apparently I had not done my homework very well. The ancient city of Hierapolis once stood here also. It was amazing to see all the ruins, and in good condition! It made me smile, when I was in Rome the closest you could get to Roman ruins was on a guided path in the Roman Forums. In Turkey you literally could just walk through the field of fallen ruins. One of my friends went up to a fallen column, touched it, took a picture with it etc. In Rome you would have gotten escorted out by a "polizia" and probably screamed at; but in Turkey there was nobody there to watch over the ruins, which is too bad, and kind of cool at the same time. At the top of a huge hill stood the Roman amphitheater. It was in great condition!

Traditional Turkish Wedding

Not only was I lucky enough to go to one wedding, but two! And they were on the same night coincidentally, back-to-back. I took a video of a traditional Turkish dance. My host sister said most likely the dance was from eastern Turkey, where the groom was originally from. (Unfortunately the video decided it didn't want to load...)

What was most interesting to me was seeing how different cultures celebrate the union of two people. Same event, symbolizing the same meaning, but orchestrated in a very different manner. For example only one ring is exchanged in the Turkish tradition and it is when the couple is first engaged. So at the wedding, there was no walking down the aisle and another ring exchange at the alter like a traditional American wedding. It threw me off at first, I only knew the bride and groom had entered the room when I heard clapping erupt. In Turkey, the bride and groom walk in together and proceeds to a big fancy table. A government official and two witnesses (friends of the wedding party) join the couple at the table. They sign documents and then that is it, in terms of the marriage ceremony. Usually the reception consists of dancing and giving the bride and groom gifts. However not big extravagant gifts for a new house or fine dining sets but gold jewelry; the gold gifts are only given by family members or very good friends. Also at both the weddings no food or dinner was served, or drinks for that matter. In the U.S. I always think of weddings implying being wined and dined as guests. Like how I feel toward graduation parties. . .  

Turkey and its Flare of Randomness

Something I love about Izmir is its randomness. On my first night in Izmir my host family used Google Translate to tell me that they lived in the slums. This did not seem like good news to me at almost 3 a.m. after jumping through hoops to get to Turkey. However my host family has a very nice apartment in a new development.

One day I was walking home from work and just as I was about to turn the corner to go to the apartment, I felt someone's or something's eyes on me. I turned to look, expecting it to be a dog or a cat since there are tons of strays here in Izmir. To my surprise it was a ram... you know a male sheep with the huge curly horns. This isn't even a farm area, it is the suburbs. The ram was tied up to the fence on the people's patio. I just had to stop and laugh, and appreciate the country I'm in.

TEGV Toros

This is where I work in Izmir. Going one way takes about an hour via two different buses. This organization is volunteer based and it seems like a place where kids come whenever they like, it is voluntary for them too. It is located in the slums. My main goal, along with 7 other interns, is to teach the kids english. I work with four Chinese, one Brazilian, one Slovakian and one Ukrainian.

My Misconceptions

When preparing for my trip to Izmir I tried to go into with as little expectation or preconceived notions as possible as to what Turkey would be like. Easier said than done. No matter what, one has already established ideas and facts about a country, culture, population, etc. This is perhaps without even being aware of it. If you asked me what I thought Turkey would be like, a week or so ago, you'd think we were talking about a different country.

Misconception #1: Turkey is a Middle Eastern country.

Stemming from a bet I made with a friend, I was determined to figure out what category Turkey fell into: Europe or the Middle East. Whenever I ask a Turk this question their face seems to contort into almost a look of pain, because Turkey is really neither. Half of the country is touching Europe, the other half is touching the Middle East. This creates a really interesting dynamic in the country. Most of the population is of the Muslim faith and mosques are widespread. Five times a day I hear a Muslim prayer played over loudspeakers. Thanks to Wikipedia I found out it's called, Salah or Namaz in Turkish. Yet there are definite signs of modernity in Izmir, which is more the European influence, my host sister explained to me. Interestingly though, one woman I spoke to in the airport said that Turkish people will associate themselves more as Oriental, or asian, since they are east of Europe. So long story short, Turkey is a melting pot of cultures and influences and is up to interpretation on what is it to be considered.


Misconception #2: Turkish cuisine is of the Mediterranean cuisine consisting of hummus, olive oil, pita bread, etc.

In my experience so far, the Turkish cuisine consists of two main food groups: bread and meat. Not exactly a vegetarian's paradise. Not just any meat though, mostly beef, cooked on a big skewer (like lamb for gyros). Since there is such a huge Muslim influence on the country, pork is not served anywhere. Back at home in the US, I probably ate beef every couple of weeks or so. Now I eat it once or twice a day! Although it may not be my first choice, I am trying to adapt to the Turkish cuisine.


Misconception #3: Turkish people look Middle Eastern, i.e., olive skin and dark features.

I actually blend in, kind of! Which for people who don't know what I look this might seem like a funny statement, but I am very fair skinned. About 4 or 5 times already I have been mistaken as Turkish. But the only traits of mine that give away I'm not Turkish are my blue eyes and freckles. If Turkish people have light eyes they are usually green. In my opinion, this is yet another illustration of Turkey being a melting pot, European and Middle Eastern traits combined.  

Izmir from a Hilltop View

Getting to Izmir...No Small Feat...

Under the blazing Turkish sun, three girls were walking down the crowded market streets in Izmir, Turkey; one Turkish, one Slavic, the other American.  Less than twenty-four hours ago these three girls were perfect strangers; yet they were now laughing and weaving their way through the crowded Market. How could it be that these girls happen to cross paths? Simple. AIESEC.

Coincidentally, I am the American girl in the aforementioned story. At 2 a.m. on June 26th, I was welcomed into the home of three gracious Turkish hosts and now, my Turkish story unfolds.

I stumbled upon Turkey for a destination in hopes of finding some kind of adventure; I can't wait to see what's in store for me over the course of my internship. Even just getting to Izmir was an adventure! I was in London for about a week or so with my mom hence I flew out of Heathrow airport by myself. That day I experienced something every traveller hopes never to face: "cancelled" flashing on the departures screen. Not only was the flight cancelled but the airline went bankrupt a few days earlier. I frantically called my dad, waking him up at 6:30a.m., panicking about what to do. $600 later I was on a plane destined for Istanbul. We left late out of Istanbul so I knew my connection to Izmir would be cutting it close. I was running through the airport to find the gate, only to realize I had to go through immigration. After waiting in line for what seemed like forever, I excitedly got up to the counter. "Miss, where is your visa?" AHH... I had less than an half-hour to catch the flight; so I ran to the visa desk. "15 Euros or 20 dollars,"all I had was a credit card. He looked at me for what seemed like eternity, "We don't take cards...there's an ATM over there." I honestly think the ATM was printing the money inside of it, that is how slow it was. If anyone walked by me, they probably thought I needed to go to the bathroom rather badly because I was prancing around the machine impatiently. Finally I passed through the golden gate of entry and started running to my gate. Has it ever occurred to anyone that big cities equal big airports? Istanbul is no exception and I felt like I was doing a track sprint in the airport. I was one of the last to get on the plane. Finally I had made it! Only to be informed we would be waiting on the run-way for 45 minutes...