Istanbul

Traveling Turkey

2006-05-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Today marks our departure for a 3 week trek around Turkey. We'll be hitting Izmir, Selcuk, Ephesus, Kas, Olympos, Tekirova, Antalya, Gaziantep, Urfa, Mardin, Harran, Diyarbekir, Hassankeyif, Elazig and Harput, Van Dogubeyazit, Kars, and Ani!

This is about a 4000 kilometer trip that will involve lots of overnight bus rides, but I think we are ready for it. We'll meeting certain friends and contacts along the way and if Turkish hospitality in the east of the country is anything like it is in the west, we'll be well taken care of.

2006-05-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

tulips are everywhere in istanbul

2006-05-13T05:14:00.000-07:00

where the bosphorus meets the black sea...

2006-05-13T05:13:00.000-07:00

mike tyson in istanbul!? i can only imagine the conversation he might have had with someone trying to hawk him pistachios

2006-05-13T05:11:00.000-07:00

my favorite class...

Pigeons!!

2006-04-26T01:22:00.000-07:00

Spring has arrived in Istanbul and so have pigeon eggs on one of our windowsills. It is fun to watch--the mother does the longer night shift and then the father comes in from about 10am until 4pm. The mother usually checks in to make sure the father isn't shirking his duties. I never knew pigeons could be so endearing.

2006-04-26T01:20:00.000-07:00

Pigeon eggs on our windowsill...

Tunisia

2006-04-17T01:36:00.000-07:00

Every three months I have to leave Turkey to renew my tourist visa (yes, I'm not legally in Turkey). Most go to Bulgaria and literally cross over the border and cross right back. I decided the beach sounded a little more appealing and chose a mini-vacation to Tunisia because I have a friend who is also doing a Fulbright there. Tunisia was very pleasant and a welcome escape from the craziness of Istanbul.

Here are a few pictures from the trip...

2006-04-17T00:52:00.001-07:00

The Mediterranean is a something I could get used to being around

2006-04-17T00:52:00.000-07:00

Volleyball in tunisia? It was quite an active vacation. I played tennis, volleyball, and a round of golf.

2006-04-17T00:46:00.000-07:00

another incredible mosaic...odysseus tied up as not to be lured by the sirens...

2006-04-17T00:45:00.000-07:00

beatiful mosaics at the Bardo museum. My friend Pauline (also a Fulbright) is studying "dining room" mosaics from the 2nd to 4th century AD.

2006-04-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

Some of you may recall our trip to the wine expo last fall. We were a bit more official for the most recent expo having an official invitation. This time we decide Courtney would act as head researcher and I vice president of sales. Of course, we're still working for agate ventures. Turkish wine still has a way to go (at one point we both smelled vomit as a distinguishing characteristic of a white), but free wine is good wine, right?

2006-04-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

Mount Erciyes

2006-04-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

Skiing...let's just say I have a new appreciation for Steamboat. Look at the snow coverage in the background. I did ski in denim for the first time (a highlight) and had some sweet rear-entry nordica boots.

2006-04-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

check out the onyx elephant...go jumbos!

2006-04-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

some people were serious about the eclipse...

2006-04-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

others were even more serious...

2006-04-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

Mount Erciyes...this is where I tore up the slopes only one day earlier

2006-04-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

just about fully eclipsed...surreal. Check out the glowing hot air balloon in the sky! A ride on this supposedly cost 1500 Euros

2006-04-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

full eclipse...to see a picture of the moon in front of the sun, check out edgeofasia.blogspot.com.

2006-04-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

I want to live in this house...

2006-04-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

breakfast at the asia minor hotel...turkish breakfast is my brother-in-law Matt's favorite--tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, a hard boiled egg and yogurt

2006-04-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

"throwing" my very own clay pot...look at the concentration. Avanos is a town in Cappadocia famous for its pottery

2006-03-27T01:35:00.000-08:00

Courtney and I with Michael and Gerardo

We visited some family friends who are vacationing in Istanbul at the local jail last night.

Jail, you ask? Well the Four Seasons Hotel was at one time the Sultanahmet Prison. It has been beautifully restored and now resembles anything but a jail. Their tag line is that "you would gladly serve time with us." I agree. We had a wondeful evening.

Tonight I'm headed off to Kayseri (ancient Caesarea), about 10 hours east of Istanbul. There will be a solar eclipse on Wednesday and Kayseri is in the region of Cappadoccia, one of the most geographically interesting places in all of Turkey. Lots of photos to come...

2006-03-24T05:07:00.000-08:00

We look GOOD...for more pictures of the week that was, and some award winning commentary, check out Adam's website.

2006-03-24T04:59:00.000-08:00

As you can see, we had a good time with out friends...and no, we aren't on a rollercoaster in this picture.

2006-03-24T04:49:00.000-08:00

Who would've thought? Two BR kids in the Topkapi Palace

Back to Blogging

2006-03-08T04:15:00.000-08:00

A recent Skype conversation with my mother.

"We really enjoyed Courtney's blog. We
love reading about Turkey. Have you written in your blog?"

"No, I haven't."

"Oh, well, we still love you."

With that I decided it was time to end my near two month hiatus from blogging. I am planning to write (or at the very least post pictures) each Wednesday for those interested.

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote. I'm no longer a Bogazigi Sultan (sadly), but I am still teaching. We've moved apartments and now live in Cukurcuma (pronounced Chukurjuma and said very quickly--try it, it's kind of fun). Our new apartment is in a great location, convenient to Istiklal Caddesi which is the main shopping avenue in the city. Our apartment is close enough to my school that I can walk there.

We are eagerly awaiting three visitors. Two from New York City and one all the way from sunny San Diego. I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures from the week ahead. In the meantime, here is a shot taken out of our apartment window. Though not the best photo, you can see the Galata Tower in the background. The tower is 67 meters high and 33 meters above sea level. It was erected by the Genoese in 1348.

Gallipoli and Troy

2006-01-20T04:34:00.000-08:00

We arrived just in time for the end of Kurban Bayram, which is the Islamic holiday that commemorates how Isaac was nearly sacrificed by Abraham. It is celebrated by sacrificing sheep and other animals that are then given to the poor. We missed the beginning of the holiday (and thankfully the sacrifices), but I'm told in some places the slaughtering actually takes place on the streets.

We decided to celebrate the end of Kurban Bayram by taking a mini vacation to Gallipoli and Troy, which are both about six hours from Istanbul.

Gallipoli is a sort of pilgrimage for Austrailians and New Zealanders and is commemorated every April 25th (ANZAC day). It was definitely the off-season so we were able to have a tour that included only six other people. It is a sobering place, and hard to see so many cemetaries for fighting that didn't really accomplish anything.

Troy was a happier outing, and I really enjoyed the site. I had expected to be underwhelmed by the ruins, but they were actually quite impressive. You need to use your imagination, because there were 9 different "Troys" throughout history and they were built on top of one another, but it is fascinating to think about how long ago people inhabited the site.

2006-01-20T02:29:00.000-08:00

Back in Istanbul

I've returned to Istanbul and promised myself to keep a better log of the goings on around here. I had a great time in the US, spending Christmas in Massachussetts and week in Colorado with incredible skiing conditions.

We're in a new aparment now and it is a great little place with brand new appliances and a view of the Galata Tower. We are excited have our visitors in March, April, and June before returning to the states. Anyone else who wants to brave the bird flu is welcome...

On the subject of bird flu, people here (in Istanbul) don't seem too concerned. It is indeed scary, but the instances of the virus have occurred mainly in Eastern Turkey, some 2000 miles from Istanbul. Additionally, no person has contracted the virus by actually eating poultry. There have been 21 cases in a country of 70 million people. Courtney and I do have our Tamiflu just in case...

The most difficult thing about bird flu is the economic implications it has for families in eastern Turkey. Often poultry is the main source of income (and food) for these extremely poor families. Although the government is offering receipts of 5, 10, and 15 Lira (roughly $4, $8, and $12) for chickens, turkeys, and geese, respectively, people don't trust they will receive their money. Also, these animals are often the pets of children making it that much more difficult to give up the birds. Close to one million birds have been culled thus far.

2005-11-28T00:23:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

Of all places to end up in Turkey eating turkey, I did not think I would be at the home of the consul general. Deborah K. Jones has worked in Syria, Iraq, Argentina, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. She is followed around by body guards on a daily basis and we had to pass through security just to get into her home.

How did I get this invite you ask? It's quite a complicated story, but let's just say I was the outsider of outsiders. It was something like Courtney's friends' parents who were visiting from the States went to high school with the consul general. They didn't know the consul general was posted here in Turkey until an event at the U.S. Consulate when they had quite a reunion from what I'm told. Said friends' parents were invited for Thanksgiving and since they had already invited us for Thanksgiving, we got the invite as well...there, i don't know if that makes any sense.

Anyway, it was an interesting event, and one unlike anything I've really been too. I sat across from a woman who knows Castro very well (so she says) and has met Clinton on numerous occasions. The house was beautiful and the view was incredible. And the food was prepared by a personal chef. There was turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, everything you can imagine at Thanksgiving dinner including 4 types of pie. We even had Minnesota wild rice. The only thing that was missing was a nap and some football.

2005-11-22T23:04:00.000-08:00

Wine Tasting

This past weekend, all of the top wine producers in Turkey and other parts of the world (Napa was represented) had a 3 day convention at the Hilton Convention Center in Istanbul. Though not formally invited, Courtney and I had heard about the event and decided it might not be too difficult to gain entry. We had a good story prepared, and taking a page from the Wedding Crashers, we decided to be venture capitalists from New Hampshire. Agate Ventures, so printed on our name tags, was exploring import/export opportunities. Our psuedonyms, given to us by the woman printing nametags who had some difficulty with our handwriting, were Edward Acasbian and Courney Doggart.

The funny part about all of this was there were plenty of other English speaking people who didn't really have any reason to be at the convention beyond the free wine. We realized this after our second or third wine booth. We stayed for a couple of hours and sampled wine from all over Turkey, not too mention Italian, French, Georgian (which is very good), and Spanish wine. It was lots of fun and we met some interesting people. Wine is definitely on the up and up in Turkey.

2005-11-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

Sultan No More????

I practiced yesterday in what was effectively an intrasquad scrimmage. I arrived after teaching, just after stretching and just in time for kickoff. This was all well and good until I was suddenly called in to return the kickoff. Mind you, I lacked any sort of padding from the waist down. When I objected, one of the players who I've become friendly with said, "don't worry Edward, you are Ironman!" Somehow this made sense at the time. I eluded a few would be tacklers until I was facemasked and dragged to the ground (It was most definitley of the 15 yard variety). The Turks are still working out the kinks in regard to the rules of the game.

Sadly, I received some bad news from Sultan's camp yesterday. I'm told that the league will require a residence permit from all players. This does not bode well for English teachers on tourist visas such as myself. It is a disappointing development and might sideline me to the role of a coach.

2005-11-08T23:19:00.000-08:00

Sheker Bayram

Last Wednesday marked the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is the holy month of Islam and is observed by fasting from sunrise to sunset everyday for an entire month. Here in Turkey, and particularly in Istanbul, not everyone fasts. But everyone celebrates the holiday at the end of the month, including me. "Sheker Bayram" (Sugar Holiday) is, from what I gathered, all about eating. I spent the holiday first in Iznik, and then in Izmir.

Iznik was formely Nicaea, site of the ecumenical councils way back during the beginnings of Christianity. A friend of mine from my teaching certification course has a summer home on a lake close to Iznik. I spent an evening at her house along with some other friends. The house lacks electricity, but makes up for this shortcoming by being located in the middle of nature. We picked pomegranates, carrots, fresh herbs, and quince to name a few. It was a welcome change to the craziness of Istanbul, and it felt good to get out of the city for the first time. Other highlights included swimmming in a natural hot spring and sitting by the fire.

After Iznik, I departed for Izmir (about 9 hours from Istanbul), but not before stopping in the city of Bursa for the famous "Iskender Kebab." Iskender Kebab consists of layered bread, lamb kebab, and tomato sauce. Doesn't sound like much, but the dish is finished with hot melted butter that is poured at the table. It is fantastic, but then again so are most things with hot melted butter.

I arrived in Izmir and eventually connected with the Zoral family. The Zoral's are friends of the manager (Colleen) I worked for at Pisces restaurant this past summer. They were wonderful hosts, and introduced me to Turkish hospitality. I spent the weekend relaxing, eating and enjoying the beautiful weather of Izmir.

2005-10-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

An "Armenian" tour of Istanbul

I spent yesterday exploring Istanbul with a friend of a friend (Thank you, John) who was born and raised in Istanbul, but is an Armenian. We spent about three hours walking around the city and seeing many of the Armenian sites. It is interesting to see so much of an Armenian presence here, but it is very much behind closed doors. For instance, the Armenian high school that has existed since sometime in the 1800's and still serves as an Armenian school is marked by a large Turkish flag.

We also spent a considerable amount of time in the many bookstores of Istanbul and I was absolutely amazed by how many books have been translated into Turkish on the topic of the genocide. It is a very popular topic, and books such as the Black Dog of Fate have already been translated. Another popular book is Metal Storm, in which Turkey and the US are at war. Though I haven't felt the affects at all, there is certainly some Anti-American sentiment.

2005-10-22T00:45:00.000-07:00

Pre-Season

So I put on the pads this past Saturday. 5 catches and a touch in our mini-scrimmage. I'm looking for another preseason MVP (that's a reference for all you Jumbos). There are actually two other Americans who are playing which makes things interesting and I'm starting to get to know some of the other "Sultans."

My favorite thing about the team is the breakup at the end of practice. "Bir, iki, uc! Sultans!"

I will be sure to keep you all posted...our first game is November 26th.

2005-10-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Teaching

I've landed my first teaching job! I went for an interview and 5 hours later I was standing in front of a class. Standing in front of my first class gave me new appreciation for what my parents did for 30 some odd years. It was quite nervewracking, but it all turned out well. The students are great for the most part. I've had four separate classes now and it is only getting easier. I'm working for the American Cultural Association school, and I'm told they "pay on time" which is not the norm for the teaching profession here in Istanbul.

Here are a couple of shots in Istanbul.
on the boat to Asia

an armenian church in kadikoy, on the asian side of Istanbul. We tried to get in, but the church is closed

2005-10-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

Bogazigi Sultans

An email from someone I've been in contact with here in Turkey regarding American football...call it a comeback

Dear Ed,

First of all, it is great to hear from you and we would love to see you in our team as a player and/or as a coach. Let me tell you about our football program. I'd rather say adventure instead of program because things are very amateur and hard for us here.

Football was started in Turkey in 1988 without pads in our university. I started in 1999 and I played in a few matches without pads. We wouldn't even dream of buying pads because they were expensive and not everybody could afford it. And our university wouldn't spend that much money.

In summer 2001, a clinic was organized, coaches came from USA and brought 2nd hand equipments. That's how we started playing with pads. It was unbelievable for us. This meant the first problem was solved.

The second problem is american football didn't have a federation in Turkey. So it was not an official sport. We were playing with other universities in a league we organized. This, not having an authority, created many problems and still we are facing with the consequences of it. Last year this problem was solved too. American Football is now official within the Baseball and Softball Federation. Therefore we are going to play in the first official league in Turkey for the first time! That's why we want to be the champions for sure and we need some help.

Well I guess that's all for general situation, let me tell you about our team.

Bogazici Sultans: University Team
Bogazici University 1896 Sports Club: Club Team

Our team as I mentioned is the first american football team in Turkey. And stayed undefeated for a long time. We were second last year and the year before, we won the championship 3 years ago. So we are always serious title chasers.

Right now, we structured a coaching staff consisting of experienced players. But we are looking for a coach/coaches to help us develop our gameplan/game preparation/practices etc. further.

And the $$$ side which is our third and the main problem right now.. Our university do not help us about it. They sometimes buy jerseys and sometimes give our transportation fees. That's all.. All spendings are made by us with the money that we collect from the players every month. So we need someone that lives in Turkey and wants to help/play with us without any financial expectation. It is sad but that's the way it is now and I hope you'll be OK with that.

Regards,

Firat
(an easy pronounciation for you: Fred)

I went to their first practice as a spectator last weekend. It's fair to say I'm being heavily recruited by Firat (he's the O coordinator/quarterback)to play--I will keep you posted on how it all turns out, but there is a pretty good chance I will be putting on the pads sometime in the near future. I seemed to have worked out a Randy Moss/TO/Kevin Kelley situation...I only play on gameday.

2005-10-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

Courtney and I have moved into our apartment here in Istanbul. It's in a great area called Cihangir, and pretty much smack dab in the middle of the city. Here's a photo of the place...come visit!

I started my CELTA certification course yesterday for teaching English as a second language. It will last for 10 weeks, but it is part time so I hope to find a job in the meantime. The class seems great--it is a mix of Americans, Brits, Turks, and a guy from Holland who is absolutely hysterical. It is an interesting range of ages/backgrounds as well. I'm amazed by the non-native speakers English fluency.

Last week I went to the Dolmabahce palace. It was the last hurrah of the Ottoman empire and completed in 1858. The palace has 285 rooms (68 toilets) and the most incredible chandelier I have ever seen. There is an incredible amount of history here (think Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires), and there is so much to see and do.

2005-10-06T04:38:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

For those of you who don't know, I am spending the next 9-10 months in Istanbul teaching English as a foreign language and seeing what this interesting city has to offer. Courtney (my girlfriend) is here on a Fulbright grant and will be studying youth participation in civil society across the Republic of Turkey. You can read her blog (which will quite be interesting and informative) here.

I arrived in the late hours (due to a flight delay that involved 7 hours in Heathrow) Saturday evening. I had promised Courtney I would run a portion of the Eurasia (starts in Asia and ends in Europe) marathon the next day. Courtney completed the marathon...I completed just over two miles. The marathon was an interesting introduction into Turkish culture...let's just say it wasn't exactly Boston in terms of fanfare. The Turks seemed more puzzled by WHY someone would run 42 km (26.2 mi) than excited about cheering the runners on.

I've spent the majority of this week getting settled and getting a general feel for the city. We are currently residing at a sort of dorm for American researchers in a small fishing village called Arnavutkoy. It is a beautiful area and it has been interesting to talk with all of the other Fulbrighters. It is certainly an eclectic mix of people. Though our accomodation is nice, we are actively looking for a more centrally located (and bigger) living space.

I hope everyone is well. I'm not sure the exact direction this blog will take, so if anyone is interested in hearing about a certain topic, please send an email or comment in the space available.