Balikesir, Kedilar, ve Baliklar

Tamam, how do I begin? I haven't written an entry in awhile for a few good reasons. The first is that the University Guesthouse I've occupied for the last week or so was without internet. Nowadays, the only places without internet are Jungles and Turkish University Guesthouses, or maybe just those in Bilecik. But the second reason is far more positive. The weekend was spent in Balikesir, visiting a fellow Fulbrighter. Balikesir is located about 4 hours West of Bilecik, in the Marmara region, where the climate is a bit warmer, and palm trees have just enough sustinance to survive. Balikesir literally translates to "Fish Slave," and for obvious reasons. My friend and I took full advantage of the fish market, selling the freshest sea creatures for wonderfully cheap prices. It wasn't long before we had picked out a pair of fish, lathered them in olive oil (the fish were getting their own little hamam experience), and placing them in the oven. After 25 minutes or so, they came out tasting perfect. I was longing for a home cooked meal (which is ridiculous if you've had my Mom's cooking. I'm not saying she's a lackluster cook, but the options are limited. She sometimes gets a tad overzealous, and creates a storm of a casserole, or something that wasn't supposed to be a casserole but became a casserole. But actually, she makes a hell of a macaroni and cheese, and her sautéed veggies are unbelievable. If you're reading this, Mom, I love you and your cooking. Don't pay any attention to this. You're a great cook), and this hit the spot.

But just as enthralling as the fish was the town and all it had to offer. My friend is a lucky guy, living in Balikesir. I won't say a word about his apartment, except that it was pristine. And the numerous cafe/bars, shops, markets, and mall stores were enough to put any consumer American at ease. Balikesir was about as sweet as the rice pudding I devoured on my final night there. Inshallah, I'll be back sooner than later.

As for Bilecik, the University gladly accepted my suggestion to live in town and promptly moved me back to the original hotel I've been staying at. I'm at the hotel indefinitely, though I've met an English teacher looking for a housemate in town. That may be a possibility, depending. This English teacher is associated with a private English-teaching firm that has expressed interest in having me work. I'm currently working 20 hours, and may take up that opportunity. It may be wise to do so, especially if I'm thinking of summer work teaching English in, say, Istanbul.

My Turkish is coming along slowly but steadily. If only my memory were sharp. I am finding, however, that I'm able to identify individual words and suffixes in sentences, and that's the first step I think, so things are looking up! For now, I'm just going to kick back, respond to some e-mails, read a little Zinn, and hit the hay. Love and miss you all.

Uh oh

In the midst of all this hectic paperwork for my pending residency permit, bank account, and whatnot, I was abruptly moved to an isolated location on the outskirts of Bilecik University. I am all by myself in a guest house of sorts, miles from town, surrounded by stumpy trees, and without internet (I'm currently at a cafe). So while I describe my new living arraignment, I'm simultaneously establishing the ideal setting for a horror flick. I'll try not to think on that further..

And so my efforts for the next few days will be spent trying to get out of that housing situation and hopefully finding a suitable place closer to town. Frankly, it doesn't even need to be "suitable," it just needs to be "closer."

Besides that, I'm doing just fine. I've become a "regular" at a few local cafes and I'm learning the streets better each day. This weekend I had the pleasure of sleeping in until 11:00 and further exploring the town at my leisure. It felt like one giant Coca-Cola commercial as I passed kids playing soccer on the streets, little old men in little old houses, and rambunctious feral cats. The only thing missing was an actual bottle of Coke. I made the juvenile mistake of closely approaching a large mosque at prayer time. My eardrums payed the price as the wall to prayer swept across the mountainous landscape. The echoing bellows bounced around for quite awhile before being swallowed up by the air. As the prayer faded out, the sounds of military exercises in the distance stole any sense of silence. I marched back down the steep streets and enjoyed a Turkish culinary special, lahmacun, at an undiscovered little restaurant. Lahmacun is what you might expect to be Turkish pizza: cheap, crispy, meaty, and filling. It's best with lettuce, pickled cabbage, and fresh squeezed lemon juice over the top.

I make sure to keep everyone updated on my housing. Even if you don't particularly care, I need to get it off my chest. Environment is so very important.

I've enjoyed getting lost in this blog for awhile. Back to reality and, soon, my isolated-beyond-belief guest house. You couldn't find me with a satellite. Miss you all! Goodnight.

Images of Bilecik

Hello's and Goodbye's

As I teach my students proper greetings and goodbye's, I thought I'd divulge an element of Turkish culture I have yet to grow accustomed to: the old faux-double-kiss-on-the-cheek. I believe you know what I refer to. And although it's common here, I feel caught off-guard every time someone "leans-in." In a few weeks I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, but I haven't mastered the transition from smile to handshake to (complete transition of the hands) cheek-tap, not to mention the timing, which has resulted in some awkward lingering just centimeters from the face of a colleague or a student.

On a less uncomfortable note, I've been spending a good amount of time acquainting myself with the city. I appreciate seeing some of the same faces every day, and although we won't speak the same language, their presence is comforting and helps me feel less alone. The family-owned restaurant I regularly eat at, the cafe down the road, and the lobby of my hotel are comfortable spots I'm feeling increasingly familiar with. Right now, in fact, I'm at a favorite cafe (Khaverengi, which also means 'brown') that seems popular with the university crowd. I usually find a table by myself, work on lesson plans, determine future plans, edit writing samples, and compose blog entries. The stares of most people haven't ceased, but it's provoked a few good people to introduce themselves. Their limited English and my limited Turkish make matters a little tough, but if you can flash a few smiles at just the right time everything seems to work out just fine.

Also, I'm starting to get acquainted with the various personalities at the University. I can't help but smile when I run across the Turkish version of a friend back home. That's happened quite a bit and it's always a joy, not simply because it's funny, but because it's nice to keep friends in mind. I've even been compelled to defend my thesis to a colleague in the Economics department. For those unfamiliar, it was a comparative study of democratization in Egypt and Turkey, and I'm glad for the input and the criticism. It's revealed to me the limits of academic research from outside the environment I've studied.

That's it for the time being. I'll head back to my hotel, watch an episode of 30 Rock, and hit the hay. I'm thinking of a trip to Izmir. We'll see. Goodnight.

A Cafe in Bursa

BURSA

This past weekend, I took a brief trip to Bursa where I met up with a fellow Fulbrighter and sought out adventures. I must say how fortunate I am to be located in Bilecik, which is close to so many points of interest, Bursa being one of them. Unlike the town of Bilecik, Bursa is a booming metropolis. It's famous for its role as the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, and in a more contemporary context, it's role as an important commercial center.

I can't say we toured any businesses, or got a sense of Bursa's business district, but we had ourselves a wonderful time exploring mosques, a bustling indoor/outdoor marketplace, and the most beautiful cafe area I've seen. I was recently informed that it's a remnant of the glorious silk-trading days, and functioned as a spot for the silk-merchants to mingle, deal, and compare silks (?). Today, it's home to four or five individual cafes, and provides the perfect place to sit, drink chai, and chat for hours in a tree-laden court yard of sorts.

But that wasn't the best part of my trip to Bursa. Oh no, not even close... The experience I'll likely never forget was dipping into my first Iskender Kebab - a disorganized amalgamation of bread, meat, tomato, yogurt, and butter sauce. Words can't describe... All I can say is that, should I find myself on death row some day, my final meal will be a heaping portion of Iskender Kebab with a side of lobster and maybe a slice of cheescake, or two, or three if I'm trying to eat myself to death before the guards do me in via lethal injection. The meal was outrageously decadent and cost a pretty penny too (we were told our restaurant was the place that invented the stuff way back in the mid nineteen-hundreds). It was easily worth it, however.

I really can't neglect how beautiful this country is. Bursa itself is a city partially on the slope of a mountain. It's characterized by old, multi-colored Ottoman houses that just scream foreign romance film. I've heard the region is popular for its skiing, and I can believe it. The mountains are prominent and powerful. A skiers paradise, really.

Bursa was a blast. My friend and I took a quick look around their famed shopping plaza, Zafer Plaza, complete with giant blue pyramid indicative of a project with more money than they know what to do with. The mall was nice - I mean really nice. I resisted a trip to their Starbucks - a nicer Starbucks than any I've seen in the States.

That's all for now. I'm running on empty after a long day of teaching. I believe my students (all 180-200 of them) have been having fun. Stay tuned.