August 2009

Victory in Istanbul

During my visit to Istanbul last weekend, I came across more Turkish flags than I had before. Seeing the Turkish flag proudly displayed everywhere is not necessarily something unusual, particularly in the major cities where nationalist support is usually greater. However, this weekend prompted many businesses to drape GIANT Turkish flags, along with images of Ataturk, over their buildings. Shimmering modern office towers or malls were coveredby the Turk Bayrak (Bi-rahk), the Turkish flag, this weekend.

Turks, an already super patriotic culture, ramped it up this weekend to celebrate Zafer Bayram (Victory Day), one of Turkey’s national holidays. Turkey’s Victory Day celebrates their successful war for independence. Victory Day (August 30) marks the day the Turks beat the Greeks and took back the rest of Western Anatolia (the Asian side) in the Battle of Dumlupinar. Although the Turks were out manned, they had much better heavy artillery and leadership, including Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who became the first President of Turkey.

During World War I, leaders in Britain, Russia, Germany, Greece, France, and Italy all made plans and signed secret agreements about how they would divide up the Ottoman Empire when it would inevitably fall. The Ottoman Empire stretched from modern day Turkey to as far south as Palestine, as far east as Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and also north into what is now Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. (See a complete map of the Ottoman Empire .) Although the Sultan in Istanbul supposedly ran this large empire from Constantinople, his rule was actually quite limited by the early 20th century and tribal leaders in each of the particular areas ruled instead.

In this setting, the Allies, particularly Britain, thought sabotaging the Ottoman Empire and setting up puppet governments in its place would be an excellent prize to the massive war they were engaged in. There were numerous secret agreements being made by Britain to France and Russia for places like Constantinople, Syria, and Palestine (we all know how this one has turned out). However, due in part to a series of military blunders and miscalculations, along with superb leadership from Mustafa Kemal, Turkey was able to ultimately keep the foreign powers at bay and eventually push them out of what is now modern Turkey.

I’m happy to say that during this period of secret agreements in WWI, US President Woodrow Wilson did not engage in any of this. In fact, Wilson’s actions, particularly his 14 points, are part of the reason why America had been, and to some extent still is, well liked by Middle Eastern countries. Wilson made it clear in his 14 points that if the Ottoman Empire were to fall, sovereign governments should be created in the interest and by local residents, not governments in the interest of Britain, France, or Russia.

Having been able to understand this history, I was really happy to celebrate Victory Day with the Turks (I even bought a Turkish flag for the occasion.) As an American, I can identify with the need to celebrate independence from the control of a colonial empire. In fact, I was actually excited about this day more than some of my Turkish friends.

“It’s not a big, big, deal like the fourth of July,” said a friend who is studying in the US, “Turkey has always been independent.”

Of course, many, many Turks did celebrate yesterday, and the love for their country was apparent as you could walk down any street and see the Turkish flag proudly displayed in storefronts, from balconies, and even at bus stops. When I showed the flag I bought to my host, Bilal, and asked if I got a good deal, he said, “This is a beautiful thing. It is priceless.” He kissed it three times mentioning that this was the proper way to show your respect to the flag.

So, if you think you have absolutely nothing in common with Turks, think again. If you are proud to be an American, proud that the US stood on its own two feet against King George, proud that your vote matters, and that your life isn’t dictated by bureaucrats an ocean away (rather by bureaucrats on the same continent instead). Take solace that you and Turks are proud of the same thing, proud to be free, proud to run your own country, and proud that your flag continues to fly high.

Family Matters

As I mentioned when I first arrived, my friend Mehmet and his family have opened their home and their hearts to me for nearly two months now.  Unfortunately, my time in their home is up.  Today, I will be leaving to house-sit for a British diplomat living elsewhere in the city during the next month.

I’ve mentioned a few times already that being hospitable to guests is among the highest of virtues for many Turks.  As a yabanci (yah-bahn-ji) or foreigner, many Turks have gone far out of their way to help me.  I’ve had Turks take me to locations personally when I was lost, even if they were heading in the opposite direction. (See Map Quest post) In Antalya last week, a man and his wife asked me to sit down and have a drink with them after only a few minutes of conversation while standing on a ledge by the Mediterranean.  Not only have my Turkish friends who studied in Boston brought me to dinner or invited me to see their homes or cities, but friends of those friends have called me, out of the blue, offering any help or assistance.  In fact, I’ll be staying at one of those friends of friend’s apartments this weekend while in Istanbul.

However, none of the hospitality I’ve been given in the last two months can compare to the hospitality shown by Mehmet and his family.  From the first day, Mehmet and Malek, along with their children Sezer and Zeynep, have done anything they could to help me adjust to living in Turkey.  Mehmet has constantly looked out for me, and I really appreciated the numerous times he has gone out of his way to help me.  For example, he went along with with me on the hour long dolmus ride on my first day and walked to my class building so I couldn’t get lost, even though this journey meant he would be late for work and have to come home later that day.  Mehmet, the CFO for Turkish Radio and Television (TRT), already spends long hours at work, often leaving home at around 9:30am and not coming home until 7 or 8pm, and sometimes even later.

Moreover, I would not be so healthy and well off had it not been for Malek making sure my belly was always full.  If you don’t believe me, check out some of the meals she prepared for me in the photo gallery under “Good Eats in Turkey.”  Malek, an artist in the kitchen, went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that I was always fed.  One night, I came home very late around 10 or 11pm.  I had a small dinner earlier, but of course, Malek said I needed to eat something, and after what only seemed like seconds, she came out with a piping hot dolma stuffed with rice and vegetables.

As for Sezer and Zeynep, they have been incredibly understanding of my “intrusion” into their space.  I haven’t mentioned this, but I’m currently staying in Sezer’s usual room.  Don’t worry, Sezer isn’t sleeping on the couch.  There is a third room, a bit smaller, but still a room with a bed and all the other basic necessities.  As for my adjustment to them, I grew up an only child so living with an 8 and a 4 year-old has been distracting occasionally, sometimes overwhelming, and on some days, made me want to pull my hair out.  But more often than not, they made me smile and gave me plenty of good reasons to procrastinate from this blog including letting Sezer show me his Grand Theft Auto car collection or giving Zeynep a free ride on my shoulders.

I’ve grown incredibly fond of Mehmet and his family.  They’ve done more than I would ever ask, including laundry.  They’ve trusted me with their home, I’ve house-sitted for almost a combined two weeks when Mehmet and his family have been out of town.  We’ve shared a lot of time together, from grilling in the park, to playing basketball, to sitting down and watching American movies like “Office Space,” “The Blues Brothers,” “Sgt. Bilko,” and “Hitch.”  The only thing I’ve been asked in return is to help Sezer with his English, which I’ve been more than happy to do.

I’ll never forget the time I’ve spent on the seventh floor of 15 Zuhtu Tigrel, behind door #20.  It’s reminded me of the importance of one of our greatest virtues, giving.   In a world moving so fast and where so many of us are caught up in our individual wants and needs, we sometimes forget about how good it feels to help out our fellow man.

Really fresh fish

Last weekend, I traveled to Kayseri, Turkey to visit Erciyes University, where I will be teaching this fall, and also to get my first look at Cappadocia, one of the most fantastic regions in Turkey.   I was treated wonderfully and had some great experiences (stories coming soon).  However, one thing surprised me so much in Kayseri, I just wanted to quickly post the video.  I’ve always heard the the fish was amazing in Turkey, and very, very fresh.  In fact, most places in Turkey don’t even scale their fish, and I have seen grocers literally gutting the fish in the morning and shortly after putting them on the stand to be sold.  However, I never expected to walk down a street in Kayseri (which is a land locked city by the way, no ocean for at least a hundred miles) and see fish so fresh they were flapping on the street.  I’m not exaggerating either.  See for yourself.

WARNING: This video is not suitable for all stomachs.

All roads lead to Turkish

UPDATE (8/31/09): This story was published in one of the two English language newspapers in Turkey, “Today’s Zaman.”  View it here.

Navigating crowded streets filled with the morning traffic of downtown Ankara, I find the plain eight-story graystone that I report to every weekday morning. Nestled away on the fourth floor is a cultural wonderland. In this room, 16 people, who belong to nine nationalities and collectively speak at least eight different languages, come together each day. No, I don’t work at an international agency; this is just my Level 1 Turkish class.

Three weeks ago, I came to Ankara to continue my Turkish language studies at Ankara University’s TOMER program. Certainly, I expected to pick up much more Turkish in the class, but I didn’t expect to see so much diversity.

Nearly everyone is in their mid twenties except Nye, a retired British expat who has spent many of his years (he won’t reveal how long) living and working in Turkey. When asked by our instructor on the first day how he managed so long without learning any Turkish, he replied, “I’m a good Englishman.” The youngest members of our class are a pair of mischievous 15-year-old twins from Kazakhstan who almost always seem to be in sync with each other from answering questions in unison to leaning against the wall and falling asleep together in just the same manner.

There is one other group of siblings in the class, three Americans from Seattle. From ages 15 to 19, they’ve spent almost all of their summers in Turkey with their American mother and Turkish father. I originally met them while lost amidst the crammed registration room during the first day. They had originally been placed by their father in a much higher level, but eventually ended up in the basic class with us several days later.

Two other students came to the class because of husband related needs. One of them, an energetic Bosnian woman in her late twenties, moved to Turkey for her husband’s new job as a television translator. The other woman, a soft-spoken Afghani, is actually trying to learn English in Turkey while she waits for a visa to the US in order to rejoin her Turkish husband. However, English is only taught in Turkish, so she’s taking our class first.

Several of my classmates have taken a giant leap with few safety nets in coming to Turkey. As an American living for the next year on a government sponsored Fulbright grant, I know that I have a lot of resources available. But, that’s not the case for everybody. I think particularly of one young woman in her mid twenties from Iran. During class breaks, she tells us about her longing to return to Iran, and why, for personal reasons, she can’t go back at the moment. Even though I lived in Boston, a city with an outstandingly mixed population, I’ve met few Iranians. I’ve met even less that have lived there within the last five years, so it was refreshing to hear from a recent expat.

Filling out the rest of the class are four foreign students from Pakistan, Libya, Syria, and Hong Kong. The three Middle Eastern students are studying various subjects at Turkish universities. Although their instructors speak English, they felt it was time to try and learn some Turkish. Meanwhile, Ivory, from Hong Kong, is visiting for the summer as a part of her Turkish studies program in Taiwan.

Looking out at the class, it’s quite amazing to see how Turkey has brought us together from all over the world. Together, we stumble through our Turkish vowel harmony as we try to get our tongues around phrases like “Ben burada oturuyorum.” Amidst the incredibly welcoming but still foreign world outside, a world we hope to become better acquainted with by improving our Turkish. By practicing in our friendly group, we’ve stepped out of our shells, dared to speak more Turkish, and strengthened our resolve.

“With almost all of us knowing some English,” said Nye, “I think we’ve really been able to become quite a joined up group.”

Meanwhile, our instructor and her seemingly limitless amount of patience for us has been a saving grace. She continues to smile and encourage us, even while we struggle and sometimes wreak havoc with the intricacies of her native language. While constantly keeping a positive attitude, and often indulges us, by straying from the lesson at hand, and leading a conversation, in Turkish, about movies, music, or our curiosities about each other’s countries instead.

Some of my classmates can’t help but be drawn in by the class.

“I never planned on studying in Turkey, it wasn’t even on my list,” said Ivory from Hong Kong, “It was like fate.”

Whether you believe in fate or not, you can’t deny there is something special about a group of people coming from all across the world…to learn Turkish.

A glimpse of Istanbul

After two months, this blog can finally begin to live up to its name, the Turk FILM Project.  Below is the first of what I hope will be many videos to come.  I’m still getting adjusted to filming in Turkey and getting comfortable with the language, so this video is very simple with no interviews or voice over.  However, I believe the images coupled with the sound of a live Turkish street band provide a perfect little introduction about life on this side of the world.  The video is a very tiny peek at Turkey’s largest and most visited city, Istanbul.

For over 3000 years, Istanbul remains one of the most important cities on Earth.  As Byzantium and Constantinople, the city served as the capital for two of the world’s most influential empires, the Byzantines and Romans.  The city continues to play a major role in world and was recently named the cultural capital of Europe.  This is a very small glimpse of the incredible city known as Istanbul.

I want to thank all of you who are already regular readers; I’ve gotten some great emails and feedback about the site.  If you are reading, please feel free to make any comments public.  You do not need a user name to comment on any of the articles, just simply type in your comments with a valid email addres.  I hope that this site can be a malleable tool where visitors can help steer content by asking questions and posting their curiosities about Turkey.

And now, please enjoy Turk Film’s inaugural video: A Glimpse of Istanbul.

This video was filmed during my past two visits in Istanbul.  The images are primarily from some of Istanbul’s most visited sites including the Hagia Sofia, the Sultan Ahmet Cami (the Blue Mosque), the Spice Bazaar, Galata Tower, Topkapi Palace, and from various locations on the Bosphorus.  The band’s name is unknown, but are playing on one of Istanbul’s most vibrant avenues, Istiklal Caddesi.

Bursting bubbles on the bus

In Turkey, traveling between cities in large, comfortable coach buses is one of the most efficient and cost effective ways of getting around the country.  Turkey is served by at least 15 different bus companies, although that is a pretty conservative estimate.  However, Kamil Koc (Coach), Metro Turizm, and Pammukale are the three largest bus companies serving Turkey.  So far, I’ve made the 5 1/2 to 6 hour trip between Ankara and Istanbul four times, but no trip was more memorable than my first when I met a spirited 20 year-old from Kenya named Joel (pronounce Joe-el).

In the spacious bus, I was sitting in my window seat watching the crowds pushing and shoving their luggage across the gates of the Ankara’s Otogar (bus terminal) when the tall and lanky Joel took the seat next to mine.  Joel was escorted in by two, young Turkish men who were smiling from rim to rim, and before leaving, each gave Joel the “infamous” two cheek kiss.

I always jump at the chance to practice my Turkish, so the few words I said to Joel and his friends were in Turkish.  This led to a funny moment as the bus pulled away from the station.  Joel and I started to say a few words in Turkish to each other, and attempted some sort of conversation.  It took us about 5 or 10 minutes before we realized each of us spoke perfect English.

After that, our conversation really took off.  I learned that although Joel and I lived on two very different continents (Africa and North America), we had some very similar experiences and interests.  Joel was interested in going to college for technical theater and film.  I told Joel about my work as a lighting technician in Boston, as well as some stories about my time doing production work for ESPN and local television outlets at home.

I have to admit my scope was widened during the four or five hours Joel and I spent chatting about film, today’s technology in film and theater, living in Turkey, and our own countries.  I’ve spent 23 years living in an American Bubble that has certainly allowed me to paint some very generic pictures of the world.  Even though one of my college roommates and best friends is also from Kenya, I never would have expected IF a Kenyan visiting Turkey sat down next to me on a bus that his interests would be in technical theater and film.

I told Joel this, mentioning that many Americans I know picture Kenyans as an incredibly skinny people who spend their days running across deserts while living among lions and elephants.   He laughed, and added that many Kenyans picture Americans and other Westerners as people who live in “a fantasyland.”  From the Kenyan perspective, “the West is a place of no problems, no sickness, and plenty of money,”  said Joel.

“But when you travel (to richer countries),” Joel reflected, “you realize issues that effect humans, effect them everywhere.”

With that sentence alone, I think Joel summed up the main purpose of the Fulbright grant and why I’m out here documenting my trip.  We all have had visions of people in another country living in a carefree environment.  For example, today’s proponents of health care trumpet the happiness of Canadians, Brits, Danes, and etc.  However, we can’t deny that the world is much more complicated.

For this reason I do hope readers of the blog will be able to get a more clearer look at Turkey and its different communities.  More importantly however, I hope this yearlong expedition will help make me a better journalist.  I expect to have many more “bubble bursting” moments.  I can only hope that through these experiences, I will be able to write and pursue stories in the future with an enlarged and more careful perspective.  Whether I end up covering local, national, or international issues, my ability to carefully process information without making rash generalizations will be critical.

It’s true that I’ll be a teacher while in Turkey.  But, I am the real student. Turkey is my classroom, and the people I’ve met, people like Joel who have helped burst my bubble, are my teachers.

Here’s hoping I’ll get an A.

Turkey’s secret treasures

Picture a small village in middle of nowhere. When you look around, you see nothing but a few small flats and buildings that make up the “town square.” Alongside the narrow road serving as “main street”, farmers stand next to their overloaded tables bulging with fresh tomatoes, melons, and other fresh fruit. As you look away from the town, you see nothing but endless fields of wheat and rolling mountains sitting on the horizon. This is the small township of Polatli, Turkey. 72 km (43 miles) west of Ankara, the town is not far from the city of 4 million. However, Turkey is a country made up of large urban centers surrounded by much smaller townships and even smaller villages. For example, Turkey’s 2007 census reports that about 12.5 million people live in Istanbul alone while about 20.8 million people live in all of Turkey’s non-urban areas combined.

Polatli was not our destination, however, but the last checkpoint with civilization before setting out in search of the 3000 year-old capital of Phrygia, Gordion. Located in the incredibly small Turkish village of Yassihüyük (Yas-see-hew-yewk), Gordion was an incredibly important and strategic city for two empires: the Assyrians (Phyrigians) and the Greeks.

During the Phyrigian period, Gordion lied right at the river crossing for the road connecting Lydia and Babylonia. At the time, these cities were equivalent to today’s New York and London. They were huge city centers where much of the world’s power was concentrated.

For the Greeks, the city is the subject of one of its most famous myths: King Alexander and the Gordian Knot. According to the myth, Gordion had no established leader during its formation. Instead, an oracle predicted that the next person to enter the city driving an ox cart would become King. A poor peasant named Gordias entered carrying his ox cart with his son, Midas. Gordias was quickly declared the new leader. Midas, in honor of his father’s succession, dedicated the cart to the gods and tied it to a post with a very intricate knot.

The Gordian Knot, as it became known, would remain tied until 333 BC when Alexander the Great would

attempt to untie the knot. Previously, the oracles had said whoever could untangle the knot would rise to power as the next King of Asia. The impatient 23 year-old would ultimately cut the knot with his sword in a fit of rage. After his “success” at Gordion, Alexander would go on to conquer the rest of the known Asian continent, but his kingdom would be very short lived. Ten years later, King Alexander would die of a severe fever in Babylon. Some say Alexander was cursed by the gods for taking the easy way out with the Gordion knot.

In Turkey, I am surprised almost on a daily basis of how much history I can find around me. As two of my classmates and I drove through seemingly endless fields of wheat, I asked myself, “How did anyone find anything out here?” But there they were, hidden among the hills and rocks of Turkey lay the ruins of Gordion’s inner city.

My traveling companions included Nye, a retired British civil engineer who has lived in Turkey for many years, and Ivory, a student from Hong Kong visiting Turkey for the next two months as a part of her university program. Both of them are in my Turkish class, which I will talk about later in the blog. Feeling a bit like Indiana Jones, we walked along a small path circling the remnants of the ancient citadel. We had almost walked into the archeological site when the Turkish man in charge of watching over it warned us off. As a Boston resident where the oldest surviving structure is, at best, 500-600 years old, this was an experience. Standing on a cliff overlooking what was once an ancient citadel housing a powerful King, all his amenities, and the ancient elite, I couldn’t help but feel more connected with the ancient world I had spent years in my history and Latin classes reading about.

Just beyond the ruined citadel, you can see many small mounds in the distance. These mounds are not ordinary hills, but the burial mounds of Phrygia’s kings. The tallest and only excavated mound is the tomb of “King Midas” (the Midas Tumulus). Yes, this is thought to be the King Midas who was granted the golden touch. However, upon entering the tomb, visitors find out that the Midas portion may be exaggerated. In all the books that speak about Gordion, one is led to believe you will see the tomb of King Midas. Upon arrival however, the visitor is told at the entrance to the tomb that although the mound certainly contained one of Phrygia’s greatest kings, it seemed to have been built too early for Midas. Instead, archeologists believe the tomb probably belonged to Gordias, the father of King Midas. Alas, it appears that the site was nothing but fools gold!

Nonetheless, the site was incredibly interesting and the chance to step so far into a 3000 year-old tomb was invigorating. Walking just ten feet into the tomb, we noticed the temperature drop at least 30 degrees. We walked about 200 feet down a narrow tunnel built by archeologists in the 1950s when they discovered the tomb. All of the valuables and bodies were removed and given to either the Gordion Museum across the street or to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara. All that remained in the tomb itself was the wooden frame built by immense logs. The frame resembled a log cabin. As tradition dictated, the Phyrigians buried and sealed the tomb with earth and rock.

After our six hour adventure in Gordion, we rested at a small outpost behind the Midas tomb. The single story ranch was built out of the red rock found everywhere in Turkey. Sipping on Schweppes bitter lemon, we all agreed the adventure was much more surprising and interesting than expected.

Earlier, I mentioned my trip to Gordion to Mehmet, my Turkish host. He looked at me with shock and said, “Matt, why are you going out there? Nothing but rocks and dead plants. Not very interesting.” Mehmet was right that there were plenty of both rocks and dead plants in Gordion, but there was also so much more. With so much of Turkey’s main attractions crawling with tourists, one can get lost in the hustle. Getting away and visiting a much less traveled site provided us with a chance to really take the time and soak in what we were seeing.

That day in Gordion, I learned Turkey’s treasures are not just in Sultanahmet or along the Aegean Coast. Some of Turkey’s most breathtaking sites lay off the beaten path, away from the carpet dealers and tourist traps of the cities, and all you need is the motivation and the right companions to travel through the intimidating Turkish landscape and discover the treasures scattered across the country.