WOW o WOW I am so far behind on this blog. We are actually on day 11 but my blog is only at day 6. I'm only posting one per day (when I have a internet connection... and no world cup match to watch :{.
Day 6 Canakkale- Gallipoli
This morning begins with a departure from Bursa early in the morning and a trip along the Sea of Mariana (Northwest Turkey) to the Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea. This whole area is lots of coastlines and hills. Very Beautiful.
As we have been traveling our guide, Oran, has been giving us background information about the areas where we travel and about many of the sites. I am not yet sure how much to believe (just kidding, Oran) but it's all very interesting while providing depth into the history and culture of Turkey.
Our sites today revolve around WWI and the invasion of the land by a combined force of Australian and New Zealand armies, under British command. These men fought against Ottoman (Turkish) forces to control the Waterways that lead ultimately from the Atlantic Ocean to modern day Russia, Ukraine, and the Caucus region. As many students of history know, controlling the methods of travel and the areas where fighting occurs is very important. This area could be compared to the Asia Minor version of Normandy but with less successful results.
The land has a serene and almost holy feel to it. The number of soldiers that fought and died on this land is depressing. You can see and probably walk in (I didn't) the trenches, which are only 2-3ft deep in places. And must have made for miserable living conditions. Soldiers if they stood up were likely to be shot by opposing forces. We stopped at several locations that day that connected to the fighting from this series of battles during WWI.
One of the sites had a statue of the oldest survivor from these battles (108 years old) holding his granddaughters had. The statue had such great joy to it like it was saying a message to his granddaughter and the children of Turkey that great sorrow happened in the past but peace and happiness can be the future.
Another stop was at a memorial dedicated to the fallen Australian and New Zealand soldiers. The post-WWI reformer of Turkey is quoted saying "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons." The leader's name is Mustafa Kemal, but he is called Atatürk which means father of Turks. He is still a very important national figure much like George Washington. You can find him in every city. He is on all of the currency bills and busts of him are a common site while walking the streets of big cities. In my opinion and with very limited knowledge Atatürk made some great decisions as a reformer of the sultanate but his work is not yet done and another round of reforms is needed to make the Turkish society more equal.
The plan was to continue on to see the famed city of Troy (thanks Brad Pitt) and then head to the hotel for some much needed rest, but the trip and stops have taken too much time. Therefore we headed to the hotel which was like a small beach side resort in North Carolina. Down a short path brings you to the Dardanelles and some very refreshing saltwater.
Evening was spent with my cohorts on the balcony over looking the pine trees to the water. I also had my first true Turkish coffee and my fortune was read by our waiter and a Selma, a Turkish teacher from Istanbul who came along as a cultural guide and translator. There are good things in the near future although there will be some struggles. Real specific right? He was able to tell me the secret number I choose through reading the cup, though.
For your info: Turkish coffee is made with a special cup that is used as an individual boiler. The coffee is ground to a fine powder then is put into the cup (made of metal) and boiled. After it is at a rolling boil for 1minute you pour off the top layer then let it boil for a few more minutes. Pour directly into a mug and then let its it so that the grounds can settle. Drink slowly and let it settle often or else you get a mouthful of sandy coffee grounds.
To do the reading, after you finish drinking the coffee. Take the saucer and put it on top of the cup. Then flip them over together. After the cup cools you can read the remains (a lot of grounds stick inside of it). When the cup has been effectively read, pour the coffee from the saucer back in to the cup and then you can have the saucer read.
I think there are some regional differences because Selma to put some metal on top of the cup while it cools and the waiter seemed to scoff at this.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Nomadic Life
Left Istanbul early in the morning. Saying goodbye was tough. The city is beautiful and I will recommend it for the rest of my life. Also, I think I have rarely felt safer in a major metropolis.
Anyway we checked out of our awesome hotel for some fun as nomads in the Turkish countryside.
We hopped on the bus for a 2 hour trip toward Bursa, a secondary city in Turkey. On our way we took a ferry boat that threatened to steal everyone's hats and also a mean pack of seagulls. On the ferry we enjoyed scenic views of the Sea of Marmara, right between the Aegean and the Black Seas.
Keeping in touch has been spotty due to 30 people trying to use only so much bandwidth. Not the best situation. We made a stop at the Osman Hamdi Hey Museum, the Turkish enlightenment leader. We saw his very impressive house as well as reproductions of many of his pieces of artwork. Check out his painting "training turtles". A work with well disguised criticism.
We travel for a few more hours and arrive in Bursa at the Karagoz theatre. This is a traditional shadow puppet theatre that is run as a passion project by an actor who has been on several national shows and soap operas. He is also a voice actor for radio and TV. This type of theatre is usually short moralistic or themed plays that tell about life and times in Turkey. The two main characters are Karagoz and Hacivet and they are friends that have opposing personalities (think the odd couple). The play that we watched was about 15-20 mins long and I videoed the whole thing so if you want to see it let me know. I may post it.
The actor put oink the whole thing using a backlight set of 6 puppets and did all of the voices himself. He only knew enough English to greet and thank us, so the whole thing was in Turkish. It was incredible though because I could understand the story with few problems. He told us about making the puppets (very thin leather that is painted) and how he writes and performs the plays.
We then head to Ulucami Mosque. Image a huge indoor square the size of a city block, with a 20 Ft diameter fountain underneath a glass dome that is about 70 Ft high. Huge 70ft high columns about every 30 Ft that are decoratively designed with Arabic script. There have been many timers in my life where I wished I read Arabic because it is such a beautifully written language. The calligraphy was mirrored most of the time so it was very aesthetically pleasing. All of the calligraphy is either prayers or names of prophets, religious leaders, or god (Allah). Most of the scripts have Allah hidden in them somewhere, so it may be a sign that says Muhammad but within the picturesque script is the name of god and sometimes written multiple times. After we leave the Mosque (which is still active even while we toured it). Many women and men were praying and one man was chanting the Koran to a group of about 20 men.
We left the Mosque to go shopping in yet another Bazaar. This time the SILK bazaar. I and a few others wanted to find Karagozx and Hacivat puppets so we asked Orhan, our guide, where we could find them. He was very helpful but not specific enough. We went right past and traveled around the actual silk bazaar and couldn't find the puppets. Finally, we got back to the silk bazaar and met up with another person on our tour who took us right to the shop that had the puppets. They were about 100 lira ($50) each and I opted for the cardboard ones, not as classy but I'm okay with it and I have the video anyway. Walked and shopped a bit more then finally met back up with the group to head to the hotel.
The hotel is kind of out of the way so not much local flavor so we hung out in the lobby but on the side of the building is a huge public park/ square (actually a trapezoid). This was set up for what looked like a massive wedding/concert/carnival all at the same time. At 9pm we realized that it was set up for Iftar. So I mentioned that it is Ramadan, the holy month for Islam. During thisa month everyone is supposed to fast for the daylight hours and then eat when the sun goes down. By the way it is summer here and the days are long about 18 hours off daylight. Impressive, right? It gets more impressive when you learn that they can't drink water, chew gum, or smoke (much bigger in Turkey than America). Organ said the not smoking was hardest. Anyway people were gathering to break their fast together. Then the carnival rides and tents started lighting up. It was awesome. And by that I mean I was in Awe.
The internet has been terrible for connectivity... sorry for the delay in postings.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Leaf grandpa and Dining with Diplomats
Wow another day is almost done. Today was a day of travel with a few stops at differing locations on our way to and in Bursa(south of Istanbul).
First let me tell you about yesterday. July 1st was a day of learning. We got an early start and walked from our hotel through Taksim square (where riots were almost a year ago to the day) and continued our Turkish Cultural Education. We began with the chairman of the Turkish Cultural Foundation (the organization in charge of the tour) who told us about the current situation in Turkey and about his perception of US- Turkey relations. He was very informative but he and others made reference to the Turkish/ Armenian conflicts of the past. I believe that they think it is a very prominent idea in the American debates. I doubt too many people know about the events of old and of those who do I would be only 5% have a real opinion.
We continued on with the leaders of a few NGO's (non-governmental organizations). They were all very informative and interesting. One group promotes the child and parent relationships, another was a women empowerment program kind of like the micro credit organizations that are active in Africa, and finally TEMA, an environmental organization. This last group was very interesting because although they have the same international problems as the rest of the world, they have their own specific set of issues in Turkey. I also really liked that TEMA was organized by two former industrialists who have become strong advocates for environmental issues. The two men are now called leaf and soil grandfather. I want America to get an environmental figure that is water grandfather or something like that. Any volunteers?
We then sat down with the director of our trip and discussed their goals and how we (me and you too) can further their aims by embracing some part of the Turkish culture. I suggest the food, it's really good. By the way we were eating at this time so I was pretty set on mentioning the food; stuffed grape leave, the noodle cheese casserole (Borguk, I think is how it is spelled) and fresh veggies and olives.
We then went to learn more about the schooling ands education of Turkish Children. We met two very pleasant and well spoken Turkish 10th graders who gave us a tour around their school. By the way, the school was a former palace, built in the 1800's to house the wives(20 or so) and children(83) of a sultan. The school is on the Bosporus River and is in between two 5 star hotels. Itty was a bit run down but was still pretty incredible.
They told us about their schooling and about how it is very rigorous. Students take a test every year after the 7th grade and how well they do on these tests determine where they can go to school and if they move on to the next grade. Very, very competitive. The kids said that have little social life or extra curricular activities and are mostly studying all of the time.
We then walked past one of the two hotels and went to the best school in the country, also on the Bosporus and a former palace. The principal met and talked with us for an hour or so then we left to go to the Grand Bazaar. Much like true spice bazaar but it holds much more. There you can find silk, wool, toys, games, jewelry, leather goods, clothes, shoes, soap, spices, candy and a wide variety of fruit. I didn't buy anything there because our guide said other places will be cheaper for the same stuff. The sales men were very pushy though. They would get in your face and try to force you to take what was in their hand. Then they would say how nonce it was and that you obviously need it because you are holding it. A wild experience.
We ended our day at Armaggan a Turkish restaurant, museum, and art gallery. It was fancy!!! The ground floor level is antiques and fine precious metal goods. The second floor was a fabric studio and shop where they study ancient fabrics and have come up with forgotten formulas for dyes and colorings. Pretty awesome if you think about it. The have categorized some 600 different plants for making colorings. Joanna, you are not getting anything from here it was crazy expensive, like 4000 lira ($2000 for a yard of forgotten silk). They have been recreating fabrics that were made exclusively for the Sultan's from the past 1500 years. Finally, modern art on the 3rd floor by two Turkish Artists, interesting work, I'm bad at describe so I'll just post the pics sometime.
Finally we had a Turkish cuisine lecture and then a discussion and dinner with the head of the Istanbul consulate. It was very very cool to meet a head diplomat (not the ambassador, that guy lives in Ankara not Istanbul or Constantinople... haha). Beautiful culturally fitting meal after our cuisine lecture. I think I will try to recreate some of the foods when I get home.
After a great dinner, back to the hotel for our Final night in Istanbul. A swim on the roof of our hotel, and then an exciting but disappointing end to the day with the US world cup loss. Finally, to bed at 2 am. I was dead this morning, well dead tired.
Info about today will come tomorrow or later tonight. We got an hour of rest which I am doing this and then we will have dinner and hopefully a night on the town.
First let me tell you about yesterday. July 1st was a day of learning. We got an early start and walked from our hotel through Taksim square (where riots were almost a year ago to the day) and continued our Turkish Cultural Education. We began with the chairman of the Turkish Cultural Foundation (the organization in charge of the tour) who told us about the current situation in Turkey and about his perception of US- Turkey relations. He was very informative but he and others made reference to the Turkish/ Armenian conflicts of the past. I believe that they think it is a very prominent idea in the American debates. I doubt too many people know about the events of old and of those who do I would be only 5% have a real opinion.
We continued on with the leaders of a few NGO's (non-governmental organizations). They were all very informative and interesting. One group promotes the child and parent relationships, another was a women empowerment program kind of like the micro credit organizations that are active in Africa, and finally TEMA, an environmental organization. This last group was very interesting because although they have the same international problems as the rest of the world, they have their own specific set of issues in Turkey. I also really liked that TEMA was organized by two former industrialists who have become strong advocates for environmental issues. The two men are now called leaf and soil grandfather. I want America to get an environmental figure that is water grandfather or something like that. Any volunteers?
We then sat down with the director of our trip and discussed their goals and how we (me and you too) can further their aims by embracing some part of the Turkish culture. I suggest the food, it's really good. By the way we were eating at this time so I was pretty set on mentioning the food; stuffed grape leave, the noodle cheese casserole (Borguk, I think is how it is spelled) and fresh veggies and olives.
We then went to learn more about the schooling ands education of Turkish Children. We met two very pleasant and well spoken Turkish 10th graders who gave us a tour around their school. By the way, the school was a former palace, built in the 1800's to house the wives(20 or so) and children(83) of a sultan. The school is on the Bosporus River and is in between two 5 star hotels. Itty was a bit run down but was still pretty incredible.
They told us about their schooling and about how it is very rigorous. Students take a test every year after the 7th grade and how well they do on these tests determine where they can go to school and if they move on to the next grade. Very, very competitive. The kids said that have little social life or extra curricular activities and are mostly studying all of the time.
We then walked past one of the two hotels and went to the best school in the country, also on the Bosporus and a former palace. The principal met and talked with us for an hour or so then we left to go to the Grand Bazaar. Much like true spice bazaar but it holds much more. There you can find silk, wool, toys, games, jewelry, leather goods, clothes, shoes, soap, spices, candy and a wide variety of fruit. I didn't buy anything there because our guide said other places will be cheaper for the same stuff. The sales men were very pushy though. They would get in your face and try to force you to take what was in their hand. Then they would say how nonce it was and that you obviously need it because you are holding it. A wild experience.
We ended our day at Armaggan a Turkish restaurant, museum, and art gallery. It was fancy!!! The ground floor level is antiques and fine precious metal goods. The second floor was a fabric studio and shop where they study ancient fabrics and have come up with forgotten formulas for dyes and colorings. Pretty awesome if you think about it. The have categorized some 600 different plants for making colorings. Joanna, you are not getting anything from here it was crazy expensive, like 4000 lira ($2000 for a yard of forgotten silk). They have been recreating fabrics that were made exclusively for the Sultan's from the past 1500 years. Finally, modern art on the 3rd floor by two Turkish Artists, interesting work, I'm bad at describe so I'll just post the pics sometime.
Finally we had a Turkish cuisine lecture and then a discussion and dinner with the head of the Istanbul consulate. It was very very cool to meet a head diplomat (not the ambassador, that guy lives in Ankara not Istanbul or Constantinople... haha). Beautiful culturally fitting meal after our cuisine lecture. I think I will try to recreate some of the foods when I get home.
After a great dinner, back to the hotel for our Final night in Istanbul. A swim on the roof of our hotel, and then an exciting but disappointing end to the day with the US world cup loss. Finally, to bed at 2 am. I was dead this morning, well dead tired.
Info about today will come tomorrow or later tonight. We got an hour of rest which I am doing this and then we will have dinner and hopefully a night on the town.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
#barelyasia
Stupid World Cup!!! Darn US team couldn't score. They had a good run though. Stayed up to watch the match and spent the time with some of my cohorts.
I feel that the past two days have been hectic and full of amazing things.
We started yesterday with a stop at the splice bazaar. Crowded market full of shops. I bought some saffron because that is what you buy there but I only wanted a pinch and the guy was trying to sell me a 25 gram jar that cost nearly $600. I couldn't say no any faster than I did. I also got a tea cup set that is the style that they use here. They are pretty cool.
Next we went to Topkapi Palace. Home of Sultan on the top of one of the hills. A beautiful place that has amazing gardens and some of the thickest walls I have ever seen (to protect against the people not against outsiders). They break down the grounds into different specialties(armor, clothing, jewelry, and calligraphy). They were all really cool but unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take pictures. One of my cohorts bought a book so I'm hoping for some examples. One of the things was a diamond the size of a fist 86 carats, if I remember correctly.
After Topkapi, I finally made it to Asia!!! We crossed the Bosporus River which is the line of demarcation from Europe to Asia. We had lunch at a restaurant that was waterside and I ate a fish. (Picture to come tomorrow) Grilled Sea bass is really good.
We then headed to an artist studio to make ebru, paper marbling, a very cool technique. You use a special mixture of water with a thickener and paints to create art on the water then you drop a paper on top and it soaks up the paint but not the water. Very, very cool. It's quite possibly the most creative I've ever been.
We walked down a steep cliff to the waterside and then got on a boat for a river cruise. We went up and down the Bosporus and then got off at a university where we talked with a professor of Turkish studies. It was pretty cool but I was so tired that I felt like falling asleep. I toughed it out though.
We finally got some free time at 7:45pm, so myself and a few others got dinner and watched some soccer, Then finally to bed.
I am again beat from a long day so I will update about what we did today on the bus ride in the morning, It'll be a few hours long because we are leaving Istanbul. I'll post again tomorrow. Cheers.
I feel that the past two days have been hectic and full of amazing things.
We started yesterday with a stop at the splice bazaar. Crowded market full of shops. I bought some saffron because that is what you buy there but I only wanted a pinch and the guy was trying to sell me a 25 gram jar that cost nearly $600. I couldn't say no any faster than I did. I also got a tea cup set that is the style that they use here. They are pretty cool.
Next we went to Topkapi Palace. Home of Sultan on the top of one of the hills. A beautiful place that has amazing gardens and some of the thickest walls I have ever seen (to protect against the people not against outsiders). They break down the grounds into different specialties(armor, clothing, jewelry, and calligraphy). They were all really cool but unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take pictures. One of my cohorts bought a book so I'm hoping for some examples. One of the things was a diamond the size of a fist 86 carats, if I remember correctly.
After Topkapi, I finally made it to Asia!!! We crossed the Bosporus River which is the line of demarcation from Europe to Asia. We had lunch at a restaurant that was waterside and I ate a fish. (Picture to come tomorrow) Grilled Sea bass is really good.
We then headed to an artist studio to make ebru, paper marbling, a very cool technique. You use a special mixture of water with a thickener and paints to create art on the water then you drop a paper on top and it soaks up the paint but not the water. Very, very cool. It's quite possibly the most creative I've ever been.
We walked down a steep cliff to the waterside and then got on a boat for a river cruise. We went up and down the Bosporus and then got off at a university where we talked with a professor of Turkish studies. It was pretty cool but I was so tired that I felt like falling asleep. I toughed it out though.
We finally got some free time at 7:45pm, so myself and a few others got dinner and watched some soccer, Then finally to bed.
I am again beat from a long day so I will update about what we did today on the bus ride in the morning, It'll be a few hours long because we are leaving Istanbul. I'll post again tomorrow. Cheers.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
First full day in Turkey
DEAD TIRED. Not from jet lag, that worked awesome.
We have been busy. Yesterday our flight got in around 4:00pm and we hung out at the airport waiting for the groups flying in from Chicago for about an hour.
Got on a bus and headed into the city. Istanbul combines the elements of many cultures and times periods at the same rime as having a strong rich history as well as nice touches of the modern world.
After checking in to possible the most swanky hotels in all of Turkey, we had a nice meet and greet and then appetizers and some drinks on the balcony of our hotel. We are on one of the big hills of Istanbul and can see lots of the Bosporus River between the Marmara Sea (off the Mediterranean) and the Black Sea. Myself and a few others wanted to go see some nightlife and so we went out to Taksi Square and walked around and sat for a while to finish the Brazil and Chile World Cup Game.
Went to bed at 11pm and then up at 7 to get breakfast and get on the busy. Did I mention how fancy our hotel is? Fancy!!! Seriously it's pretty sweet.
After that we got on our bus and traveled back into the old part of town. We started at the Hippodrome/ Circus (where Romans had chariot races) and saw the two huge pillars that mark the center (one from Egypt and one built locally) then we headed over to the Hagia Sophia.
It is now a museum, but it had been a Church and a Mosque. So it has elements of both, which might be the only place in the world that does this on such a grand scale. Huge (20 Ft across) circles with holy names on them right next to a mosaic of Mary with Jesus on her lap. Incredible. Huge dome and amazing art work all around.
After this we went to underground cisterns (water holding tanks) and a massive empty space that has probably hundreds of pillars in about a foot and a half of water with fish living in it. The columns are from all over Turkey and SE Europe. They were stolen from pagan temples, so lots of different styles and designs. Two of the bases are sculptures of Medusa (mythical woman with hair made of snakes).
After this we had a great very local lunch. (bean soup, yogurt with cucumbers, and local desserts. We went across the street to an active Mosque (During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan). Built to honor the Muslim leader of the Turks during the Crusades, Suleyman the Magnificient. Beautiful inside and outside. Very solemn place and peaceful even with the group of American tourist teachers wandering around.
Then we went to Choral Church. Impressive artwork depicting the lives of Mary and Jesus from the non-canonical book of James. Overall I would have preferred to stay at Suleyman's Mosque but or Hagia Sophia
We then went to a local art studio where they showed us a few very cool artistic skills that have been honed through generations. I got some really good pictures of street art outside (graffiti).
Then to an amazing dinner. More local cuisine: Turkish Tapas, a salad and noodle and cheese casserole (not at all mac and cheese, sorry Joanna it's 1000 times better than the blue box). Then a smokey eggplant purée with chicken and a tomato sauce. Finally, dessert of fresh food. The food was fantastic but the view was worth a million. Looking out over a relatively small gulf, the golden horn, and across to the old city, where we could see pretty much all of the main landmarks from earlier in the day.
Back to the hotel and out to watch the football match and finally to update you. There is so much more to tell but I can barely get my students to read a full paragraph so I'll be impressed if too many people got all the way through this whole post. Anyways, this is awesome and I only expect it to get better.
Thanks for checking in, Hosçakal.
We have been busy. Yesterday our flight got in around 4:00pm and we hung out at the airport waiting for the groups flying in from Chicago for about an hour.
Got on a bus and headed into the city. Istanbul combines the elements of many cultures and times periods at the same rime as having a strong rich history as well as nice touches of the modern world.
After checking in to possible the most swanky hotels in all of Turkey, we had a nice meet and greet and then appetizers and some drinks on the balcony of our hotel. We are on one of the big hills of Istanbul and can see lots of the Bosporus River between the Marmara Sea (off the Mediterranean) and the Black Sea. Myself and a few others wanted to go see some nightlife and so we went out to Taksi Square and walked around and sat for a while to finish the Brazil and Chile World Cup Game.
Went to bed at 11pm and then up at 7 to get breakfast and get on the busy. Did I mention how fancy our hotel is? Fancy!!! Seriously it's pretty sweet.
After that we got on our bus and traveled back into the old part of town. We started at the Hippodrome/ Circus (where Romans had chariot races) and saw the two huge pillars that mark the center (one from Egypt and one built locally) then we headed over to the Hagia Sophia.
It is now a museum, but it had been a Church and a Mosque. So it has elements of both, which might be the only place in the world that does this on such a grand scale. Huge (20 Ft across) circles with holy names on them right next to a mosaic of Mary with Jesus on her lap. Incredible. Huge dome and amazing art work all around.
After this we went to underground cisterns (water holding tanks) and a massive empty space that has probably hundreds of pillars in about a foot and a half of water with fish living in it. The columns are from all over Turkey and SE Europe. They were stolen from pagan temples, so lots of different styles and designs. Two of the bases are sculptures of Medusa (mythical woman with hair made of snakes).
After this we had a great very local lunch. (bean soup, yogurt with cucumbers, and local desserts. We went across the street to an active Mosque (During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan). Built to honor the Muslim leader of the Turks during the Crusades, Suleyman the Magnificient. Beautiful inside and outside. Very solemn place and peaceful even with the group of American tourist teachers wandering around.
Then we went to Choral Church. Impressive artwork depicting the lives of Mary and Jesus from the non-canonical book of James. Overall I would have preferred to stay at Suleyman's Mosque but or Hagia Sophia
We then went to a local art studio where they showed us a few very cool artistic skills that have been honed through generations. I got some really good pictures of street art outside (graffiti).
Then to an amazing dinner. More local cuisine: Turkish Tapas, a salad and noodle and cheese casserole (not at all mac and cheese, sorry Joanna it's 1000 times better than the blue box). Then a smokey eggplant purée with chicken and a tomato sauce. Finally, dessert of fresh food. The food was fantastic but the view was worth a million. Looking out over a relatively small gulf, the golden horn, and across to the old city, where we could see pretty much all of the main landmarks from earlier in the day.
Back to the hotel and out to watch the football match and finally to update you. There is so much more to tell but I can barely get my students to read a full paragraph so I'll be impressed if too many people got all the way through this whole post. Anyways, this is awesome and I only expect it to get better.
Thanks for checking in, Hosçakal.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Last Minute update
We are finally at Washington DC's airport. After a 9 hour car ride of relative boredom we arrived and I think we are all getting hyped up for the trip.
We will be joining up with 18 others from around the US to tour Turkey. My immediate group is made up of four teachers and one administrator from NW Ohio. So far we mesh together very well. Lots of teacher talk and the like but they all seem like nice people that really care about teaching, their students, and social studies. Also, we all have an interest in world travel. This might be the most experienced group of travelers that I have ever been with. They all have tons of tips and ideas that have already helped out.
My plan was to try and sleep as soon as we got in the car this morning but unfortunately I just wasn't tired (stupid coffee!). I napped for a short while around 2pm for about 20 minutes but nothing substantial. Hopefully, I will sleep for a short time on the start of the flight. Considering it's 9:15 pm now and our flight takes off at 11:30, I'll have plenty of time before we leave to get all my turkeys in a row. We get in at 4:30 pm and the plan is to stay up until 11pm in Turkey. This puts me at staying awake 34 hours with only a few naps in between. It's worth it if I can regulate to Istanbul's time right away.
Couple hours to the flight!!! Here I come Turkey!!!
We will be joining up with 18 others from around the US to tour Turkey. My immediate group is made up of four teachers and one administrator from NW Ohio. So far we mesh together very well. Lots of teacher talk and the like but they all seem like nice people that really care about teaching, their students, and social studies. Also, we all have an interest in world travel. This might be the most experienced group of travelers that I have ever been with. They all have tons of tips and ideas that have already helped out.
My plan was to try and sleep as soon as we got in the car this morning but unfortunately I just wasn't tired (stupid coffee!). I napped for a short while around 2pm for about 20 minutes but nothing substantial. Hopefully, I will sleep for a short time on the start of the flight. Considering it's 9:15 pm now and our flight takes off at 11:30, I'll have plenty of time before we leave to get all my turkeys in a row. We get in at 4:30 pm and the plan is to stay up until 11pm in Turkey. This puts me at staying awake 34 hours with only a few naps in between. It's worth it if I can regulate to Istanbul's time right away.
Couple hours to the flight!!! Here I come Turkey!!!
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Pre-trip
Hi All,
Welcome to my blog for my upcoming trip to Turkey.
I'm going to be going on a tour around Turkey, hitting some of the biggest cities in Asia Minor. We'll see ancient ruins, one of the earliest settlements of humans, the modernization of Turkey, and a variety of monuments and museums that showcase the culture and past of the crossroads of the world.
For this trip I will be
- learning about the educational system
- meeting the people
- enjoying the culture
- focusing on the architecture
- tasting the food
Thanks to everyone who have helped me get ready (Mom, Dad, Ashley, Leo and of course my wonderful wife, Joanna.
Welcome to my blog for my upcoming trip to Turkey.
I'm going to be going on a tour around Turkey, hitting some of the biggest cities in Asia Minor. We'll see ancient ruins, one of the earliest settlements of humans, the modernization of Turkey, and a variety of monuments and museums that showcase the culture and past of the crossroads of the world.
For this trip I will be
- learning about the educational system
- meeting the people
- enjoying the culture
- focusing on the architecture
- tasting the food
Thanks to everyone who have helped me get ready (Mom, Dad, Ashley, Leo and of course my wonderful wife, Joanna.
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