Sunday July 25, 2010
Alright everyone, I made it to Turkey and didn't die. Thus far this trip has blown all of my expectation out of the water. To be honest I don'teven know where to start. So I guess i should start at the begining. I departed from home on the 19th of July and arrived in Istanbul on the 20th. a few layovers and interesting times just getting to Istanbul, but thats for another time.
Anyways, on the the way to Istanbul I was immediately greeted with Turkish hospitality. I met two Turkish teens, just a little younger than myself, that immediately wanted to know everything about me. They also wanted to fill me in on their lives as well. It was a very interesting flight, to say the least. We talked about the states, why I was coming to Turkey, their schooling, the million differerent languages that they could speak fluently, and mainly stuff like that. I really enjoyed their company. They also filled me in on some cultural taboos and customs. For example: Spitting in public is very disrespectful, but firing off a snot-rocket is culturally acceptable. So everyone who knows me could agree that our conversation was right down my alley. They also taught me some key yet basic Turkish words. For instance the word "Merhaba" means "hello" and the word "Tesekkuler" (it is missing some accent marks) means " Thank You." They also performed something really unexpected. When we arrived in Istanbul they waited for me as I got my visas and also helped me claim my luggage. Then they gave me a Turkish Lira and bought me a cart for my luggage. To top it off they waited with me for some time as I waited for my driver, who never showed up. After about half an hour they had to leave but before they left they gave me just a few more tips in how not to look so much like a foreigner. They really helped me out a lot. My Dad really looked out for me on this whole trip to Turkey. I had met some great people and recieved quite a bit of help. I definately live a blessed life.
While I was in Istanbul I had an absolute blast. I saw many historic sites and learned that a lot more Church History resides here in Turkey than I had ever expected. I got to ride a ferry down the Bosphores, which is basically just a channel. It took us to another side of Istanbul that was full of history and beautiful architecture. My dad would have thought that he was in heaven. I also got to see the Ayasophia, which is one of the great wonders of the world, and the Blue Mosque which is an incredibly big castle- like Mosque. I slept in a hostile there and met some really great people, there was one guy in particular that i had met whose name was Charlie. He was from England and a really great dude. We got to have some really great conversations about life on the terrace level of the hostile. He was going on holiday for sometime on a type of soul/identity search. He was a great guy and could really use some pr^yer.
I left Istanbul on Friday and headed for Ankara by train. This is where I will be doing most of my research and studies of the Turkish language and culture. It was great to see all of my friends when I arrived. They took me out the next day to explore the city and get my bearing straight. They showed me some great places to eat and drink chai (they drink a lot chai). They also explained everything I needed to know to get around, concerning the subways, bus system, and the city center.
Thus far the time that I have spent here has been awesome and there is not anywhere else in the world that I would rather be. The food here is great. My friends here have been more than helpful and hospitable. The locals here have been really cool as well. They are more than happy to help out in any way that they can too. For example, I was walking alone back to a friends house from church on sunday. I became confused of where I was at in the city so i asked a Turkishman for some help. Yes, I asked him with the very little Turkish I knew. Anyways, he took me by the hand and took me exactly where I needed to go. He just dropped everything he was doing to help me out, a stranger. The Turks definately live up to their hospitable name.
