The promised pictures

Here is an abbreviated album of my adventures in Turkey:

The Aya Sophia



The harem in the Topkapi Palace



The spice bazaar



Pergamum



Pammukale



A huge tree in Olympos



Cappadocia



Fairy Chimneys in Cappadocia

Veiled identities

Living and working in a place where I am a minority because, among other things, I do not cover my head has set me thinking about the concept of veiling. Years ago, when my knowledge of the Middle East came from books like Princess by Sassoon and movies like Lawrence of Arabia, I thought of the veil only as a symbol of male dominance and female oppression. I was ignorant to the reasons behind women wearing the veil and to the fact that not all of the countries in this reason force women to wear the veil. Even when I knew that it was claimed to be the women's choice to wear the veil or not, I still believed that family and social pressures would make it difficult to go unveiled. I still think that this is an issue especially now that the veil is once again gaining popularity and the percentage of women wearing it has increased dramatically in the last half decade. However, I have gained a new perspective here in Jordan; I really respect the women who decide of their own free will to don the veil as an expression of their religious devotion.

Notes from a desert trapped naiad

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The Jordanian air seems to have sucked not only the moisture out of my skin but also the words out of my mind. It is not that I believe that there are not words for this place and my experiences here; it is that I have found that my words are irrelevant. I stand isolated here- isolated by my blond curls, my pale skin, blue eyes, determined walk, the way I do not look at the ground while I walk, and most of all I am isolated by people's stares that hold me at arms length at least. Surrounded by this city of beige, the people I left behind seem to fade like the vivid greenness of spring or, perhaps, it is I that is fading like a star at fading into the light of dawn- my light quietly eclipsed by the closer, brighter, more visceral presence of the sun.
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I have begun to miss the anonymity of commonality. Where the non-difference between me and others causes a simple indifference.
It wears on me- having to wear people’s eyes as my veil. I feel no inclination to don my feelings of irrelevancy and hide my face with a chador or hijab. No, I just straighten my back, lift my chin, and look ahead with a small smile on my lips. Like a true Vinci girl I keep my secret amusement to myself and bare the constant stares until I return home exhausted.
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Now, for more concrete information about my life in Jordan. I have been taken on as a TA by an English professor at the University of Jordan. This happened because after the refugee organization that we were going to work for found out that we were of a particular religion they no longer wanted us to volunteer for them. After much gnashing of the teeth, our amazing director pulled together new projects for those who had been planning on working with the refugees. I was able to get the TA position, which I am very happy about. I go to his class, which is about literature and film and give the western view of the film. I also tutor students who wish to improve their English, whether spoken or written. I'm a bit worried that I misrepresent the western view of things, but I try my best. I've enjoyed my chats with the students and have already had lunch at one of the girl’s houses and have been invited to dinner at another's house. However, my days at the university are shorter and I do not believe I will be allowed to go to dinner at L's. This is due the political unrest in Gaza and Lebanon, which is causing tensions even here in peaceful Jordan. It is not that the fighting will reach here. It is that anti-American sentiments are high and we are obviously American. We cannot hide that fact no matter how hard we try. Most of the protests in Amman happened either at the major mosques (luckily we don't live close by to those) or at the university, where I work. It is not that I'm afraid something will happen to me, but the possibility exists and I must be aware of what is going on at all times, which is difficult since my Arabic language skills are minimal.
On a happier note, we went to the Dead Sea after church on Friday (yes, church is on Friday). The sea was amazing. Due to the high content of salt, you float in the sea without any effort on your part. We also covered ourselves in the mud, which supposedly has great cosmetic properties. We spent the night at the sea and the next day we visited Jesus' baptismal site in the Jordan River and Mt. Nebo. After seeing the landscape and feeling the heat of the desert, I understand how difficult it must have been for the tribes of Israel to wander through this desert for 40 years. I would have murmured too. Those are my thoughts for a moment. I now need to go find a liter of bottle water to replace the amount of water that the desert air has stolen from my skin since I started this post. At least I managed to write some of my words before they too were taken from me by this desert's greedy air.

Amman

First of all, I would like everyone to know that I am perfectly alright. Despite what western media is portraying, not all of the middle east is self-destructing, just parts of it. It is pretty crazy that Beirut is only 134 miles away, Jerusalem only 44 miles away, and Gaza only 92 miles away. Things are peaceful here in Jordan, although there was a protest on the University of Jordan's campus yesterday that was anti-American in sentiment. Since I work with a professor on campus, I was there when it began, but I just avoided it and went home. No one is directly abusing us in anyway. The people here are incredibly nice and generous. I will write more when we get back from the Dead Sea on Saturday. Pray for peace.

umm, yeah. Turkey rocks my socks!

As the last day of my trip looms closer, I realize that I can't even imagine leaving Turkey. I don't want to walk down streets that don't sparkle with dancing lights from mirrors sewn onto bags, purses, and wall art and where the colors are dull, unlike the brilliant colors of carpets hanging outside the shops here. I don't want to shop where the owner does not offer me apple tea and does not ask after my family and background. I know now that I will miss this country where houses are either painted bright colors or left white against the cerelean blue backdrop; where staring isn't considered rude and even the older men get as nervous as school boys while talking to me; where ancient sites lie amoung groves of olive, cypress, and orange trees just waiting to be explored; where it isn't considered a meal unless yougart or cheese is involved. I have fallen for Turkey.
Turkey is an amazing mix, with women wearing everything from the hijab to headscarfs to the latest mini-skirt from Europe. The backdrop of ancient white marble, crumbling grey stones, and solo columns give a sharp contrast to the vivid reds, greens, blues, and oranges of Turkish life. This place has everything I love: a fasinating, multi-layered history, great food, wonderful music, vibrant culture, and beautiful people. I don't want to leave.

Now that my ranting is done, I have to appologize for not updating more (not that many people read this anyway). The places we have been here in Turkey have been amazing. Let me give you a run down of some of the places we have been.
Çanakale- this is right on the Hellespont and as I sat among pine trees, dipping my feet in the cold water, my mind was boggled by the thought of how many battles were fought here, from the Persian wars to WWI. The waters seemed to peaceful to have been the cause of so many deaths.
Hisarlik/Truva/Troy/Ilium- no one can seem to agree on a name. They are not the most striking ruins, but nothing can beat it for its romance. Supposedly the site of Homer's Ilium, the ruins are fasinating because of all the layers of history you can see. I recited the first line of the Iliad (poorly) per promise.
Alexander Troas- Built by one of Alex the great's generals this site is all but forgotten. Almost impossible to get to by public transportation but well worth going to. The ruins are over-grown and there wasn't another person in sight until a guy showed up on a motorbike to give us a personal tour. The theater just looked like odd shaped mountain since it was completely covered in trees.
Assos- one of the most conservative towns we have stayed in. It was right on the water with amazing views of Lesvos from the Temple to Athena at the top of the hill.
Pergamum- beautiful columns that were perfectly picturesque from every angle. The asclepion was also really cool and we ended up eating lunch where the library used to be. My favorite was the round temple where ill people would sleep in order to recieve dreams about how to cure their illness.
Ephesus- absolutely amazing if it wasn't for the disgusting amount of cruise boat tourists. The library was of course my favortie, but a close second had to be the ancient latrines.

Ok, I've seen ten other sites since then, but I don't have time right now to write about them. I promise to catch up later. Right now I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Göreme which is in Cappadocia. I hope everyone is doing well.

Istanbul

I did have a hard time finding Ak in London because her plane was delayed and she missed the connection. It wasn't a big deal because she just came in on a latter flight and took a taxi to the hotel. That was fine. However, due to unforseen events my mother had to fly out after the third day here in Istanbul.
Other than that our trip has been great. The Aya Sophia is amazing, the iznik tiles in the blue mosque are stunning, the grand bazaar is overwhelming, the spice bazaar smells wonderful, apple tea is delicious, as are the kabaps and baklava, the whirling dirvishes are fasinating, and I'm running out of adjectives so I'll stop there.
The only problem I have with Turkey is the intense male energy. Since we are single western girls, the men here assume we are easy. It gets old really quickly, but some of the lines are quite amusing, such as: -why are you so beautiful?- that is the million dollar question and my favorite -I can take you to second paradise- what happened to the first one?
Another unforgettable Turkish experience is the Hamam, turkish bath. Public nudity is odd, even if it is only with other women and being scrubbed down by a turkish woman is also an odd experience, but my lady started singing to be in turkish and it was so neat. Basically, in the Hamam is a large marble slab that is heated and a bunch of women are just lounging around on it. After getting sufficiently hot and sweaty, an attendant comes around and gives you a vigorous scrub down pouring cool water on you every once in awhile. It feels amazing once you get past the awkward nakedness.
Well, I don't have much time so I've gotta run! I hope you are all doing well!