L'shanah Tovah Tikatev V'taihatem(i)

Happy New Year! For all you non-Jews out there (there must be one or maybe two of you out of all my family and friends...), today is Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year, and the title of my post means "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."

I never thought I would be celebrating this holiday in Turkey, which reminds me that every year brings new experiences and that you never know where you will be in a year. Last year I celebrated Rosh Hashanah at Penn Hillel and ate apples and honey, which is a traditional holiday food symbolizing a sweet new year, with my sorority sisters. The thought of where I would be in a year never crossed my mind, and if you asked me where I would be I would have most likely said studying abroad in Prague.

This year I attended prayer services at Neve Șalom Synagogue in Istanbul. While I usually go to services with a large group of friends, this year I went alone. And while I usually attend Reformed Jewish services, this year I attended Orthodox Jewish services. This year has already brought very different and new experiences for me, and for that I am grateful.

Neve Șalom Synagogue is a beautiful synagogue built in 1951 in Istanbul near Galata Tower in the Beyoğlu District. It has a large Sephardic community, and is open to reservations for visits and services. I contacted the Synagogue last week to make a reservation to attend prayer services last night. I had to send a copy of my passport as well as bring my passport to the Synagogue last night in order to pass through security. Security is strict and there are even gas masks under every seat because in the past Neve Șalom has suffered three terrorist attacks. The last one was in 2003 when the Synagogue was hit by a car bomb. The Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front, a local Turkish militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack.

While I was a bit nervous when I was waiting outside of the Synagogue after ringing the doorbell to enter, once I was inside I felt very safe. The man who greeted me spoke perfect English and commented that he did not think there were Jews in Hawaii. I responded by saying that I did not think there were Jews in Turkey. He then took me through security where I went through a metal detector and my bag was searched, and then through two doors where the second door did not open until the first door was closed. We then entered the lobby, which led to the main floor where the men sat and the upper balcony where the women sat. Since I am a member of a Reformed congregation, the separation between men and women was new for me. However, I expected as much since I was going to an Orthodox synagogue. I thanked the man who greeted me and then took a Siddur (Jewish prayer book) and headed upstairs.

When services began at sundown there were only a few women and about a dozen men praying. But as time went on more people showed up. None of the rabbis spoke English, and while they led the traditional prayers, it was hard to keep up with their fast pace. Most of the time I was trying to find where we were in the prayer book. But when I finally found where we were, I felt accomplished and followed along as quickly as I could, whispering the Hebrew words a mile a minute. Services finished after about an hour and a half. I had been helping an American woman find her place throughout the service, so I chatted with her and her husband on the way out. They were from New York City and were visiting Istanbul for the weekend and decided to go to services while they were here. We were handed our passports at the exit, and I watched as they disappeared into the night.

After services I felt a mix of nostalgia and loneliness. I was starting the new year alone in a foreign country where not only are there hardly any Jews, but where Judaism represents Israel's politics against an independent Palestine. The day after I arrived in Istanbul I saw a huge poster hanging from a building on the main highway that said, "Israel you will be sorry." I have never felt uncomfortable to practice my religion in my life, but in Turkey I have hid the fact that I am Jewish from my peers and have not once worn my Star of David necklace.

As I walked down the crowded street of İstiklal Avenue with these depressing thoughts in my head, a new thought came to me as I realized I was not actually sad, but proud of myself for going to synagogue on Rosh Hashanah and practicing my religion despite where I was.

Happy New Year everyone.

Ephesus: The Best Preserved Classical City in the Eastern Mediterranean

I just wanted to start off by saying that I am alive and well (for those of you who have e-mailed me asking if I am okay since I have not posted in a while). I have so much I need to update, but I will skip to the more exciting stuff for now. Get ready, this post is going to be a long one (like a really long one)!

Last week Tuesday I left for a 4-day trip to Selçuk, Ephesus, and Çeşme. Ari, our friend Chance, and I decided on Monday night around 10 PM to leave for İzmir the next morning. We then booked our plane tickets, hostels, and made our travel plans, all within 1 hour. For such a quickly organized trip, everything went smoothly and according to plan.

We arrived safely at the airport in İzmir on Tuesday afternoon. I say "safely" because we flew on Pegasus Airlines, which is a cheap Turkish Airlines that made an emergency landing in 2010 due to a malfunction in the nose gear. Ari even made a joke about how we could stand on the plane, and me and Chance actually believed her. We happily exited the plane after sitting for about an hour, then took a 1 hour train to the small town of Selçuk, which is a 5 minute drive to Ephesus.

We stayed right outside of the town center at a hostel called Atilla's Getaway. Although the rooms were tiny, the bathroom was outside, and the Aussie owner was kind of an asshole, it had a bar, pool table, and swimming pool (which models nicely in photographs, as you will see below).

Atilla's Getaway

After taking a quick dip in the freezing pool, we headed back into town and had dinner near the Roman aqueduct.

Chow Time

(There I am eating chicken... in Turkey)

Roman Aqueduct in Selçuk

We explored the town for a bit (which took about 5 minutes because that's how small it is), and then decided to drink Efes (Turkish beer that sort of tastes like a combination between Bud Light and Natty Light - so in my opinion, not that tasty) at Destina Cafe & Bar, which we realized the next day is right next to the last remaining column of the Temple of Artemis, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Chance also taught me and Ari how to play Backgammon, which is widely played throughout Turkey, especially by old men sitting at tea houses with nothing to do and nowhere to go. 

Chance and Ari at Destina Cafe & Bar

(You can see the column of the Temple of Artemis over Chance's left shoulder)

Last Remaining Column of the Temple of Artemis

(Taken the next day, as evidenced by the lighting, after we realized we were next to it the previous night)

We went to bed early that night so that we could get an early start Wednesday to see Ephesus, which, as I've already mentioned, is the best preserved classical city in the eastern Mediterranean or according to some, in all of Europe. 

Ephesus

Me and Chance in front of the Library of Celsus

Episteme (Knowledge)

Temple of Hadrian

Relief of a Man on a Horse Chasing a Boar

(Represents the mythic founding of Ephesus)

Flower Power (lolz)

The Odeon

I could be cliche and say that the pictures above do not do Ephesus justice, but they actually do because they don't capture the thick dust that coated the ruins and coated our bodies... Anyway, Ephesus was an incredible site to see, and was quite overwhelming. I kept touching all the stone and marble, trying to imagine how many tourists, excavators, and ancient peoples must have touched the same rock. It is unbelievable that Ephesus was built without any of the modern technology we have today. Well, actually it's not that unbelievable because it doesn't have any characteristics of modern technology... but I think you know what I mean. The intricate details in the stone made me wonder who took the time to carve the stone and what it was worth to them. 

I'll finish this post later.

The Asian Side

A few days ago Ari and I woke up excited for a relaxing day at Prince's Islands (chain of islands off of the main land of Istanbul). We packed our bathing suits and towels, and headed for the ferry terminal. I led the way through a pack of tourists and felt "local" as I bypassed the line to buy tickets and used my transportation card at the turnstile. Ari followed me, surely impressed by my ease in navigating us around. However, after the boat took off ten minutes early, we realized we were on the wrong boat. The boat was heading towards the Asian side of Istanbul...

Instead of spending the day on the beach sun bathing, we walked around the Asian side. Most of the time we were lost since we didn't bring a map with us and couldn't find a map anywhere. I hardly took any pictures for this very reason. I was busy trying to figure out where we were going and did not pay much attention to where we were.

We visited a number of mosques and markets.

The mosques on the Asian side looked like the mosques on the European side, except there were no tourists visiting them and people were praying in them.

Mosque on the Asian side

The markets on the Asian side were similar to the markets on the European side, but they were less touristy, cheaper, and felt more authentic (probably because tourists don't usually go to the Asian side and prices aren't inflated in places where there are no tourists (duh)). 

There were a number of different fruit and vegetable markets, as well as a few antique markets.

The antique markets were really fun to shop at. There were really fancy antique stores with lots of furniture and decorations like chairs, gold clocks, and chandelliers, as well as really cheap antique stores with a whole lot of junk like old lunch boxes, lighters, and prescription glasses.

Two "Fancy" Antique Stores

After we shopped a bit, we had lunch and went home. Although we did not expect to go to the Asian side, it was really interesting and quite nice to see a part of Turkey that most tourists don't see and to experience a Turkey that is a bit less influenced by Europe. 

There were many things about the Asian side that felt different from the European side for me. Many more women wore headscarves and many more people prayed. The streets were wider and there was less congestion of people buying things from other people and people selling things to other people. The Asian side also seemed poorer. My guidebook was sure to tell me that this is not true, but from what I could tell, while there are a number of very wealthy people who have summer homes on the Bosphorus, the vast majority of people are not rich and will probably never be rich. 

The feeling I got on the Asian side was a totally different feel than I have being on the European side. For me, Istanbul indeed seems split socioeconomically and particularly religiously between East and West.

Sailing to Byzantium by William Butler Yeats

I That is no country for old men. The young In one another's arms, birds in the trees ---Those dying generations---at their song, The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas, Fish, flesh, or fowl commend all summer long Whatever is begotten, born, and dies. Caught in that sensual music all neglect Monuments of unaging intellect. II An aged man is but a paltry thing, A tattered coat upon a stick, unless Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing For every tatter in its mortal dress, Nor is there singing school but studying Monuments of its own magnificence; And therefore I have sailed the seas and come To the holy city of Byzantium. III O sages standing in God's holy fire As in the gold mosaic of a wall, Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre, And be the singing-masters of my soul. Consume my heart away; sick with desire And fastened to a dying animal It knows not what it is; and gather me Into the artifice of eternity. IV Once out of nature I shall never take My bodily form from any natural thing, But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make Of hammered gold and gold enamelling To keep a drowsy Emperor awake; Or set upon a golden bough to sing To lords and ladies of Byzantium Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque

We went to Sultanahmet to be tourists and see the most important historical sites in all of Turkey. 

We visited the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. 

The Hagia Sofia was overwhelmingly beautiful. We spent hours there with our necks strained, looking up at the intricate details of the magnificent art and architecture surrounding us. 

The Blue Mosque was very quiet and peaceful, as it is still a working mosque and people were praying. Also, it reminded me, as well as my handy-dandy guidebook, of a Chinese museum because of the blue and white china decorating the walls (random thought? random Chinese museum). 

There were so many other tourists in Sultanahmet that we decided to come back another time to see Topkapi Palace and other historical sites. (Maybe by that time we won't be tourists ourselves?). I'm sure that after I start my class on the history of the Byzantine Empire I will return to these places and know so much more about them and appreciate them more as well. 

Hagia Sofia

Inside the Hagia Sofia

Me and Ari standing where Byzantine Empresses would sit in their Thrones

Me going to Heaven?

Christian Mosaics in the Hagia Sophia

Inside the Blue Mosque

Me wearing a Headscarf in the Blue Mosque

Tomb of Sultan Ahmet I

BBC News - September 13, 2011

Turkish PM Erdogan pushes 

Palestinian statehood

Continue reading the main story

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that recognition of a Palestinian state is an obligation not an option.



Mr Erdogan (r) is trying to improve Turkey's standing in the Middle East

He told the Arab League that before the year's end "we will see Palestine in a very different situation".

Mr Erdogan made a new attack on Israel, saying its government's mentality was a barrier to peace in the Middle East.

The Palestinians are currently preparing a bid for United Nations membership despite Israeli and US opposition.

Mr Erdogan is in Egypt as part of a tour of three Arab states that recently ousted their leaders, in an attempt to improve Turkey's standing in the region.

Turkey's relations with Israel have worsened since Israeli forces boarded an aid ship in May last year as it was heading for Gaza.

Nine Turkish activists were killed during the raid. Israel has refused to apologise and said its troops acted in self-defence.

'Spoilt child'

Continue reading the main story

The Turkish leader, who has won popularity among Arabs for his denunciations of Israel, was earlier met by an enthusiastic crowd in Cairo.

Mr Erdogan called for support for the Palestinians' attempt to achieve recognition at the UN.

"We must work hand in hand with our Palestinian brothers. The Palestinian cause is the cause of human dignity," he told a foreign ministers' meeting at the Cairo headquarters of the Arab League. His remarks were broadcast live on Egyptian TV.

"It's time to raise the Palestinian flag at the United Nations. Let's raise the Palestinian flag and let that flag be the symbol of peace and justice in the Middle East."

Continue reading the main story

He accused Israel of behaving like a spoilt child and building a blockade round its own people through its policies.

"Israel will break away from solitude only when it acts as a reasonable, responsible, serious and normal state," he said.

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Cairo says that, while there were no new threats in the speech, it was fiery enough to sustain Mr Erdogan's reputation as a champion of ordinary people in the Arab world without alarming Arab governments that have resisted change.

The Turkish prime minister made an appeal for freedom and democracy in the region.

"The legitimate demands of the people cannot be repressed with force and in blood," he said.

"Freedom and democracy and human rights must be a united slogan for the future of our people."

Meanwhile in a newspaper interview published on Tuesday, Mr Erdogan warned of possible civil war in Syria between majority Sunni Muslims and Alawites, who make up the ruling elite.

More than 2,500 people have already died there in pro-democracy protests since March.

Mr Erdogan's tour will continue with a visit to Tunisia, where the popular overthrow of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January sparked similar movements across the region, including Libya.

Mr Erdogan has said he will not attempt to carry out his plan to travel to Gaza from Egypt during this trip, but hopes that he can travel there in the near future.

Analysis

Jonathan HeadBBC News, Cairo

That Mr Erdogan bashed Israel again surprised no-one. It is the key to Mr Erdogan's extraordinary popularity in the Arab world, and Turkey still has unsettled grievances from last year's flotilla incident.

But he went much further, presenting himself as a champion of change everywhere in the region. Arab states should be more supportive of the Palestinians. They should listen to their own people.

He warned of sectarian war in Syria. And he urged all Arabs not to be afraid of embracing democracy, citing his own country as a place where pluralism, religion and export-driven prosperity have been able to flourish.

It's a powerful message for Arab people accustomed to corrupt and repressive government. It is less appealing for most Arab rulers, even Egypt's, post-Mubarak. But Mr Erdogan seems to have made a calculation, that challenging the status quo in the Middle East will profit Turkey more than placating it.

His much vaunted "zero problems with neighbours" foreign policy launched three years ago is in tatters after some of those regimes collapsed or are near to it. But Turkey is hoping to be in pole position to profit when the new regimes have taken root.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14895673

Spice Market and Bosphorus Tour

I haven't blogged in a few days so I will update my life a bit.

Shumita, another student from Penn studying abroad at Bogazici University, moved into the apartment with Ari and me two nights ago. It's nice to have more than one turkish number in my cell phone and someone to call a friend.

On Monday, us three took a bus along the coast to the town of Ortakoy, where we checked out a market that sold various tourist items like evil eye bracelets and fake Ray Ban sun glasses. For lunch we ate baked potatoes with corn, peas, red cabbage, yoghurt, cheese, sausage, and spicy sauce inside. Apparently the market is famous for their baked potatoes. And for good reason, as the potatoes were scrum-deliumptious. After that, we walked alongside the water and passed a few famous palaces before settling down at a cafe to read.

We are each reading one of Orhan Pamuk's novels. Pamuk is the most famous modern day writer in Turkey, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006. I am reading Snow. Snow is about a poet named Ka who returns to Turkey after being in political exile in Germany for 12 years. In search of the "old" Turkey he remembers, which has been washed away by the government's desire to be European as well as a fundamental Islamic movement, Ka ventures to the rural town of Kars to report for the Republican, a secular newspaper in Istanbul, about the midterm elections there as well as a growing number of young girls committing suicide for not being able to wear the veil. I will be sure to blog about my thoughts on Snow once I've finished reading it.

Yesterday, we had pre-registration on campus, which took less than an hour and consisted only of registering as a student in person.

Then Ari and I headed to the Spice Bazaar near Sultanhamet where we enjoyed Turkish delights and buttery baclava.

Entrance of Spice Market

Yummy!

After that, we walked to the town of Karakoy to catch a boat tour of the Bosphorus. It was only 10 TRL (about $5)! And a fried bass sandwich with lettuce, onions, and lemon was only 5 TRL (about $2.50). Everything in Turkey is so cheap! Anyway, the boat tour was a great way to situate ourselves in Istanbul and get a glimpse of all the waterside towns.

We're on a Boat

Ortakoy Mosque

Dolmabahce Palace

Border of Istanbul

Blue Mosque

However, the sun and gentle movement of the waves hypnotized us into a short slumber, and we ended up missing some prime views of the Asia-side of Turkey.

Sleepy Naomi

After we awoke to the honking sounds of the busy sea port, we decided to sit under the Galata Bridge and smoke some apple-flavored hookah.

Under the Galata Bridge

Relaxed, and in a bit of a smokey daze, we headed home.

Hello Istanbul!

Today the real adventure began. 

Well, it sort of began yesterday when I moved into my apartment in Bebek, which is further up the Bosphorus than where I was staying when I arrived. The area is beautiful and reminds me (and Ari, my housemate and only friend here so far) of a mixture between Beverly Hills, Tribeca, Europe, and a bit of Turkey. I will add some pictures of Bebek in the near future. I will also add pictures of our lovely apartment that we were so lucky to be able to rent for the first month of our stay from one of Ari's family friends. 

But I guess really, the adventure did begin today. It was a perfect day with flawless blue skies and a light breeze. We hiked up to Bogazici University campus to check it out and found out that not only is it a 20 minute upward climb on a winding road, but also it is incredibly gorgeous and has breathtaking views of the Bosphorus. After that we drove to Taksim Square and got our bus passes, strolled down Istiklal Avenue and had lunch, made our way to Galata and went up the tower, walked to Eminonu and had dinner at the fish market, and finally took a bus through insane traffic home. Also, I just Wikipedia linked all of those places so you can learn more about them if you wish, but mainly because I want my blog to be higher on google searches... Below is a documentation of the beginning of a great adventure.

Bogazici University South Campus 

Administration Building

View of the Bosphorus from Campus

Side Street off Istiklal Street

Galata Tower

View from the Galata Tower

Sultanahmet

Fish Market in Eminonu

Me and Ari near Galata Bridge facing Sultanahmet

Day 1

Yesterday, I finally arrived in Istanbul. I flew from Newark, NJ to Frankfurt, Germany to Istanbul, Turkey. I was a bit worried about delays since there was a bomb threat on a Pakistani airplane Wednesday morning and the plane had to make an emergency landing at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul (where I would be arriving soon after). Luckily, no bomb was found. And my flights were on time and went smoothly. However, I did not take this incident as a particularly good sign for the start of my journey abroad.  But as I’ve been slowly learning, things usually work out. And if they don’t work out, well then they don’t. What can you do?

A driver picked me up from the airport, and shuttled me along with a few other passengers across the city to our various destinations. Of course I was last. By the time I got out of the trolley-like van vehicle it was dark outside and I felt like throwing up because that driver was a scary, badass, twisted mother-driver. Usually I sit at the front of trolley-van-buses (wow, I really don’t know what to call this car. Maybe “car”?) so I don’t get motion sickness, but I quickly learned my mistake when I wished I couldn’t see all the small children he was about to run over.

After I was abruptly dropped off kicked out by the driver at the curb in front of my hostel, a kind man who, thank god spoke English ushered me inside. I really thought English was the universal language until today. It seems like people speak everything but English here. Another man who works at the hostel asked me if I spoke Turkish, Russian, French, Spanish, and even Japanese (which I actually do speak) before he asked if I spoke English. Anyway, the hostel turned out to be exactly what I thought it was going to be – nice, clean, quiet, and comfortable. It is just what I needed.

This blog entry is getting really long and diary-like, so I’ll try to keep the rest short. I walked to Istiklal Street, one of the most famous pedestrian walkways in the city, for dinner (chicken and noodles - yummy!) and walked around a bit afterwards. Everyone I met was really friendly and excited to practice English with me (again, where are all the real English-speakers at?).  Then I walked back and wrote a lot of e-mails.

Okay, it’s time for bed. I promise my blog entries will never be this long again. Honestly, I’m in a foreign country where I know no one and I had a lot of time on my hands this evening… And I’m a loser, I know.

One more thing I forgot to say. From what I’ve seen so far, Istanbul is a beautiful city, and I’m quite excited to start really seeing it!