Life & School in Turkey

So I've been living Turkey for over one month now. It's been pretty good overall, but life in Ankara is definitely not exactly what I expected, but I'm definitely getting used to it. When I got here I really didn't know what to expect--I knew it was the capital--a government city sort of like Sacramento, but it's also known as a "college town"--like Chico. So in my mind, I could see like Sacramento or Washington DC, but also Chico, which in my mind completely cannot mix or blend, so I just sort of gave up trying to picture what it would be like. Ankara is a big city, bigger than Sacramento, and it certainly has a lot of students, but it's really nothing like anything else I've ever experienced. It's buildings are bright colored and typically old--like 1920s or something. I really like that aspect of it--and the fact that I walk down the street the bread man and small grocery store owners know and recognize me--yet it's still the capital city, well that's really nice. I think that's something you can only get in Turkey. Despite some people's argument that "nothing going on," that's simply not true either. It may not be as big or activity rich as Istanbul, but there are still many different things to do--you just have to be a little bit more positive and creative.

Many of the ESN exchange students enjoy the Tunus-Tunali area in the usual spots like PUHU bar or IF Dance club, but I am sort of past that. This was fun for a while, and those people are interesting and fun, but I didn't come to Turkey to meet Europeans and other Californias, but to be in Turkey, learn Turkish, and be around real Turks. I also don't really feel like drinking every night either. I must say though, the Turkish guys are incredibly persistent, and at times it is just too tiresome and overwhelming to deal with. Turkish guys are very friendly and helpful, but they tend to take friendly and small gestures as potential interest, so you really have to be careful. Many of the older Turkish women in Ankara (There is something called an "Ankaran" personality) seem to hate me and my roommate though. I honestly don't think I look that "European." I am kind of white this summer, but my eyes are dark, and my hair really isn't that blonde and there are definitely plenty of bottle blondes here. My best guess is that my hair is short and kind of blonde; all I know is that all of them seem to think that I am Russian. I have also gotten occasionally German, Australian, and even Spanish, but these comments are much less rare. Even though I dress quite modestly, the older women still tend to give me stares--but the feeling isn't too overwhelming or discouraging, so I just tend to brush it off. It's nothing compared to what I experienced in Konya! I feel like since that trip, I've been somewhat inoculated to stares and glares.

When I am in Ankara I tend to enjoy going to the various cafes for pasta (cake) or Turkish coffee. It's also really nice to do dinner parties of course. My personal favorite areas are kizilay, which is the downtown that many of the Erasmus students deem as "dangerous" because it is crowded and populated by the working class, but I tend to think it is much more lively and authentic than the "uptown" streets of Tunus. That area has good and cheap foods, cheaper bars if you want to drink, and more authentic night clubs that actually play Turkish music and have real Turks inside. They also have some cheap nargile (shisha/hookah) if that's your thing. I personally enjoy the aromali chay in the nargile cafes--and sometimes they have good salep too. If you want to do something outside you can go on a walk or go to the one of many parks in Ankara. They also have a ridiculous amount of malls if you are a shopper, but I personally prefer the little corner street shops that are full of cheap Turkish textile products--good quality but great price. For a weekend sightseeing trip you can see the castle, Ataturk's citidel, the gardens, an art museum, or some other historical location--Ankara has many. If you're bored or need to get away you can just buy tickets from Asti bus terminal and take a trip to another part of Turkey for a small price.

PIECE OF ADVICE TO GIRLS: Do not wear shorts or short skirts in Turkey! Just don't do it! If it falls much above the knee, everyone stares at you!

Also, at Bilkent the students really dress in a variety. Typically the trend is somewhat conservative, so if you really want to blend, try for pants and button up shirts and tee-shirts, but at the same time I see girls walking around in skimpy clothes and simply wearing leggings with shirts too. Every girl here has a leather purse, and no one has a backpack, especially the girls. Guys tend to dress pretty fashionable/metro, but you see all styles as well. Goths, hippies, emo looking, etc. SO MANY PEOPLE SMOKE ON THIS CAMPUS! It is like walking through a giant cigarette on the quad. That's kind of annoying. The campus has a similar feeling to a high school--there are clicks and everyone cares so much about the way they dress, but it's a private school in Turkey, so what do you expect?

As for my classes, the expectations are really quite different than that of America. Attendance is a much bigger deal in terms of respect, so don't ditch class. Showing up late can be ok---most of the teachers do, but definitely it matters what subject and who your teacher is. In terms of taking my finals early, all my professors have been really cool about it so far, except for one who is a little bit unsure, but he insists he will abide by what all my other professors are abiding by. I really hate to leave so ridiculously early, but being on the quarters system as well as needing to get back to get my stuff all settled puts me in a bit of a bind.

WORD OF ADVICE TO EAP STUDENTS:
If you have any kind of scholarship, make sure you sign up for it ahead of time! When I say that, I mean the dispersal coupon thing--I really don't know what to call that. Anyways, if you have a scholarship, it gets sent to EAP rather than being disbursed directly through you, so it can be a huge pain and the butt to get the money back into your bank account. This is why power of attorney is such a useful and lovely thing--THANKS MOM! Also, DO NOT LIVE IN THE DORMS! It has a very weird vibe like a hospital--very sterile and unfriendly feeling, it's far away, and it's overpriced. Find a friendly Turk, get an emlak (realtor), and find an apartment. You have to pay a small commission fee, but it's totally worth it! The apartments that are furnished are still INCREDIBLY CHEAP! The dorms are so far away from anything in the city, and the general environment around it just plain bland--as if you are at any old university in America. They might make your bed, but let's face it---you're studying abroad you shouldn't be expecting to have a maid. Also, REAL is the only shopping center by the dorms, and is basically an overpriced version of Walmart with low quality products. If you live in the city you can get away from that. Good areas to live in the city are around Tunus/Tunali---not necessarily in that area, but around there. That area is kind of pricy. You can also live in Bacheli. It's a good area, but not so much around the "happening street of Tunus." The main bus stop is on Tunus, so that's really convenient.

Also--the whole water situation really irritating/troublesome sometimes. Be really careful, especially if you have a sensitive stomach. (Travel with immodium!) Honestly I won't even brush my teeth with the water. You have to buy it, but there is a delivery system that is actually cheaper than buying it at the grocery store, so that's nice. Also, with apartments and utilities, having an emlak (realtor) who speaks English is an amazing thing, or living with a Turk. They help you set up internet and make sure you pay your bills to the right place. We have an amazing and helpful one if anyone is interested.

I must say the location of Ankara is nice though. It's really central to everything. I spent last weekend in Istanbul with my roommate, and it was really nice, but so much more expensive. It's so easy to go to Istanbul though--there are buses nearly every hour a day for a fairly affordable price. It's a nice weekend getaway.

FOOD:

-I eat so much yogurt now. Like a gallon every few days.

-I drink so much tea!

-I put mustard on my pizza

-No I don't eat a lot of kebab. I do eat doner, kofte, iskendar, and lahmacun though.

-I drink my Ayran

-Produce and bread here is soooooo cheap

-Most the milk you buy here isn't refrigerated before.

-They have amazing little cookies here. So addictive.

That's all for now. More later.

Konya

So my roommate and I had to scrap our trip to Fethiye and Oludeniz, so we're saving that for another time. We really wanted to go to Cappadocia and see the ferry chimneys and all of that, but as far as we knew there was no real bus that went directly there from Ankara, so we decided to go to Konya and planned to take a bus from there.

This would all maybe have been ok, except for that fact that it was Bayran, a major holiday in Turkey that lasts multiple days, something that we did not know ahead of time. We thought it was only one day, but it was really like four or something. Anyways, because of this, everything was closed, including restaurants, small stores, and even most of the buses and pretty much all of the tour guide services. So we were essentially stuck there and hungry. Furthermore, the only person at our hotel who spoke English knew nothing about tours and was of no help. Although we should have probably planned a bit better, it was really frustrating.

Furthermore, we soon realized we picked the most conservative Muslim city in Turkey to stay at during a major religious holiday. Not the best plan. Although we felt safe the entire time, the amount of stares we received was rather unnerving. Most women in the city were covered, but we did see various uncovered Turkish women that were indeed wearing quite revealing clothes, and they did not receive any stares, yet my roommate and I, who were fully covered just short of wearing a head scarf, were constantly stared at by both men and women. All we could find to eat the entire two days was doner sandwich. Therefore we ate mainly cookies and crackers, something we quite regretted, especially with the added painful combination of a liter of limonata. We finally found a restaurant that was open in the evening in the second night, and it was pretty good and authentic, but our diet during that trip was truly atrocious. I felt so unhealthy by the end of that trip.

We also wanted to go to a nearby city, so we settled upon Sille, a nearby town with cave dwellings (essentially fairy chimneys) in the middle of nowhere. After riding a bus apprehensively for a good 30 minutes, we got off in what looked like an uninhabited shanty town in the desert. We walked up a hill for a bit, and it looked sketchy, so we decided to turn back. As we walked down the hill, it sounded as though a shotgun fired from the hill above us where there were a bunch of chickens walking around. It scared the crap out of me. I wasn't sure if people were target practicing, bird hunting, or what, but I knew I didn't want to be in someone's cross fire. We quickly walked back. Then we heard more shots, but these sounded more like fireworks. For some reason in this town, Konya as well, everyone gives the kids toy guns and light off some sort of loud fireworks for the holiday--I guess to scare the tourists crazy enough to go out there for the holidays? This old man from the bus saw that we were scared shitless, and he wished us a happy bayram, and gave us candy. Yes, I know what you're thinking, strangers with candy, but in Turkey everyone hands out candy for bayram, so it was ok. The candy was good. There was a nice covered woman who asked us where we were from and spoke to us in Turkish. I think the people there were so intrigued as to why we would come to that city. At least people in Sille were nicer than Konya.

Everywhere in Konya were large groups of boys ranging from 3-7 ages 5-25. All of them looked like they were up to some mischief or another. We had some really creepy guys stare at my roommate a lot, and then we left the park and went back to the hotel for the rest of the night. As time past over the following few days the city got slightly more alive, and we felt less weird, and we also discovered a more lively part of the city that was more enjoyable to be in. The park was quite nice though--very green.

We went to some "museum" that was jam packed with tourists, except it really just seemed like a garden with a mosque. It was full of Japanese tourists though. It was pretty, but it seemed a bit overrated.

By the way--McDonalds and Burger King in Turkey have really good and cheap dondurmas! :P Way better than the US! :)

Turkey

So I've been in Turkey for over two weeks now. It's been interesting.

Istanbul was really good, but I came during ramadan, so every time we went out to drive somewhere I thought I was going to die like every few minutes. It was also hard to go somewhere because my friend and his mom were fasting for ramadan, and so they were too tired to go out much. It was really good though. We had really nice meals and had a lovely time. In the mornings I would have Turkish breakfast, which consisted of many fruits, vegetables, cheese, bread, some meat, and of course...tea! It was really nice to have home cooked food.

I went on a tour of the Bosporus with my friend, but it kept being postponed because the ferry wasn't full enough, so after spending half the day in Kadaokoi we didn't have enough time to see all the things I wanted to see. We did manage to see Haga Sophia though. That was really nice, and the area around it had really interesting little shops and architecture. After getting my tickets for Haga Sophia this old man asked me in Turkish if I wanted to go on a tour, and when I didn't reply, he asked me the same question in Russian. Do I really look that Russian?! I went to really cool outlets with my friend's mom--Turkey has amazing leather products. I tried Mado ice cream at that shopping center--it was so delicious! I love dondurmas!

The bus ride to Ankara was long, but the Ulusoy bus was quite comfortable. The waiter hostess type guy kept staring at me, and it was a little odd. Finally he brought me this book that was translated from Japanese to English to read. I forget the title, but it was quite interesting from what I read of it. I get stared at a lot. I guess no matter where I go I stick out. I think it's how I dress.

Coming to Ankara was kind of strange. There were so many dry hills and mountains, which I am not the biggest fan of. I felt like I was on a hunting or camping trip with my dad in California when I looked out the window though. Strange. When I arrived in Ankara, I thought, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?!" It was dry and seemed isolated, but I realized I was on the edge of the city. When I arrived at Bilkent by taxi my impression was only getting worse. No one spoke English, and the dorm staff was really quite rude. I had four luggages counting my carry on and personal item, and they just ignored me, while new people came to check in. The dorms were 70 lira a night, the price of a decent hotel, yet they had no air conditioning or internet. Quite upsetting. The dorms and campus seemed isolated and depressing. I had to get out of there. The process of looking for an apartment was quite stressful, especially when none of the realtors seemed to speak english, and no one seemed to want to help us. I went around with a fellow economics major from Santa Barbara looking for houses. Finally we got an apartment! Only 1200 lira for 3 rooms too, and there are 4 girls. Cheap! :) Yet, just when we thought everything was over and fine, the world got turned upside down. :/

I feel much better about Ankara after moving out though. We had a few minor problems at first, such as shorting our apartment with high voltage appliances so our fridge died, we couldn't do laundry, and we had cold showers, but other than that it hasn't been too bad.

I am really glad with the decision I have made to live off campus, regardless of recent problems I have had. I feel like I am actually enjoying the city and living a more real and authentic life of a Turkish person. Also, I had to get away from the awful group tours of the Erasmus program! Just not my thing.

I have weak internet right now, but more later!