You Know You Have Lived in Turkey When...

So I was thinking today about all the weird mannerisms I have picked in Turkey, and how I am constantly realizing new ones, so I decided to make a list...or at least start.

You Know You Have Lived in Turkey Toooo Long When

1. You see a busy street full of traffic and fearlessly cross
2. You are jaywalking and a car nearly hits you, and you swear at them and make hand gestures
3. You yell siktur git at guys trying to help you
4. You throw your regular toilet paper in the garbage
5. You are afraid of regular kindness from men
6. You have a million scarves
7. You wonder why you haven't heard the call to prayer yet
8. Call to prayer is like your alarm clock
9. You look forward to free tea, and are confused when it doesnt come
10. You go to the convenience store craving ayran
11. You greet people by kissing them on each cheek
12. You dont dry your clothes
13. You eat way too much bread
14. You crave cig kofte
15. You are so happy it is a "real toilet"
16. You expect to pay to use the bathroom
17. Your local bread man is your facebook friend
18. You pick up your phone when you are thirsty (to call the water man)
19. You say allahallah
20. You make hand gestures when you are mad
21. You start dancing when you hear arabesque
22. You have Ataturk swag
23. You take off shoes when you go in the house (did that already)
24. You have so many nazar ("evil eyes," literally amulets against evil) you can't count
25. You start to like the taste of raki
26. You try to bargain at every shop
27. You think in lira
28. You know about bayram traffic and chaos
29. You rush home before ramazan traffic
30. You crave Mado, and you know where all the Mados are
    
31. You know where the best and cheapest doner shops are

Lisbon Relaxation

lots of grafitti---it changes over night! This used to be a naked woman!

Lisbon was really nice. It was a good time for me to really relax and wind down. It is a totally different city than Barcelona. Barcelona has such energy, but the Portuguese are much more conservative and low key. The city is much more run down, but still beautiful nonetheless. I found out from a local that it is because during their long dictatorship they had an issue with rent ceilings being much to low that the landowners could not afford to maintain the buildings, and they became very deteriorated. The architecture was gorgeous though, even when it was rundown. Many houses had beautiful tile walls, and it reminded me of what I thought Morocco to look like. It was so beautiful. I loved the bright colors and the tiles.

I learned the hard way from the complementary glass of wine on my flight from Barcelona that Porto wine is much stronger than your average wine. In terms of strength, it is almost like a liqueur. It was really good though. Probably not the best for a plane ride though.

The food was good. Once again, sort of bland, but good because there was seafood. I got really good tips from the guy at my hostel where to go and eat. He was so nice and helpful, and really interesting to talk to. He was a finance major, and he was working in the world of finance, but decided to step back from the chaos and get into a more relaxing life of tourism, but he is still very politically inclined. Very interesting guy. Anyways, he told me to go to Trinidade, a very authentic Portuguese restaurant with great seafood. I had salmon and potatos. It was great. Lisbon also has many historical places and art deco cafes. It is great. My sort of place.

I went to the Museum of the Orient. That was a favorite for me, even though they lied about their hours of operation, and I went there once in vain. It was so interesting to me to see the link between the art from the Orient and Portugal. I had long known about the connection between Portugal and Japan, and it was a subject of strong interest to me, but I learned a lot more about that and the Portuguese connection with China and Korea. The art was quite beautiful. I think they also did a really good job explaining why certain pieces looked the way they did, and explaining the emphasis of different markets and buyers. I guess sometimes we forget that people then and now made art to be sold for the most part, and that different artists and artisans had different markets in mind. For example the Chinese porcelain that has a lot of blue and geometric symbols was intended for the Middle East, etc. Anyways it was interesting to see why different Japanese and Chinese pieces were shaped in the way they were. I could also see the resemblances in the piece to what would later become art deco, the European imitation of Asian and Middle Eastern art.

Portugal was quite interesting, especially because it was so different to me. I do and did not speak Portuguese. For the first time I was in a country where I did not speak the language--at all. That was interesting. I did learn a word or two on the way though. It was way more diverse than I realized though. I guess I should not have been surprised though. I saw a lot of people of African descent, and a lot more Asians than I had expected, some of which had been there for generations and were fully integrated into Portuguese society.

Unfortunately I came down with a cold in Portugal though. I searched for Asian food, wanting Asian soup as a comfort of home and my childhood, and I was very disappointed by the quality of what I found. That is one thing the US does well, all things considering. (Of course Asia does it better) In the end my place definitely is in Asia and not Europe. You could definitely see how deteriorated the Portuguese economy is though. You see some really lavishly dressed people in fine cars, but lots of homeless beggars as well. It was not as bad as San Francisco, but more than I have seen in a while.

I had interesting conversations in my hostel. I met an interesting Chinese engineer who is working in Netherlands. Wow the Europeans love their vacations. They get 30 paid days of vacation a year! It is just incredible to me. I am sort of jealous, but from an economic standpoint it is still a little hard to believe that this is pheasable, and also that their wages are so high. He told me some of his favorite places in the world that he has been though, and Bali was one of them. This keeps popping up in my mind, and it is definitely high on my list. An interesting thing he told me was was that he, "Hated living in the Netherlands for the first 6 years, but by 7 years he sort of found it growing on him." Wow. That one really got me. I guess I can't even fathom myself living somewhere I hate for six years, but I guess people have definitely lived through worse misery for longer.

I walked a lot in Portugal. It was nice. There were a lot of hills and cobblestone though, both I am not a huge fan of, but the weather was nice enough, so I manned up. It was a nice and relaxing time.

I also went to the city of Sintra by train. It was nice. A lot cheaper than Barcelona or Lisbon, but not a lot there other than tourist stuff. I just went to the Moorish Castle and Palace de Pena. Pena Palace was pretty, but sadly I went on a very foggy day and I could not see the city view or the palace very well. Another time I hope to see it again though. Unfortunately I neglected to see the most beautiful palace of all...but something for next time I suppose. The Moorish castle was ok, but honestly I have seen too many ruins in Turkey to really appreciate it much.

When I got back to my hostel there was an older woman who kept raving about Sintra. She said she had to go their twice because she could not see it all. I frankly have no idea what she spent so much time doing. I guess I have different interests than most, and maybe I am a bit too impatient with some things, but I guess I just do not see the need to see every little tourist attraction. I pick a few of the best, and if I miss something, oh well. I was stupid though. I took the bus up the hill, that was smart at least, but did not take the free bus back down the hill. I took a wrong turn and ended up walking like 8 miles. It was nice though, but I was sure tired the next day. Pretty and great views though. I saw some hidden and beautiful private estates off the beaten path. The scenery sort of reminded me of the redwoods too, so that was nice.

I did end up with some very interesting pictures of Sintra though because it was so foggy! At first I was so disappointed my pictures were not so detailed and vivid as the emblematic bright pictures that people so often take of Sintra, but I realized later that mine were more rare.

Viva La Barcelona My Life

Barecelona, Barcelona, Barcelona!

I never really planned or expected to go to Barcelona ever before these last few years, but this last year I had met a number of interesting people who had either gone to or were from Barcelona, not to mention my economics professor in Korea who I was beaten down by---in economics and in drinking. (Those both came as a real surprise to me--I really thought the Irish could take the Spanish. I guess not.) Well after coming to Barcelona, I am no longer surprised that my professor could outdrink not only me, but me AND multiple Korean guys, even though Koreans are likely the alcoholics of Asia. Barcelona people can party until sunrise, and just take a nice siesta, and do it again. It was crazy---they don't even really go out until after midnight, and it's not uncommon to come back at 9 AM!

So I spent New Years and Christmas here. I stayed in a fantastic hostel---Barcelona Urbany. I met some cool people, including some Brazilians and some guys living in France, both of which were not French. One thing that really sticks in my memory of that hostel and that time in Barcelona was the giant building that looked like an erect penis. Not to mention, it lit up and turned colors, red of all, at night. We and everyone in the hostel dubbed the statue "the big dick," but I must admit it was great for finding our way back when we were lost at night.

Barcelona is full of interesting architecture. From "the big dick" to incredible Gaudi masterpieces, to random modern art, it almost seems like a city from a fairytale or science fiction movie.

Barcelona also has its interesting characters. Walk down the streets of La Rambla and see all sorts of street performers, everything from fake fat hookers to men sitting on toilets or demons. Everywhere there are Indian guys trying to sell oddities like voice alterators. Sometimes I feel like I am in the grand bazaar in Istanbul! They even sell scarves that I saw there sometimes. That combined with the fact there are kebab shops everywhere, sometimes I think I am still in Turkey. I even went to a kebab shop the first day to ask a Turkish guy directions since my Spanish is not so good. Worked like a charm. However, when I went to another kebab shop with an Indian guy I met at the hostel, it was owned by a Nepali and a Pakistani from Kashmir. I guess the pictures and posters of Kashmir all over the interior should have been a dead giveaway. He told us that there are over 40,000 Pakistanis in Barcelona alone. Incredible!

It was a little weird to transition from life in Turkey to life in Spain at first. I was dead afraid of pickpocketers to the point of paranoia, something I have only been worried about before in LA and Berkeley/Oakland. Yet, I was also still paranoid about people trying to sell me crap or hit on me like in Turkey.

Let me clarify though---a lot of people have this assumption that Turkey is like a really unsafe or scary place. I am not sure if it is because of the whole Middle East stereotype, or the fact that a lot of Turkish guys have a fairly bad rap, something which there is a good reason for. Either way, I never once felt unsafe in Turkey. There were some times I definitely felt very uncomfortable or unhappy....or harassed or irritated, but never really threatened. Even with all the creepy guys in Turkey I never once thought someone was going to kidnap me or rape me. I never once feared for my life. I did have my ass grabbed a time or two, but mainly just in Ankara. Although I did not exactly go for walks by myself in Kızılay at night in Ankara, I generally felt quite safe in Ankara and in Turkey---definitely more safe than I have felt about most places in California. Even in Barcelona though, I still have felt safe, pick pocketing aside.

Anyways, kindness was something to get used to again. I guess I have picked up some interesting habits in Turkey. I still am not totally sure what all they are comprised of yet, but I am finding out as I go. I definitely have a habit of crossing the road amidst traffic, swearing at cars and making hand gestures, saying AllahAllah, and I am rather paranoid of guys I do not know...either that they are hitting on me or trying to sell me stuff. I am very dismissive. I also try to bargain for everything and have gotten very cheap! ....the rest is still a surprise, and I am realizing more and more about my habits with time. I must say, I miss call to prayer and all the free tea...and the cheapness of the Lira....the Euro sure knows how to rape Americans.

Other than that, Barcelona has been great. The people are really great and nice. The food is good. A little bland, but hey there is seafood so I am happy. I also enjoy the music, sometimes which is on the street. Other favorites are the weather, the Mediteranean, and of course the ever so cheap Sangria!

Christmas was quite interesting this year though. Not like anything before. It was my first Christmas away from home, and was completely non-family oriented. It felt sort of strange. Especially because it was so warm that day that I hardly needed a jacket. That part I did not mind at all though. I am not someone who wants a white Christmas, and I had more snow that I ever wanted in the last few weeks in Ankara. So Christmas consisted of going to a labyrnth, eating pudding for dinner, and drinking sangria. Over all I am going to say the day was a complete success. Christmas day we went to Indian food and walked on the Mediteranean. Another success.

It was really interesting to spend Christmas in such a religious and Catholic country though, especially because I nor my family are very traditional or religious. I do not even remember the last time we had a Christmas tree. Maybe more than ten years ago. I do not even remember the last time my grandma had a Christmas tree...and she is much more traditional than us. I think the most traditional part we have in Christmas is going to my dad's best friend's family's house. He is half Filipino, so there is really good food, a tree, karaoke, and even Santa ad midnight. I still remember last Christmas though. That was the Christmas I realized that I am most definitely an adult. Instead of sitting on Santa's lap I went outside with my dad and a few other guys to help Santa get ready. I learned why Santa sometimes smells funny. Apparently Santa likes a few swigs of Jack Daniels so he can get the courage to go inside. Interesting how we learn this stuff. Anyways, my family may not be traditional, but I think we still have the Christmas spirit. We are all about visiting family and food--I think the way we celebrate is more like the Turkish Kurban Bayram though. We just go around visiting relatives bringing food, eating food, and spending time together. No tree. No santa. ...I must say I really like how my dad's sister's family does Christmas though. They all draw names and pick one person secretly to give a gift to. It is really fun, and they give great gag gifts every time. It also lets you put more thought into the gift and mimizes waste and cost. Definitely something I want to do in the future.

So back to Barcelona Christmas...it was really interesting to see the difference. They had the Christmas markets, so many lights, and of course the gorgeous churches were there too. I have never been a big fan of churches, but La Sagrada Familia looked incredible.

I think my favorite thing in Barcelona so far has been the Gaudi architecture though. Also the Picasso musuem, but especially Gaudi's work. I really loved Parc Guell. It is definitely a must see. I really understand and appreciate its beauty and the time and trouble it must have taken to do all the mosaics after having done a mosaic myself in my ceramics class in Turkey. Even though that was fairly small, it was so tedious! I really respect the time and ingenuity it takes for that kind of thing. My other favorite Gaudi piece has got to be La Sagrada Familia. At first I did not like it that much because I am not Christian, and Christian symbols such as churches tend to make me feel very uncomfortable. However, the more I looked at it, and the more I learned about Gaudi, the more I came to appreciate it and became more and more intrigued by it. So I finally decided to wait in the giant line and pay 10 euro to go inside. Something I did not plan on doing originally, and something I have to thank the Brazilians for having me do with them. Not only is the outside of that museum incredible, but the inside is just amazing. I was awe struck. I tried to take a million photos, but none of which can do it justice. It honestly compares with Haga Sophia. I have never seen anything like that before. I am not religious, but I definitely can see how something like that has to be a tribute to god---for someone and so many to have that much dedication to do a building so extravagant as that, I think it might require intense faith and devotion. What I did not know though was that the building is not under re-construction, but rather it is unfinished! It has been under construction for over 100 years, and they expect it to be completed in 70 more years! WOW! Just incredible. Further more, the more I looked, and the more I read, I began to realize that although La Sagrada Familia is Jesus themed and a tribute to god, it is very much nature inspired. Gaudi was a big fan of nature, and incorporated so many natural elements into his work and the architecture. ...and I must say, the man was an architectural genius!

Ok, so the Picasso Museum. That was also so interesting. What a coincidence. I got lost, and then I was looking for the entrance, and then I finally stumbled upon the giant line that snaked around the entire building because it was the one day of the month the museum was free...which was also why I was there. In line in front of me was a Brazilian guy studying medicine, and I started talking to him, and made friends with him. I spent the day in the museum with him and made plans to meet up with him and his friends the next day. Barcelona is such a great place to meet nice and friendly people, both local and not. Anyways, so the museum was so interesting. I was not a huge Picasso fan before, but I realize just how much talent he had now. I learned that Picasso's original work had focused on characterizing sick patients, and the scene around them...like the worried family, the doctor, the nurse etc. The paintings were gorgeous oil paints, and incredibly detailed. It was not until he took a turn for the more weird and unconventional that he got really famous though. I also got to see some of his unfinished pieces, which are some of my favorites. His ones that are just before the 1920s are so gorgeous. You can really see the pre-art deco influence. Such bright colors and so beautiful. It is interesting to see what influenced artists in different periords--inspiration wise, but also in terms of what markets and audiences they were trying to capture to sell their work and make a living. (Yes that is the economics major in me coming out) We also got to see how he painted over a lot of his work. I am really convinced that this one painting originally had a dog in it, but the museum did not say that in its detailed info, but I temporarily had the Brazilian guy convinced, so I had this ongoing joke that there is always a hidden dog in Picasso's work. It became sort of like where is waldo, and we began looking for the dogs in all his work. Surprisingly enough, there are a lot of little white dogs! Interesting. Maybe I am on to something...well I think so at least...

New Years....that was interesting. Nothing like my previous New Years that were kind of strange and pathetic. No desperately looking for parties and being underaged. The party was everywhere. I walked to La Rambla plaza with some Americans I met at my other hostel. They were teaching English in Spain. The plaza was gorgeous. Lit up with beautiful lights. We stumbled on this little random, but authentic Spanish restaurant and had a incredibly delicious dinner. I had grilled shrimp, one guy had steak, another girl calamari, and another little baby calamari. We had a delicious white wine. Later we were at the plaza and we did the whole count down with grapes and all...and champagne. The plaza was INSANE. People were spraying champagne everywhere. I GOT SOAKED. I had a literal champagne shower. People started to throw bottles into the middle of the plaza, which was closed off and vacated. I was wondering why it was unclosed before, but then I could tell. It was so insane though. Slightly scary, but really incredible. It was a good New Years. I am still amazed at the Spaniards though. A lot of them stay out until like 9 am. I cannot keep up with that no matter how I try.

So only a few days in Spain left, but it has been great! Barcelona I love you! I definitely miss California though...