Safe European Home

Oh dear. I didn't mean to be away for so long. I am not sure what happens, but times flies. Or stands still. Or just passes with no reliable internet connection in sight.

Last Friday was Zeynep's birthday. She is the one by herself in the photo (taken by the German hiker), next to the photo of Ataturk and the Turkish flag. Every house or office must have a photo of Ataturk, founder of the modern Turkish Republic. My Dutch friend, the Iraqi and one of the other Germans are pictured with the chocolate & pistachio cake in the other photo. We threw her a little surprise party and she was really happy, I think. She said that in the four years that she has been teaching, she has never had a party thrown for her. This woman more than deserves a party. Every day I am amazed by how patient and fun and effective she is. Plus she is so careful and methodical without being really obvious.

So, yes, all continues well enough here. My class remains dominated by the competent Germans who have effectively beaten down my nemesis. Yes, the Germans really have taken over, imposing order and reason to the class. We now simply converse, answer the questions out of the book and well, learn. So much less wasted time. What a relief!

My nemesis and boyfriend did return from nearly a week in Prague but honestly, she no longer wields much power. My Dutch friend noticed it first, and I felt quite good to realize I am not alone in thinking this way. When Sarah did return, she remarked to me that I will truly amazed when I leave Istanbul to find how much easier and better other places are. Wow. She really is miserable here. Must be awful. I do wish she would just move to Europe though and be done with it. I must say, Turkey is many things but it is not Europe. It just isn't and I don't think it has any desire to be, really. That is a whole other subject, obviously.

So, yes, she has continued to miss class and I doubt she will move to the next level. Yesterday she and her boyfriend flew to London for a "much-needed English-language" long weekend. Have I mentioned that this woman says that she hopes to work in Rwanda and other trouble zones in the future? The same woman who complains about the number of "filthy cats" on the street? Doesn't seem to really know herself all that well.

So, yes, as you can see, the Iraqi has also returned to class. He was on a ski holiday with his family. OK, why didn't I see that coming? Iraqis on ski holidays?? I should have noticed that he does wear a lot of Lacoste shirts. Alas my mind struggles under the burden of stereotypes. He is hosting a party tonight and I am debating on whether to attend. He does live close to me as the crow flies, but the crow doesn't have to navigate crossing the Bosphorus Strait at night.

On Thursday, I played hookey from school as it was a gorgeous sunny day. It ended up being a great day to skip as it was the one beautiful day of the week and I found out we didn't really cover all that much in class. Today, for example, it is raining and even snowing a little. So, on Thursday, I hiked up a hill to an old Genovese medieval castle in a town called Anadolu Kavagi, about 20 minutes away. Actually, first I inadvertently hiked up a big hill here in Beykoz, past a forbidden military zone. I past an old castle of sorts currently inhabited by gypsies. Weird. I stood in front of it for about 30 seconds deciding if I should have a closer look. After I saw some clotheslines with drying laundry and clusters of kids, I realized it was not a safe place necessarily. Though I don't know what they would do with me, the phrase "kidnapped by gypsies" kept running through my head. I then luckily caught a bus that took me to the castle town.

I walked around the castle for about 45 minutes, for which you could see the beginnings of the Black Sea. Gorgeous! It felt so secluded in a way, and so not city. Unfortunately the place was full of litter, including broken bottles. Somehow not uncommon. So often I think that Istanbul and maybe Turkey as a whole doesn't really care about tourism. I mean I know it does, but there are these anomalies. A beautiful spot full of rubbish, a place that would be relatively easy to patrol or at least clean every week or so. All it needed was maybe 10 people and half a day, and the place would be spotless. In a similar vein, I am really surprised how many of the big tourist sites have squatty potties - porcelain holes in the ground, basically. Usually they also require a small admission charge. Western-style toilets are almost everywhere but not in the tourist sites. Very very strange.

So, as I was coming down from the castle, I ran into all the tourists coming up. Apparently the Bosphorus tour boat had just arrived. I got lucky! I went down to the town and asked the tour boat guys if there was some other place I should visit nearby... I had been hoping to go to a town on the Black Sea, but they told me that the bus didn't go that way. Because I was speaking Turkish (I think), they offered me a a cup of tea. They let me come into the little ticket booth and we chatted. Honestly my life here is so much better here now that I can converse even a little in Turkish. When all the tourists came back after lunch, I even helped tear their tickets and get them onboard. Yes, I sorta became a ferry boat worker there - cute! They then introduced me to the guys on the boat (same company that runs my daily ferry) and asked if I wanted to go on the tour. Well, sure! Istanbul looks particularly beautiful for the water. So I then got to take the Bosphorus tour for free and spent 3 hours more practicing my Turkish. The secretary of the boat told me that I was the first American to ever talk to him. I just hate this about touring, the separation between the locals and the visitors. Of course language is a big part of it but it is also a class & cultural thing. They were all really nice and hospitable, and I always had either a cup of tea or glass of Nescafe in hand. I also learend quite a bit about the sites along the way.

When I got back to the main Istanbul terminal, I hung out a little longer in the break room, drinking even more tea. I have never drank so much tea in my life. Basically tea is a constant here, usually served in little hourglass-shaped glasses. Finally, I got on a boat headed back to Beykoz... I realized I had spent about four hours only speaking in Turkish. Quite a good day - one of my best to date I think.

Uber Alles

We have had a shift in our class. For some reason, my class is now mostly German, and most of these German speak Turkish quite well. One girl has a Turkish father who talks to her alot in Turkish, though she responds almost exclusively in German. One is a physicist who is interning with Greenpeace. He looks very German hiker. One is a very cool political science student at Bogazici University. One is very tan. We also now have a Greek Cypriot, a very sweet, very smart girl who speaks English with a pleasant English accent. She is also studying political science and Turkish studies in general. She had her bank card eaten by a bank machine yesterday and mentioned that if she had problems with money, she had no consulate here. Right.

So, that means that the Iraqi has disappeared, and my fake-sweet American nemesis and boyfriend have been missing for days. They went to Prague for a long weekend and I thought they were supposed to be back by now. Hm. Who knows? I am sure they will also be most surprised by the change in our class. We are somehow now higher level than before. I figure it might be like pool: sometimes you can improve your game by playing against better opponents. Here's hoping.

Yesterday I had to give a presentation in class. I chose the Fall of Constantinople (1452-3), hoping that everyone would know the basics as we all live here. The German environmentalist had done a presentation the day before on the Greenhouse Effect. The only part of his presentation I really understood was when he said that people were like tomatoes (domates gibi). Well, heck, I never really understood the Greenhouse Effect in English.

So, anyway, I had a whole long paragraph on how the Ottomans rolled their boats overland over oiled logs to get to the Golden Horn. The Byzantines had blocked the water route there with a large chain. Really fascinating stuff. However, I don't think anyone understood me at all. Totally blank faces. The hiker said he didn't understand. I asked him what he didn't understand and he said, well the whole thing. So I went to the board and tried to draw it. Zeynep (my fabulous teacher who I appreciate more and more every day) tried drawing it as well. It was like a painful game of Pictionary. I think Zeynep went in and out of understanding me. I wish I could have had a translated version of what I was saying. I think it might have been hilarious.

So, today is Valentines Day. Since Turkey isn't one for saints, it is called Lovers' Day here. Same red hearts, same fuzzy white bears. Oof ya!

Entertainment

This has been a big week for me, entertainment-wise. I went to two movies and one concert. OK, these outings weren't entirely successful, the movies in particular. However, I was entertained, in a way not expected.

Last Monday, my friend Sean and I had gone to Kadikoy, the kinda hip neighborhood on the Asian side (Anadolu Yakisi), and decided to go the movies. Turkey has a fairly large film industry, and foreign films, mostly American, are popular as well. I have noticed that any film with Jude Law will be shown here, no questions asked.

There were a number of theaters listed in my Time Out Istanbul (the Turkish version, a big step-up for me from the paltry English language version). When we got to the addresses, however, we were mostly greeted with construction sites. Strange. When we did get to the one theater that did exist, we decided against Holiday (with Jude Law). That left the zany, Turkish screwball comedy Americans in the Black Sea 2 (yes, the sequel) and a movie called Barda (In the Bar). Based entirely on the movie posters, we opted for Barda. The poster showed a photo of some young people listening to a band in a bar and some sinister faces above them. Looked like some kind of thriller, should be easy enough to follow.

Well, first off, I noticed that the sound in the theater was terrible. I couldn't understand the trailer for the upcoming Jude Law film, and that was in English. Problem var! (Turkish for "Houston, we have a problem.") Ah well. My understanding much of the Turkish seemed unlikely. I settled into the chair and figured I would just do my best. Sean, who is American, understands and speaks Turkish much better than I do, so I figured that I would hit him up for film details later.

Unfortunately, the film took a bad turn about 20 minutes in... seems this was a horror film, as in a torture film. With next to no plot development that I could see, the film became even more simple. Basically five very bad men who were on something came into a bar, took the five students who were there hostage and started torturing and/or killing them. I never like torture in movies, and can't even watch Reservoir Dogs for that reason. I would never ever ever see Saw 3, for example. Also, I got very nervous about how far this film might go. I sort of know the limits that American films have for graphic violence, but could Turkish movies be worse? Well, sure, could be. Also I did not need or want to have any of these images in my head for later, when I was alone, say. Later, when I looked it up, I read that the filmmaker was hoping to make the most violent film in Turkish film history. He may have succeeded; I will never know. I had to leave and Sean was more than cool with that. Later, thinking about it, it seemed strange that there were so many couples in there, many of the women in headscarves. Perhaps they left as well? I suppose I might be a bit off suggesting that women in headscarves might be more offended by a movie that depicted rape and torture than other women. I would hardly imagine it as a date movie, in any case.

On Wednesday, I decided to give Blood Diamond a try. It was playing at the big cineplex in Taksim, near my school. I took my pre-assigned seat (they assign seats here) and figured I would do my best to read the subtitles rather than listening to the English. However, when the film started, I noticed a shadow a few rows ahead of me. The fourth time I saw the shadow head on and yes, it was a huge rat, methodically running down the rows. I am not particularly frightened of rats, due to the high number I have already encountered in NYC, but it was just so wrong. I have not seen any rats here at all, perhaps surprisingly for a large city. As the rat moved towards the back of the theater, I felt compelled to do the same. I stood in the way back for awhile and eventually moved to a seat. However, the rat was working its way to the back of the theater as well, so I ended up standing against the wall again, craning my neck to see. All in all, I think I might have watched for the rat more than I really watched the movie. No one else in the theater noticed or perhaps cared about this nearly foot-long rat. I mentioned it to a Turkish friend last night at a dinner party, and he said, well, really what can you do? I like easy-going, but come on! Rat, maybe a rabid rat even, running under the seats, and you are just going to accept it?!! Really?!?

And in my Entertainment triumvarate, I saw Bonnie "Prince" Billy (aka Will Oldham, Palace) on Friday night at a fairly large municipal concert hall. Will Oldham is a singer/songwriter, fairly slow, from Louisville, Kentucky. I must say I was both surprised that he was playing in Istanbul and surprised that he was playing in a concert hall that is usually reserved for classical shows. I do like sitting down at shows, so that part was nice. However, the whole thing was just a bit too civilized for a rock show. Twice, Sean and I were asked by a male guard to stop talking. A female guard, who was wearing a nice dress, had the unfortunate job of asking people to shut their cellphones, even when they weren't talking on them. This was one very quiet concert. I thought the hall itself appeared very Soviet, but Sean, who spent some time in Bulgaria, assured me that it was not. Afterwards, we went backstage and talked to the band, as I have liked Will Oldham for a long time. This is a benefit of seeing someone really out of their element; going backstage is very easy and fairly normal. They had found the concert a bit strange as well. Will was tired (and had spent too much time at a Turkish bath that day) but meeting him was still interesting. One of the young guitarists was so impressed with Istanbul, he was considering moving here. This city really has this effect on people, right away. It is entrancing. We tried to explain it is a bit different than it appears at first, but I don't think these things can be explained; they need to be experienced.

So that is the latest here. Class is much more difficult, but good. We have an Iraqi in class. He stutters a little. He is from Baghdad originally, but now his family is split betweennow Jordan, Syria and Turkey. More on that later, perhaps. Now I need to get back to studying, of course.

Level 3

Well, tomorrow I start Level 3 at my language school. Friday I passed my Level 2 final exam with flying colors and hoping that my solid score really was an accurate reflection of learning. Let's hope. In Turkish, I can now say that I am doing something, I did something, I will do something, I always do something, I was doing something, I may do something and if I do something .... Every new verb tense fills me with hope, though the sentence structure still kills me. Turkish insists on putting the verbs at the end of the sentence and attaches everything else to the words before the verb. Next to impossible for me to think this way. Gives me a headache.

So after class some of us went out to celebrate the end of class. Yes, Sarah came. We got on fine though she was a bit amazed that I had gone to a hamam (Turkish bath) the day before, alone. The hamam I went to was one of the most famous ones here in Istanbul. I think it was in one of the Raiders of the Lost Ark movies. And it is mostly frequented by tourists. So, how scary could it be? (answer: not at all.) Basically I felt so relaxed that I fell into a wonderful sleep on the warm marble floor, staring at the lovely 18th century dome above me. The Canadian guy in my class continues to be a favorite. The Turkish expression for brother is "abey" (sp?) and is commonly used by anyone trying to get the attention of a guy. So what does my favorite Canadian in Istanbul call the advice column he is writing for Time Out Istanbul? Well, "Dear Abey" of course. Hilarious. He also made a great comment about drafts. Turks seem to be in near mortal fear of drafts. OK, that is an exaggeration but really, most homes are over-heated. Slippers are required upon entering the home and guests are provided with slippers upon arrival as well. My Dutch friend was told by her future mother-in-law that she was at risk for a urinary tract infection if she didn't wear her slippers in the house. Interesting connection. Anyway, my Canadian friend made a remark that he finds it fascinating that the same people who once held all of Europe in terror are themselves held hostage by their own fear of drafts. Struck me as very funny at the time.

Later on that night, I met up with a few folks from the Level 1 class for their celebration. It was fun being the older, wiser Level 2 graduate... There is a funny hierarchy and sure, I am in slight awe of the levels above me as well. So, yes, I was like an upperclassman who deigned to spend time with the underlings. I was invited by a British historian who reminds my Dutch friend of Mr. Bean. Yep, I see it. So, this was the first time that I have actually had the raki/meze experience. Raki is a licorice flavored brandy that is sort of the national drink of Turkey. When mixed with water, it turns cloudy, as does one's head. Meze are small dishes that include marinated fish, stuffed grape leaves, yogurt dips, etc. The waiter brings over a big tray with all the mezes on it and you choose. For those of us who don't really like to decide, it is perfect. Fun night. Good company, good food.

So, yes, next up is Level 3 and yes, I am halfway through my classes here. I have felt a change in my relationship with this language, and definitely feel more comfortable with it. However, I feel that I am still a bit quiet. I do also see that it is such a process and can't exactly be forced. I have decided that, from now on, I will not speak English on a regular basis. This will be hard. However, at this point, I do think I now have enough words and tenses to actually say what I'd like to say. The hardest thing, though, is the loss of personality through communication. I have never thought and talked so much about language, communication and expression as I have in the past two months. Language is so much about culture, not just about a string of words. Speaking in a language that does not express one's own culture is not natural, particularly in a culture as strong as this one. Turks are very specific in how (and what) things are done and this is true of their language as well. Many expressions are basically mandatory when faced with certain situations. English feels much more loose. Ah, we'll see.

Oh, and sorry about the lack of images. I am having trouble with my digital camera. It doesn't focus properly. I am not sure I will be able to fix it here. Bad timing!