Author Archives: wab5056

Cappadocia

Imagine eighty people piling up into two coach buses at 9’o clock p.m. getting prepared for a ten hour ride. Once everyone got settled we headed off to Cappadocia. Cappadocia is a region in central Turkey known for unique rock formations cause by volcanoes and erosion. Cappadocia contains several underground cities, largely used by early Christians as hiding places before they became an accepted religion. The Cappadocian Fathers of the 4th century were integral to much of early Christian philosophy.

For the weekend we were staying at a 5-star resort called Dadak Thermal, which was located on a thermal spring and had a wonderful spa. That Friday we were scheduled to go skiing but because of a lack of interest (or lack to pay for equipment and everything) we tried to come up with another activity. What we came up with was to go horseback riding through some of the valleys and nearby towns within the cliffs, which in my opinion was a much better option. We arrived and rented the horses for two hours. After the first hour we stopped in a small town to rest for a few minutes and take pictures. After the break two of the girls asked to split off with one of the guides because they were experienced horse riders and wanted to gallop. We were about halfway back to the ranch when the experienced riders accidently came into view of our horses. My horse bucked a little when she saw the other horses running by. I was able to calm her down but it started a chain reaction with the two horses behind me who took off like rockets surprising people riding them. They went quickly out of site. When we found the girl she had fallen off and sprained her ankle. The guy jumped off and even though he told a dramatic story of how it happened he only had minor scratches. Being the Boy Scout and lifeguard I am I helped the girl remove her shoes and socks before her foot became to swollen to do so. The ranch did not have any ice and neither did the convenience store we stopped at, but being creative we bought several can of cold Efes (Turkey’s Budweiser) and held it against her ankle until we got back to the hotel. Once back at the hotel we grabbed dinner and went to check out the hotel’s thermal spas. The

water was a bluish green and very hot but relaxing to soak in after a long bus drive and riding horses for two hours. Two of the Turkish guys showed up and we went in to check out the Hammam (Turkish bath). The floors and walls were covered in marble and the ceiling had blue glass circles in a round pattern. The Turks then persuaded me to lie on the marble slab in the center. They then began to use rough towel gloves to scrape the dead skin off of me. The masseuse walked in noticing their poor technique and took over. So there I was lying on my stomach on this marble slab in a room full of steam being rubbed down by three Turkish men.

The next day we went to explore some of the rock formations and dwellings that had been

created into the side of the cliffs. The tour guide pointed out some rooms we could go into and then told us that there was another dwelling to the side but that there wasn’t any way to get up in them. A few of us went to just look. When we got to the bottom of this rock I found a stairway and a chiseled ladder. Without hesitating I climbed up to see what it was like. I was up there long enough to get some pictures before some Turkish soldiers approached the group of my friends at the bottom and asked me to come down. Afterwards we got back to the bus to go on and see more fairy chimneys, as well as the iconic ones that had huge boulders sitting on thin columns. The next stop was a more extensive town of these Christian dwellings. The Goreme Open Air Museum had multiple churches carved into

the cliffs will very beautiful artwork painted on the walls and ceilings in a few. When we got back to the town nearby we ate lunch and then headed across the street to watch a demonstration of artists making clay pottery. Throughout the whole building there were stacks of painted plates, bowls, cups, and vases. There were also some very interesting sculptures.

On Sunday we went to explore an underground city that went six stories underground and had an elaborate tunnel system. It almost seemed like a giant ant farm. Tunnels everywhere that would twist and turn quite often with rooms periodically throughout. If it wasn’t for the tour guide I feel that we would have easily gotten lost. Afterwards we headed to the regions famous winery for a wine tasting. Once everyone had their souvenir wine and bought some to go we all boarded the bus and began the long ten hour drive back to school.

Location: Uchisar Kavsagi Neveshir, Cappadocia, Turkey

Sultanahmet

Sultanahmet was weird blend of both past and present. The historic center of Istanbul once stood as the capitol of the Byzantine Empire and later the Ottoman’s made it their capitol. Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque stand opposing each other in the large courtyard. In between these massive temples you can find a number of street vendors trying to sell their knick-knacks to tourists. Bread stands selling freshly made simits (a bread ring with sesame seeds) covered the area as well.

Touring the grand cathedral of the Byzantine Empire was remarkable experience. Beautiful marble floors and decorated archways were everywhere. Chandlers seemed to levitate over the main floor. The artwork on the ceilings and walls were also quite remarkable. There were also countless stained glass windows that let in a beautiful array of colors in the building.

We next tried to tour the Blue Mosque but our timing was poor because as soon as we

arrived prayer began and they wouldn’t let tourists in during that time. We could have waited but there was still so much to see and we figured we could always return.

The next stop was the Ottoman Topkapi Palace. The palace had multiple courtyards and gardens. Inside the buildings they had converted rooms into museums to showcase the treasures and power of the Ottoman Empire. Clothes and artworks of Ottoman Sultans were on display as well as a number of religious items from Islam, Christianity, and Judaism

After such a quick day briefly visiting these amazing buildings we then went to the Grand Bazaar. The bazaar was unlike anyplace I have ever been. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was surprised when I walked into the place to find a multitude of shops in such a historic building. There were stores everywhere selling everything. Every small space was used. A flood of colors from clothes and pottery filled the buildings to the ceiling.

Location: Alemdar Mh., 34122 Istanbul/Istanbul Province, Turkey

Orientation to Istanbul_Part Three

Orientation continued all week. Thursday there was a mandatory meeting for all the exchange students. We all received packets of all kinds of information. After lunch, there was the second half of the meeting and campus scavenger hunt planned, but none of the CIEE students went. Half the group went to get their resident permits so the other half decided to do something more interesting. A small group and I were able to convince our mentor to take us out and around Istanbul and get us off the campus. She tried to hurry us up and get off campus because she didn’t want to be seen skipping the meeting and the campus tour. We made it to Beşiktaş, where she took us before, but this time we took the ferry across the Bosporus to the Asian side of Istanbul. We got off in Kadıköy. We walked through some of the side streets not really knowing where she was taking us. We made so many turns that I was she really knew where she was going. After a little while, we broke out of the side streets with the tall apartments, offices, and restaurants from either side and could

see the ocean again. At the bottom of this hill my mentor showed us this restaurant out in the middle of the water with a walk way leading out to it. This was the surprise she was taking us to. The restaurant also serves as a ferry port throughout the day. We took a table and ordered some hot drinks to warm up a bit. It was very nice to sit around and talk as we watched sailboats pass by and the sun set over the ocean. Once it began to get a little dark we left to head over to a shopping district nearby to see some of the lights and people preparing their stores for Valentine’s Day. Eventually it became a little too cold and we decided to head back to campus. This time to get back we took a dolmuş across the bridge between the two continents. It was a really interesting view from the bridge at night time. All the wires that held the bridge up were covered in lights that would slowly change colors.

During the day, Friday wasn’t really special. It was what was happening at night that everyone was getting excited for. The International Student Society would be hosting a party in Taksim (which is big on night life) for all of the exchange students. As shuttle after shuttle began to arrive the small 2^nd story club began to fill up with students. Once the place was packed, it took a while for everyone to get dancing. There was a huge line of shoving elbows and raising hands as people fought to get drinks from the bar. But once the line faded everyone moved to the dance floor. People began climbing and dancing on tables as they were looking for places to move around. After four or so hours it began to get very hot and people were getting very drunk. A few of us went outside to cool off and visit. While sitting at a table outside of the club we were approached by this woman who was so excited to see us. “Are you guys American? I love America.” She declared. She had been an exchange student in high school. She showed off her over-sized heart shaped “drunken glasses” to us and continued to talk about her time in America. We told her we had been dancing which set her off on a hysterical rant about the various dances she learned in America. She showed off her Soulja Boy moves as she made us sing the song to her. She loved dancing but told us that “the grinding” was not a dance and was disgusting.

Location: Kadıköy Istanbul Province, Turkey

Orientation to Istanbul_Part Two

On Wednesday the plan was to break us up into groups and send us out into the city on a scavenger hunt and hope that we are able to find our way to some small restaurant called Klemuri Cafe. The adventure wasn’t bad. It was actually kind of exciting. Taking multiple buses and trains throughout the city and really getting a first look at everything Istanbul. I knew enough Turkish to get around, as well as a girl in my group, but I believe there were three groups that had no idea of any Turkish and no translation book. Some actually opted to skip a stop and get a beer. To be honest it was a miracle that we actually all showed up around the same time. Once all together at this little restaurant we shared what we have been doing all day. It wasn’t until then that my group discovered how terribly lame our trip was. All the other groups went to mosques, museums, parks, and bazaars. Our scavenger

hunt took us into Karak�y. The first objective was to find a restaurant to have lunch. We knew the general area from the clues. The restaurant was across the ship channel from the historic center Sultanahmet next to the ferry port. We looked around for the restaurant but couldn’t find it. I went up to a man standing out in the walkway trying to bring customers to his restaurant. He told us that the restaurant changed its name and walked us over to find it. “Next time come eat here” he advertised as he walked back. The meal was good and the wait staff was friendly but we were irritated that the information they gave of in the hunt instructions was incorrect and this wouldn’t be the only time that this happened in the trip.

Our next stop was to find the Kamondo Stairs to take a picture on. This stairway was down a street that seemed to be asleep. No one was down there. We were wondering what part of this screams touristy. We found the stairs and despite the fact that it had 2 paths that criss crossed up the hill there really wasn’t anything special from what we could tell about these steps. Right next to the stairway was our next stop. The Ottoman Bank Museum seemed interesting; however it was closed due to construction, so we couldn’t go there. From there we found a transportation office to apply for student discount cards that we couldn’t get because we didn’t have our passports or documentation from the college saying that we are enrolled students. Once into Taksim we walked down the street in this huge outdoor shopping street looking for Klemuri Caf�. We ran into another group going the wrong way and turned them around. I asked countless people who worked in this shopping distract about where the restaurant might be and no one knew of it. Fortunately we had a street name. We eventually found the side street and walked all the way down this dark alley to find the restaurant at the very far corner of this creepy street.

The next day we had a Turkish survival class which we could have really benefitted from before the scavenger hunt. Afterwards, a group of us had to go to the police station to apply for resident permits. When we arrived, we went through security and told to go wait in the cafeteria for our appointment. An hour passed and nothing happened. The cafeteria had cleared out and the staff just finished cleaning. Without even hesitating the staff walked out and turned the lights off on us and left us in the dark. We didn’t have any where else to go so we waited another hour in the dark. We finally moved to another building to wait again only this time in a crowded room. After 30 minutes we were handed papers and told to go stand in line. More waiting. Who would have thought? When I finally reached the desk a lady took my papers and began going through them. All of the sudden she disappeared for 20 or so minutes before she came back filled out two lines and said I could go. I swear I think she went and dyed her hair. It was red before and was black when she returned. I was one of the first to get in line but one of the last to be done because of it.

Location: 34440 Istanbul/Istanbul Province, Turkey

Orientation to Istanbul_Part One

I have accidently been slacking on keeping up with posts but I am here now to make some updates on what I’ve been doing

Orientation began the day right after getting to campus. Waking up at nine is hard enough for a college student but throw in an eight hour time zone change and things get trickier. Nonetheless I jumped out of bed eager to explore the campus for the first time. I can’t think of another way to describe it but a modern day castle. The school was built in the early 90’s in the middle of a national reserve so it is surrounded by a lush forest with a view of the Bosporus and Black Sea. In the middle of the campus stands a tall clock tower with a tea and coffee house in the top where you can really see everything. The Social Sciences building has pieces of excavated ruins which include columns and wall artwork from historic buildings. The court yard in front of the engineering building has multiple steam engines. The campus isn’t that big but when walking around there are many walkways, gardens and courtyards that you can easily get lost in.

At the orientation it’s very obvious that people are suffering from major jet-lag. As in any orientation we go through several ice-breaker routines and a general intro into what we are going to do in the program. Afterwards, we met our mentors, who are students who volunteer to show us around for a while and get settled in. They showed us how to use the minibüs or

what they call the dolmuş (which means full because the bus is always stuffed with people) and how to get to Sarıyer. Sarıyer is the closest town to the campus but still considered a part of Istanbul. While in town we have the opportunity to buy groceries and the mentors take us out to dinner. We all tried börek, which is a flakey bread filled with bits of meat or cheese.

The next day my mentor, Fulya, took my group back into Sarıyer so that we can buy cell phones that will work in Turkey. Once we had our new phones Fulya asked if there is anything else we would want to do. It took a bit of pressure I think but we convinced her to take us into more parts of Istanbul and show us the things she likes to do. She took us on a ferry down the Bosporus to another part of the city called Beşiktaş where we met up with her boyfriend and went to a place called BeerPort. Hard to imagine what they serve there, huh? We sat for a little more than an hour visiting asking about all kinds of things to do. Once we got a little hunger we went to a restaurant next door to have some kabob. The food was very good although the drink we had was not my cup of tea per se. The drink is called Ayran. What it is is a mixture of water, yogurt, and salt. And different from the yogurt we’re use to, that is sweet and fruity, Turkish yogurt is sourer. Needless to say I couldn’t get over the bitter aftertaste of the concoction.

Once back to school I went to my dorm to settle in. I wasn’t tremendously exhausted so I decided to read a bit. At around midnight I got up to use the restroom. For some strange reason they don’t have toilet paper in the restroom. B.Y.O.T.P. However, I forgot to B.M.O. I went back to my room, to possibly steal some from my roommates stash, but discovered I had locked myself out. I’m not use to a door that automatically locks and the doors use swipe cards like in hotels instead of keys, which is something else I am not use to. For about thirty or so minutes I did my best to break into my room. I found small cardstock boxes in the trashcan of the restroom that I used to try and jimmy the door open. After failing in every way possible I gave up and made the walk of shame to the housing office. Why a walk of shame? Because all of this was done shirtless. I walked into the office asking for a temp key as a man and woman who had been talking looked up to see a half naked white boy. They giggled a little at the situation and sent me back to my room.

Location: Rumeli Feneri Mh., 34450 Istanbul/Istanbul Province, Turkey

Journey to Turkey

4/2/11

With fear from the news about a hellacious ice storm that would hit today, I thought that my flight could be canceled. But the very second I woke up this morning I ran to my window to find nothing. Nothing! Not a single flake of the 2-4 inches of snow they’ve been terrifying us with bringing thick ice and sleet. This Arctic Blast was more of an Arctic Bust in some ways. My brothers’ schools were canceled for today because everyone thought they were going to get snowed in. I know what you’re thinking, especially if you’re from up in penn State, “Snowed in with 2-4 inches?”. But I live in Houston. Being prepared for weather like this to us is like people from North Dakota being prepared for a hurricane. Anyways my brothers were excited with the thought of snow and so was I a bit. Snow days never happen here. So in a sense it was a major let down. But regardless I was excited because it meant that my flight to Turkey was still on schedule. On the way to the airport my dad pulled off so I could get my last Texas BBQ fix before I leave. The meal was huge and quite good. I grabbed some moist towelettes before heading out because I knew they would come in handy later. Security was surprisingly a breeze to get through. As I waited for my plane to begin boarding, I ran around the airport looking for a book to read on the plane and a plug adapter for when I’m abroad. I also managed to visit the currency exchange booth before franticly getting back to my gate. I’ve never been on a flight overseas before and as I walked on to the 747 I was amazed at how big it was on the inside. First thing I noticed was the television monitors built into the seats in front of us. I am used to the one every four rows or so hanging from the ceiling where you had no choice on the in-flight movie. I was on that tv like a crackberry addict watching movies that I haven’t had the chance yet, till falling asleep at 4 in the morning.

5/2/11

My flight safely made it to Amsterdam this morning. I was excited to finally get off the plane to stretch my legs. Everything was nice till I figured out my connecting flight was across the entire airport. Luckily I had time so I walked to terminal D29 where they said my next flight would leave from. Walking through the airport in Amsterdam was an experience on its own. Funny shaped vibrant color plastic chairs littered the area. Shops seemed to appear out of nowhere. The airport was even complete with a second story enclosed art gallery that was hanging from the ceiling with a staircase going up right through the middle. The D terminal in Amsterdam is actually split into two separate terminals and while walking towards Gate 29 I was constantly looking for the computer schedule screens to confirm the exact gate of my flight but couldn’t find any. Gate 29 was the second to last gate on this side of the terminal and walking down to it everything seemed dead. No one was around and those who were seemed asleep in their chairs. Finally arriving at the gate and fully excited to be on the last leg of my travel, things quickly changed when the country on the gate screen wasn’t Turkey. Aggravated I looked around for those damn screens again to find my gate but found a restroom instead which was great cause after being on a plane for eight or nine hours is the first thing you want most. I was able to take a quick towelette bath from the towelettes I took from the BBQ joint thanking God I took those. Now to find those schedule screens. I was finally able to find one where I learned that my gate had been moved to D49. Frustrated that my gate was now at the end of the other D terminal I hurried to get to the gate with enough time. I finally found Gate 49 and saw that Istanbul was flashing on the screen. I quickly went through security again and had a minute to sit down before they began boarding. This plane was smaller and had no televisions. I was able to fall asleep leaning against the window for the first hour before the pilot came on the intercom announcing that we are flying over the Transylvanian Alps which was very beautiful to see the snow capped mountains and tiny villages hidden in the valleys of them. I have flown on many planes before, from vacations and commuting between Houston and Penn State, but none with this kind of social atmosphere. Everyone on the plane was talking loud, laughing, and having a great time. I was surprised that I was able to sleep on the plane in the first place but it was actually quite entertaining. Listening to the passengers speak Turkish was exciting. It meant that I was now so close to my destination. It was tough to really hear anything over the wind passing by, not that I could understand much Turkish anyways but I was trying to pick out anything I might know. After landing, customs was pretty easy to go through, and because I promised my friends I would I began singing “Istanbul, not Constantinople” as I walked to pick up my luggage. I grabbed my things and walked out the exit looking for the Star Bucks where I was supposed to meet my ride. Because of traffic the student mentors to pick a group of 18 American students showed up almost 2 hours late. Many of us were hoping this wasn’t some kind of prank. I we wanted to sit in a Star Bucks we could’ve stayed in America but fortunately they did show up. Traffic in Istanbul is terrible. And that saying something being from Houston. I was totally surprised that there were no accidents on the way to the college. People selling bananas and pretzels must have death wishes because they would walk between the chaotic traffic on the highway. By the time we all arrived to the campus we only wanted our dorm keys so that we can finally get some sleep. Tomorrow we begin orientation and traveling around the city so we can get use to where to get groceries and learn how transportation works. I can easily say that I’m very excited to be a program like this one because of the complete immersion into a new culture.

Location: Istanbul

Psyched about Turkey

Hey y’all,

I know what you’re thinking and no its not that kind of turkey, even though we just got back from the holidays. I am a student majoring in Energy Engineering with a minor in Global Business Strategies at Penn State in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

For the Spring 2011 semester I plan on studying overseas in Turkey just an hour or so north of Istanbul at Ko� University right off the channel that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.

View Larger Map

I have been practicing my Turkish and even joined the Turkish Student Association here on campus to learn more about the culture and the things I should see and do there. All my new friends keep telling me how much fun I’m going to have and how good the food is. They joke and tell me I am going to have to buy up the whole row on the plane when I come back just to sit comfortably.

I am addicted to photography and have been looking up and asking about beautiful places to visit so be expected to see many photos from metropolitan and historic areas to more natural and scenic areas.

I still have a lot of work to do to prep for the trip but the closer and closer it gets to the date to begin my adventure abroad the more excited I become.

Location: Houston, Texas

Education Abroad GeoBlog

Penn State bloggers from around the world