Okay I know I know… It’s been forever since I’ve updated my blog. So much has happened I just don’t know where to start. Since I wrote last I have been to Cappadocia, South Eastern Turkey near Syria, and my last trip was to Ephesus and Izmir.
Cappadocia was so wonderful. There are strange rock formations made from volcanic ash that look like small mountains. The rock is very soft because it is ash so for hundreds of years people have lived in caves in them. When we went we were able to stay in some of these caves. It was nice and cool in the cave (the temperature and the effect). We saw many hot air balloons which you could take a ride in for a cool 100 euros per person. This is about 150 dollars when the exchange rate is good. Needless I enjoyed the balloons from the ground. As a group we saw an underground city where Christians lived to escape their enemies. There were so many cave rooms underground and they were all connected with tiny pathways. Sometimes we almost had to crawl to get from one room to the next. It was amazing to see where they lived and to imagine living not only in a cave but to be in fear of your life. We had a guide while in Cappadocia who took us on a hike through the wilderness and through a few villages. We saw a beautiful church that was carved into the side of a mountain that was hundreds of years old. We had to climb to get to it but it was completely worth it. It was amazing to see the church so small and humble in the side of the great mountain. It was so beautiful.
Cappadocia was so wonderful. There are strange rock formations made from volcanic ash that look like small mountains. The rock is very soft because it is ash so for hundreds of years people have lived in caves in them. When we went we were able to stay in some of these caves. It was nice and cool in the cave (the temperature and the effect). We saw many hot air balloons which you could take a ride in for a cool 100 euros per person. This is about 150 dollars when the exchange rate is good. Needless I enjoyed the balloons from the ground. As a group we saw an underground city where Christians lived to escape their enemies. There were so many cave rooms underground and they were all connected with tiny pathways. Sometimes we almost had to crawl to get from one room to the next. It was amazing to see where they lived and to imagine living not only in a cave but to be in fear of your life. We had a guide while in Cappadocia who took us on a hike through the wilderness and through a few villages. We saw a beautiful church that was carved into the side of a mountain that was hundreds of years old. We had to climb to get to it but it was completely worth it. It was amazing to see the church so small and humble in the side of the great mountain. It was so beautiful.
The next trip was to the South East. Many of my Turkish friends have never been there and were afraid to go. However, when I arrived there I expected to see more differences between the south eastern cities there and Ankara. However, the cities we stayed in were very modern. I wish that we could have visited some villages. However, the danger that my friends speak of comes from the bad blood that exists between some Turkish people and Kurdish people. This issue is evident throughout Turkey but it is especially visible in the South East. I am not an expert on the issue but from what I understand the Kurdish people (who have slightly darker skin) lived in Turkey first (sort of similar to the Native Americans in the U.S. but not exactly). Turkish people came mostly from central Asia and tend to have lighter skin. After the Ottoman Empire collapsed after WWI Turkey was in shambles. There was no sense of national identity because so many different people from different places had lived under Ottoman rule. So, when Atatűrk helped to create a Turkish republic, nationalism was a very important piece of the puzzle. However, many Kurdish people do not identify with the Turkish national identity because they have their own language and different customs from Turks. This creates problems because people on both sides believe there is not room for a Kurdish identity in Turkey. Although there is still violence that exists in when we were in Mardin we made friends with some Kurdish students. They were so nice and showed us around their beautiful home town.
My final and probably my favorite trip was this past (almost week) weekend. I went with my friend Hayal and Duygu from my Psychology class to Ephesus (Efes) and Izmir. Fist we went to Selcuk (the town efes is in) which is adorable. We stayed with Hayal's older sister. She has three children. The oldest girl is nine, the second is a boy is 4 and the youngest boy is ten months old. They were adorable and I got to practice a lot of Turkish. Because the family lives in Selcuk we were able to get in to the museum, Efes, and Mother Mary's home all for free! They showed me around the city and it was perfect being with some one who lived there. Because Hayal had an exam on the weekend she was planning to leave on Thursday night. I spent Wednesday and Thursday in Efes and that night I took a 1 hour bus to Izmir to meet my friend Duygu. I was able to spend Friday, Saturday and the day on Sunday in Izmir. There are not a lot of historical things in Izmir and the one site of ruins is nothing compared to Efes. However, the sea is so beautiful and we had a wonderful time walking around, going to the pazar, and drinking tea. Also, one night they made Eggplant kebab which was delicious. It is eggplant pieces with meatballs cooked with spices and tomatoes and peppers. You take the skin off the eggplant and eat it with the meatballs. So delicious! It was so relaxing and I had a wonderful time living in their homes and getting to know my Turkish friends better. I will miss them very much.
