A Life: October Highlights

Merhaba! This past month has been crazy. Not busy necessarily, at least no more than normal, but adjusting to a new culture takes energy and time. A lot of it! So I decided to explain a little of everything I did, and show a few pictures that briefly summarize what I have done.

Halfway through this month, my family was suddenly changed which, although hard at times during the following week, I didn't let that hinder my ability to enjoy this beautiful country, and I kept reminding myself that it was an opportunity for me to experience two more families (my temporary family and my new permanent family) than I originally would have. October, aside from being my first full month in Turkey, was also a month with two major events. The first was Bayram. Bayram is the annual Muslim festival celebrating Abraham's devotion to Allah, and his love for his son. When Abraham refused to kill his son, Allah sent down a sheep in replacement, and till this day the Muslim people sacrifice a sheep once a year instead of sacrificing their sons. Aside from being a religious festival, it is also a time of food (baklava and meat mostly) and family (the entire day for three days is dedicated to visiting family members around the city). The first day starts out with the Bayram feast at about eight o'clock in the morning with some family, after which the older members of the family give the children money, and the children kiss every elder person's cheeks. Some families give more money than others, but my first family was pretty traditional, and the children got a good amount of money. Many people asked me if we had a festival similar to this in the U.S.A., and the only one I could think of was Thanksgiving. It is the same feeling of getting together with your family and just enjoying each other and food. The other YES Abroad students in Kayseri and I decided then to make a Thanksgiving dinner for our families in November to show them the American Bayram. The second event was the 90^th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. This is the Republic that Atatürk founded, so as of now it is one of the most the most days to many people. As one of my friends in school said, “for some people, Religion is what matters most, but to others, Atatürk is what matters most”. She could not have put it better. He is the most important person in the country, and holds and almost godlike status to most people. This day was October (ekim) 29, last tuesday. There were parades throughout the country, and we had school off. These incredibly culturally important holidays were a really nice way to start off my year, and reminder of the fact that I am in Turkey, and how amazing this country is.

Three weeks after our arrival in our host cities, the YES Abroad and NSLI-Y students had our extended stay camp in Cappadocia. It could not have been better timed, as just days before my host family had been changed. I was also reminded of strategies of dealing with homesickness and host family problems that I had forgotten, and it encouraged me to reach out and be myself more. On the second to last day of the camp, we got a day long tour of Cappadocia, which may the most amazing place I have ever been. My favorite part? The multi-level underground city that was built between 600 and 1100 A.D. There are multiple underground cities in the area that were used in times of danger and that could sustain the city's population for a few months. They were equipped with entrances from every house, holes going above ground to lower food down through, and stone wheels that could be rolled in front of all the tunnel entrances within the city in case the enemy found the initial way in. My mind was blown. All this before the Americas had been discovered. After the tour of Cappadocia we drove to Ankara for a meeting at the American embassy the next morning, after which we visited the largest mosque in the city. I had not been in a mosque yet, and although I am not religious, I was moved by how beautiful, sacred, and quiet it is in the mosque. It was also my second experience of wearing a head scarf, and my first experience of wearing a long skirt to cover my legs. People said I looked practically Turkish!

My three host families have been major highlights of my month here so far. Up until the moment I changed families, my first family was becoming more and more real to me, and I learned a lot about Turkish life from them. They were incredibly different from my natural parents in every way. The gender roles were very pronounced, and religion was a great deal more important. I learned to adjust to these new family values, and learned the importance of serving guests correctly and treating elders with the respect that was required. My second family, my temporary family in Urgüp, had a daughter my age and really helped me to transition between families easily with their open hearts and love. They reminded me of the kindness and welcoming personalities of Turkish people. I plan on keeping in touch with them throughout the year, and possibly spending a few weekends there. My third family has welcomed me fully into their home, taught me how to make tea, showed me that although they are more conservative, Turkish parents can show each other love (my first host parents didn't), and helped me adjust more fully into the culture and language. My host dad has said multiple times “Before, I had one daughter, but now I have two daughters,” and has even told my natural parents “maybe in ten years she can go to the U.S., but I am not letting her go back in June.” I'm settling down into the next eight months in Turkey, and who I am today (a little over a month into my experience) would not be the same if I hadn't had these three host families.

In conclusion, I think the biggest highlight of this month have been the moments where I realize how old and complex Turkey is, and how lucky I am to be able to have nine months here for free. They have been the moments where I laugh with my family or friends, or make good memories with my Turkish community. Those moments make the difficult and homesick times and feelings unimportant and worth it. It makes everything easier.

Zoë and I

Me in front of old Armenian Church in Kapadokya

Some of the YES Abroad and NSLI-Y kids

Sam, me, Zoë, Alden in the very back, and Christian in the multi-storied 800 plus year old underground city. No big deal! Didn't blow my mind or anything!