Yabanci, Yabanci

Week one in Erzurum comes quietly to an end. We do not start teaching until October 1st so we still have one more week to get settled and met other people in our department or faculty:the “Yabancı Diller Yüksek Okulu” or School of Foreign Languages. And after this week, I certainly feel more settled that I did we first arrived. We have Internet in two of our three apartments. My apartment is unfortunately the odd one out, I don’t have a phone jack so I need to learn more Turkish before I can ask for that. We have become familiar with the city’s grocery stores, everything that we need is within walking distance. I joined a gym with two of my Turkish colleagues on Wednesday. Women go on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, men go on the opposite days. And we have sampled some of Erzurum’s finest cuisine (hence, the gym membership): ezogelin soup made of mint and lentils, kadayıf dolması or a baklava-type dessert made of shredded wheat and walnuts, ciğ kofte or seasoned cold meatballs wrapped in lettuce, and what I think is my favorite so far, mantı, a ravoili that is eaten with yogurt sauce. And of course, çay--the tea that is served with nearly every interaction with everyone from the laundromat man to the person at the apartment lease office. 

Mehmet Bey, our director, says that he wants us to be as comfortable as possible here since he thinks it is necessary for us to be good teachers. I think that is probably true and it is very kind of him to be constantly asking what else he can do to help us. It seems, however, like he got the entire city on board as well. One of my professors at Catholic, Zeyneb Hanım, often told me that people in Eastern Turkey are even warmer and more hospitable than people in the West. It has been a little surreal to see that hospitality in action. 

I will attempt to give a rundown of the week through examples how Erzurumis seem to bend over backwards to help us, the “yabancı” or foreigners in town. I know, however, that the list will be incomplete. On Sunday, we attempted to find the Target-esque Carrefour store to get some necessities for our apartments. We google mapped but the lack of street signs made it difficult to find. We were wandering around a neighborhood south of our campus for a while until we finally worked up the courage to ask a woman and her daughter for directions. Instead of telling us, she beckoned us onto a bus with her, insisted that we sit by her and then told us when to get off, right in front of the Carrefour. When we arrived at the mall where Carrefour can be found in the basement, we decided to check the authenticity of a rumor that all McDonalds have WIFI. We didn’t get a chance to check though because when we asked a McDonald’s employee if “WIFI var mı?”, he asked for our laptops and typed in his personal password so we could access the mall employee’s network. 

The following evening, we were wandering around Atatürk’s campus. We found a movie theater that seems to show second rate films and also noticed a sign advertising the viewing of the Trabzonspor football match on the second floor. We decided to peer in but had no plans to stay and watch the game that night. The security guy outside the building was determined to find us something else to do when he saw we did not want to see the game. He kept making suggestions in Turkish: There is a coffee shop around the corner. Do you need any food? We have a restaurant and grocery store. Did you see the movie theater? Oh, if I only I could tell him more clearly that we were just looking around and would be back! Speaking of accommodating security guards, we could not have completed our wireless installation process without the help of the computer center’s security man. The wireless king of Atatürk U determined that the problem with Emily and Elizabeth’s router was that he did not have the correct phone number to program. He told them to go back and call the operator from their apartment and find out their phone number. Of course, they do not have a landline. When he heard that, he told us to follow him. He marched us down to the entrance of the building, unplugged the security guy’s desk phone and handed it to us. The security asked no questions and just nodded and welcomed us to Turkey. Sidenote: They do not live that close to the computer center. That security guy could not receive any calls for about an hour. 

Our greatest, most entertaining, example of hospitality took place Wednesday night in a packed room of about 300 Turkish men and 20 women on the fourth floor of an apartment building in the city center. Istanbul’s Galatasaray v. Manchester United. First game of the Champion’s League for the season. It was an experience in itself to be in the midst of so much emotion in such a small place. There was such a crescendo of noises and cheers during the breakaways (and the instant replays of these breakaways) that I was  more entertained by my fellow spectators than the match itself. We would not have been in that room without the excessive help of some Erzurumis on the street below. We were (once again) wondering the city looking for a place to watch the game (Additional sidenote: I did not suddenly become a sports fan upon moving to Turkey: Korey loves soccer and was leading the way, I was happy to find out what locals do in the evenings) when an older man on his cell phone intuited that was what we looking for. He took it upon himself to get us there. This involved him shouting into a nearby teahouse for a young man to lead us the few blocks and four flights of stairs to the viewing party, which was held in what is usually a snow boarding school, by the way. The owner of the shop made an entire row of people move over so we could all sit together. At half time, we were asked by the children sitting behind us if we were Man U fans. Thankfully, we had learned the appropriate answer from one of our co workers the day before; “Hayır! CIM BOM BOM!” I still do not know what that means but it is what Galatasaray fans scream from the stands and satisfied the little kid. 

In a few hours, we are headed to Kars and Anı for the weekend. Kars is a city about three hours East of here. Apparently, there is not much to see there. But we all read and enjoyed Orhan Pamuk’s “Snow” which takes place in the city and it has the reputation of being the only place in Turkey that is colder than Erzurum so we thought now would be a good time to go. Anı is the former capital of Armenia that is now a ghost town. Also, any step I take east of Atatürk’s campus is “the furthest East I’ve ever been”, so that is pretty cool. Our Turkish colleagues seem surprised we are visiting either site. Of course, when we went to the bus station to buy tickets, we were immediately asked by a random traveler where we were headed and then led over to the appropriate ticker counter. We have no place to stay in Kars tonight but I’m not concerned at all that we will be homeless. 

So first conclusion about why I am here in Eastern Turkey? Maybe to teach me unconditional kindness and patience? Even and especially towards foreigners who can barely speak my language? 

More and better pictures to follow! But here are some shots of the campus. 

Erzurum Arrival!

We were told over and over at orientation that if we were unsatisfied with something in your new town, just voice your complaint and you will be taken care of. So far, that has proven to be our defining theme of our two days here in Erzurum. I will explain. But I should first say that I didn’t intend my first blog post about Erzurum to be solely about the logistical pitfalls of finding adequate accommodations, hunting for the “stuff” that the former Fulbrighters left us for our apartments, and starting the daunting paperwork process of applying for residency cards--but honestly, that’s all that is in my mind right now. I want to write about the landscape and the lovely three new friends who have taken us under their wings and the soup that I had for dinner. But I keep thinking about how I really need to scrub my new bathroom floor to get all the dirt out and how I am going to refrigerate my groceries once I buy them. 

It’s as if we are in survival mode right now. Figuring how to improve our shelter, find our next meal, and, as always, find internet, internet, internet. The hour or so we spent in an Internet Cafe this evening was not enough time to read about everything that is going on in the Middle East. I wish I knew enough Turkish to ask people how aware they were of the events or even read a newspaper article. It’s a strange thing to not have a clear enough idea of what’s going on in a region so close, when my parents and friends at home probably know much more. This lack of Internet should not last much longer. Getting a router and setting up wireless in my apartment is just one of the many logistical tasks that will get done in time. And so many things have been accomplished already! In Turkey, there is apparently a saying: “TTT:  things take time.” With this saying in mind, things seem to have be moving quite rapidly. When we arrived in our on campus apartment from the airport, Emily, Elizabeth and I were all placed together in a one bedroom. Our first hour in Erzurum was spent sitting on the three beds debating whether or not we should insist that we get another place. We finally agreed to follow the advice at orientation. We met Mehmet Bey, the head of the English Department, shortly after and he promised us that they would find another apartment. So now I am living in the original one and Emily and Elizabeth are a few buildings away in another apartment. Korey is one floor above me. 

My apartment is not nice. But it is not bad. And it has improved! When I told one of my co workers that both my shower and the lights in the living room did not work, there were six Turkish men in my apartment that afternoon fixing them. Now my shower and lights are fully operational and the handles of my window are new too (I didn’t even notice they were broken). I also now have a couch and a table and chairs. The two extra beds have been removed as well. If I understood more Turkish, I would know where exactly this furniture came from. I just know that one of the workers asked where my furniture was and when I told him I did not have any, he came  back with the couch and table. It still needs quite a bit of cleaning, Internet (!), and well, kitchen appliances...not sure where to begin there. But yavaş, yavaş, with time, these things will be worked out. Korey and I have a fridge, microwave and portable stove top to split between our two apartments (left by previous Fulbrighters, thank you!) so the situation is not in the least bit dire. And overall, I really like this place. It seems huge--probably because I thought it would have to house three people--and I’m confident that if I ever have a problem, there will be workers there in the afternoon to fix it.  Or at least that is my hope. For now, I will busy myself with cleaning and unpacking. 

These next two weeks before classes begin seem like they will be full of similar home improvements and other tasks. Today we started the residency permit process and purchased cell phones. I only have 6 numbers in my phone but it already feels wonderful to be connected somehow. I hate to admit it but I’m a prime example of the iPhone generation and it feels relaxing to have some continuity with my former ways. I would not have had a phone (or really been able to do anything today...) if it were not for the help of Nermin, Birgül, and Zoo. All three are lecturers in the English Faculty at Atatürk. Nermin is officially in charge of helping us but her friends Birgül and Zoo seem happy to tag along. They took us out to lunch at their favorite place called Beyti and even insisted on paying. They recommended that we ordered Beyti Kaşarlı. As Elizabeth describes, it looked like an enchilada dish. Ground meat wrapped in tortilla-like bread with melted cheese and tomatoes on top. The spices made it taste completely different though and it was topped with a huge dollap of yogurt instead of sour cream. They are dieting though so they only had a soup called ezogelin. We later tried it for dinner and although I can not recognize any of the tastes, it was delicious. 

After lunch, we went to buy cell phones. Our new friends led us to a small mall made up completely of cell phone stores. We would have never been able to find it on our own. Nor we would have been able to argue the salesperson down to 65 lira instead of 100. (Side note: We were initially told that that was the price for the women, Korey had to pay 70. He changed his mind in the end but I thought he was serious.) They also registered the phones in their name since they had the proper ID, at the suggestion of the store owner (what?). We just sat and tried to listen while another employee served us tea. Could you imagine any that of that happening at an AT & T store? No, seriously, think for a second about what you would say if someone offered you tea as they told you about different data plans. To add to the confusion, an employee (not one that had been helping us) handed Emily a novel in Turkish at the end and told her it was a gift for all of us. It was called “Aşk” or “Love” and was by an author that we had coincidentally been talking about at lunch. Someday I hope to have enough Turkish to read it . . . and find out why he gave it to us. 

Whew. Descriptions of the city and our surroundings are to come. Honestly, I’m holding off because I do not yet have the words. I can’t figure out any comparisons, which is my automatic default to get used to a new place. Korey says it reminds him of Turen, Italy; Elizabeth says it is vaguely like Colorado Springs. I am at a loss. We haven’t seen too much yet. Just the campus and the main street in town. And the surrounding mountains. Tomorrow is Saturday and since we won’t be able to get any logistic work done, we plan on exploring the city more fully. I have good feelings about it. We have walked to get everywhere and the streets are full of people (albeit mainly men) and the weather has been gorgeous. Sunny and cool and not humid at all. 

There is a strange accent here. We keep trying to recognize what makes it different from Ankara. We concluded that it may be a bit more breathy. Luckily we know barely enough Turkish that it does not matter. Nermin, Birgül, and Zoo say that we will be able to understand in three months and speaking by the end of the year. I really hope that’s true. And since most of people we’ve met speak to us in Turkish even if it’s clear we don’t understand, I am close to believing them. 

So, this is it! This is my Erzurum life now. And Korey, Emily and Elizabeth are my new little family. I certainly lucked out with them. As you can probably determine, I am very grateful to have two weeks before classes begin. I am far from the mind of English teaching. But I plan on being so very soon! I doubt future blog posts will be this lengthy--this is the production of no internet connection to bring me distractions.  We all jokingly asked each other this morning what we did before we went to bed without wireless or our cell phones. I read my locally published Erzurum guide book. 

So many expectations!

Merhabalar! I now know to make that greeting plural when speaking to more than one person (instead of the singular “Merhaba”). Although, now that I think about it, it may still be inappropriate since you are supposed to use it only when eye contact is made, never to an empty room, for example. Maybe I will have to alter it again before my entry. Anyway, proper greetings is just one of the many facts we have been inundated with since our 10 day orientation in Ankara began. 

I arrived her without any problems. I secretly enjoy airplane food and openly love the movies so I had very enjoyable ride. I met fellow Fulbrighters on each leg of journey so it was great to have some people to chat with during our layovers. 

About 12 hours after I left Detroit, I arrived at our hotel in Ankara. Since our daily orientation sessions in its basement, this hotel has become my first Turkish home. Our days have been full of lectures on topics ranging from modern Tukish political history to gender issues to Turkish language (essential) to various cultural tidbits like when and how to say hello. The rest of the orientation will include instruction how to actually teach English which I am very eager to receive!

I think the most valuable part (and I even hesitate there, so many parts have been valuable!) of orientation has been the opinions I’ve heard about where I’ll be spending the next 10 months: ERZURUM. Judging by the mix of reviews I’ve heard, I feel as if it could be called the “Detroit” of Turkey. Examples: “You are going to Erzurum? For 10 months? Why?” “You know it’s cold there, right?” “I hope you like winter sports.” “No one speaks English in the East.” “Last time I was in Erzurum, there were only two cars there.” [NOTE: that was in 1963.] “You know it’s cold there, right?” “They had the Youth Olympics there!” “You know it’s a lot more conservative than Ankara.” “Are there even bars in Erzurum?” “You know it’s cold there, right?” YES, I know it’s cold! I’m used stereotypes about places from people who may have no experience with the place. So I’m taking everything with a grain of salt. I’m only taking our University contact seriously. And he told us about Erzurum’s lit ski slopes that open at 5 pm and stay open until late in the night, about its treeless, inviting mountains, about its unique “cağ kebab” sandwich (the Coney Dog of Anatolia!), and streets of restaurants that were enclosed with roofs long ago to keep out the cold and snow. Needless to say, I am optimistic and excited. My three co-English Teaching Assistants are excited and proud as well to be the most eastern Fulbrighters in Turkey. East side! Only time will tell, but I have a great feeling about my city. I can’t wait to move there on Thursday.

To appease my number one reader (here’s your shout-out Libby Hagemeyer), I will talk about the food. However, I will not be able to do it justice. First of all, I’ve decided to make learning how to cook one of my goals this semester. Because, wow,Turkey has the most diverse, tasty food I’ve had since, well, the last time I was in Turkey...and I’ve eaten almost every meal in a hotel. Let’s see, for lunch today, I had lentil soup, rice, a beef and pepper stew-like dish to put over the rice, tomato and cucumber salad and a chunk of fresh feta cheese (it does not even taste like the feta we buy at Sam’s Club). Breakfast usually consists of more feta, bread, cucumbers, tomatoes and olives--but for lunch and dinner there has been a different spread each night. Like I said, I’m not to explain it fully. I will have to try again--but I am putting it in writing now that I am determined to learn to cook!

Week 1 comes to a close. My commutes to Georgetown have already proved to be worth it. I spent some time with some Turkish friends that I met last summer this evening and although my speaking skills are close to comical, they insisted that we speak in Turkish the entire time. You can imagine that our topics of conversation were limited but they were kind and yavaş, yavaş--slowly, slowly--I will get better...inşallah!

Here's a picture of our group in front of Anıtkabır, Atatürk (the founder of modern Turkey)'s mausoleum.