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.
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