A summary of Turkey

I'm finally back in the states and will start writing about this experience in Turkey as well as things I learned about myself. The experience I had was positive, and almost impossible hard to crystallize into one sentence. I fully enjoyed myself and have a greater appreciation of not only Turkey and the Islamic world, but also of life. First and foremost though, I do want to summarize my experience, more for my health and to jot ideas down, less for your, the reader's, enjoyment. I apology, bare with my self-indulgence.

Let me preface the next following posts with this, these are the negative things that happened to me while there:

1. I broke by D3000 camera by falling into some water. It broke my new lens as well. Cost: $400

2. I, out of my own stupidity, got hustled (this story will remain between Cais and I and whomever I choose to tell). $300

3. Cais and I got kicked out of a salsa club on New Years. ~$20

4. Taxi taking the LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG way to get to where Cais and I wanted to go. $20

It wasn't an easy trip, physically or psychologically, but I came out having some life long memories and would not trade the experience for most anything.

Turkey is an amazing place. At it's south east tip was the cradle of all human civilization, and the home to 3 of the most influence civilizations of human history. It is the starting point of Christianity and, until the early 20th century, gatekeeper of Islam. It is a mix of people far and wide, from western China to the foothills of the Balkans. It is unapologetically Muslim and very proud of the fact, but also European in many ways.

I made 1 post on Facebook while I was in Istanbul. I knew that Turkey was very Muslim and I know about praying and Islam. But the first experience I had with the country of Turkey was riding the tram line and listening to the Adan being called throughout the city. My hostel in Istanbul was right behind the Sultanahmet Camii (Blue Mosque), and every morning it would sing the Adan, like an alarm clock. There is truly nothing more calming than hearing that 5 times a day. Even though nothing really changes, I felt calmness rests over the city for those 5 minutes. An idiot staying in the same room as me in Istanbul said how much he appreciated Moroccan and Turkish cultures, but thought the Adan was annoying and wondered why they did that through out the city. He is an idiot, a grade A, history studying at a crappy state school idiot. I was also fortunate enough to witness Saturday morning prayers at the largest mosque in Turkey, Sulimanye Camii. It is on the short list of great life experiences. 

I learned that the Turks, outside of the touristy areas of Istanbul, are truly nice, truly helpful people. I heard from multiple people about how nice the Turks are, and how they offer you tea and wine and talk to you. Expect for one place, I was never offered tea, I was offered wine in the small town of Sirince, but never tea.

But I got very lost a couple of times, and people took my friend and I to the place we were looking for or gave me, or what I imagined as, great directions, but through broken English, Turkish, and general pantomiming, I got the idea. 

Most of the store owners that I ended buying stuff from all had a great back story to tell about their shop, or their goods, which made me feel a lot better and I felt that I may have been putting money not only to the local economy, but local artists. The last thing I wanted to do is to put money into place that outsource mass-produced "art" to China. 

So, in the end the itinerary went Izmir->Pamukkale->Selcuk->Istanbul->Edirne->Istanbul. I will be writing about all these places shortly. Thank you for indulging me.