The Next Step

Posted several hours later but still here...

I’m currently sitting in a restaurant at the Istanbul airport, not buying anything, because I was that desperate for somewhere to sit. I feel terrible but I have two backpacks so I can’t stand too long and also my gate hasn’t been declared yet, so I literally have nowhere to go. This airport is full of Turkish ice cream stands, Duty Free stores, and Victoria’s Secret. Weird, I know. Anyway, I’m getting away from my point…

Since I am at the airport, you already know that I’m leaving Istanbul. I’m headed to Madrid to participate in the Hendrix- in- Madrid program, a program that has been going on for about ten years at Hendrix. Students can apply and receive scholarships through the Hendrix Murphy Foundation to come to Madrid for a month and take graduate level Spanish literature classes at a university. We will be living in dorms and taking weekend excursions, after being in classes for about 4 hours a day. Did I mention we get two Spanish elective credits? Sweet deal, I know. Madrid is key to allowing me to finish both of my majors and also being able to take whatever classes I want when I’m abroad for a semester.

The main reason for this post is to conclude my adventures through Turkey. What a crazy city. We were only there for two days, and I feel like I barely got to see anything! I have never been in a Muslim culture like that, with prayer calls 5 times a day (one at 3:30 am), people dressed in various ranges of full hijab to just covered arms and legs, and mosques everywhere you go. I don’t understand why so many churches in the US are so ugly on the outside, and Muslims have these glorious, beautifully made mosques. It’s a whole different environment.

We had the opportunity to go inside of two mosques, the Blue Mosque and the New Mosque (These are their English names, which probably have nothing to do with their Turkish ones). They are so incredibly beautiful on the inside- the most amazing mosaics and tile work done all over every single surface. They never have images of humans or animals, and so they have this beautiful artwork instead. The ceilings are incredibly high and so impressive. Before going in, we had to take off our shoes and carry them in plastic bags. The women have to cover their heads, shoulders, and legs. If you’re not appropriately dressed, they have items for you to borrow. I have never had to do that before, except in Thailand when women are required to cover their knees to enter certain temples. I have never really had to concern myself with how much I was covered, except in high school (haha). I can’t imagine having to dress like that each and every day. I wonder if the women feel oppressed or if they just know that it’s a part of their tradition and they don’t know anything different (would be an interesting ethnographic interview :) ).

The final thing I will say about Turkey is that Americans (or anyone, for that matter) should not fear somewhere based on the fact that it’s a Muslim community (or anything else). Istanbul is extremely safe, the hotel workers ensured us that it is safe for children to walk around at all hours of the night, and we saw this with kids much younger than us. I know that not many Americans go there, because we barely ran into any like in Greece, and also, people assumed we were other nationalities. We mostly got Australian, but also someone though we were Spanish (?) and a store owner (someone different) said to us “Cerveza? Café?” so he thought it too. No one assumed we were from the US, even from our accents. Surprising, I know.

Istanbul (and I’m sure the rest of Turkey) has an energy that I have never felt in any other part of the world. It is extremely beautiful, and you should definitely visit someday if you ever get the chance. Never let fear or what politicians are saying prevent you from going somwehre (unless maybe it’s really dangerous and on the State Department warnings). Go to the Spice Market- where you will smell smells your nose has never been exposed to before and where you can try 30 varieties of Turkish delight and dried fruits. Talk to the people- they are so charismatic and energetic about life. I will miss Turkey, but I am so excited to be in Spain where I actually speak the language. I’ll let you know how well I get along!