Good Morning from Istanbul! I know I’ve been one of the worlds worst bloggers so far but, hopefully, Insha Allah, I’ll become much more competent now that we’re on travel component. We’ll be traveling through Turkey, Syria, Damascus, and Istanbul before returning back to Egypt for a few weeks. A friend reminded me that I will pretty much be living out of a suitcase for the next two months. A daunting idea to be sure, but I’m excited to see what kinds of adventures are in store!
Istanbul is gorgeous! It rained the first few days we were here, which was almost a welcome change from the heat and pollution of Cairo. We’re staying in Taksim Square, a very central part of Istanbul, so walking down the rainy streets with coffee and watching the chestnut roasters and storefront windows felt a bit like Christmas. Yesterday it cleared up and we went to this gorgeous “castle” with outdoor grassy and leafy courtyards. Walking through there, jumping in leaves, and playing a midnight game of tag on the playground were a perfect reminder of fall. Basically, I think we are all in love with Istanbul- it reminds me of Seattle with random European, Ottoman, and Byzantine buildings scattered around.
We’ve had really interesting speakers too- so far we’ve visited the US Consulate, the ruling AK (Justice and Development) party, and spoken to a couple really interesting journalists. I feel like Turkey is really interesting and significant in the modern state system and is kind of unrecognized in general US sentiment. The interactions between religion, secularism, and the state as well as the actual workings between the government and military are somewhat foreign and very exciting to observe and seek to understand. We’re leaving for Ankara on Tuesday, and, while I’ll miss Istanbul, it will be interesting to see another face of Turkey.
Besides all the “academic” stuff we’ve had pretty ample time to explore as a group and on our own. It’s kind of restrictive being forced to always be with someone else and to travel with such a large group, but it is totally worth it. When we got here we took a wonderful rainy boat tour along the Bosporus. We’ve toured the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and adventured around the city. In addition, I’ve wondered through the Grand Bazaar, enjoyed Turkish tea in the park, and found a multitude of quant café’s and coffee shops.
So…I wasn’t able to post this directly after I wrote it, but I think that, due to current events, it was a good thing. If you haven’t heard, there was a suicide bombing in Taksim Square on the 31st. Thankfully, Sunday was our free day and we were all safely away from the square. However, it is pretty sobering to recognize that it happened in an area where I was walking a mere hour before. Turkey is one of the “safest” places we travel to, so it’s eye-opening that this happened here and has really helped us step up our attention to safety procedures. We’re all completely safe though and counting our blessings that we are all doing well.
If you’re curious about the details, here is a link to a Turkish news article explaining the situation: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=istanbul-officials-identify-attacker-in-taksim-square-bombing-2010-11-02
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