Hopefully in my future...

Cultural immersion

Bir, iki, uç, change.

One would think that belly dancing would work the belly...but not so much. The secret is in the legs.

Also, I'm getting a coin belt to accentuate my movements and make my hips look like they are actually doing something. And apparently, Aladdin pants are a must. I'm not entirely sure if this constitutes as true cultural immersion, but it definitely constitutes as a workout in my book, and I get a pretty legit Halloween costume out of it, at least.

the Saz and the Bass

I love music.

And I love live music even more.

It's been a while since I have had the pleasure to see others showcase their talent. Last night, I went to a çello bar (AKA Turkey bar) with Andrea and had bir bira (one beer) for the sake of it being a Saturday night, as I had gone out to nargile and clubbing until the wee hours last weekend. The dim lights, wooded floors and walls, the portraits of the Che, the husky voices and raw soulful music...made the entire experience feel...subversive, as Andrea put it. It felt as though we were observers of revolutionaries who were exuding their detachment from society through their music. It felt good.

Earlier tonight, I was able to meet up with my host mother (who is less than 10 years older than me and is a newlywed) and attend a concert at the jazz festival here in Alanya. It is so amazing how they hold this festival every year...a great idea and a beautiful area (right on the Mediterranean shore). The featured musician was a jazz pianist (Turkish, but famous all over Europe), but he was part of a trio with a double bass and percussionist. They were amazing, and I am really quite impressed with Turkish musicians after this weekend.

Orientation

So after creating this blog for my study abroad experience, and not actually updating this since I have been here for about three weeks...I am feeling a little irresponsible and, per usual, late in blogging. I have had such a hectic and thorough orientation, and looking back on all the things we did, it really is quite amazing to see how much we exactly did...A more comprehensive overview and reflections on my orientation deserves a coffee date, but to lay out a few of the really cool things I did:

• A Turkish Bath/Hammam...the best ice breaker I have ever experienced in my life, hands down
• a cruise/boat trip up the Bosphorous Strait
• Istanbul landmarks: the Hagia Sophia, the Sulemaniye Mosque, and Topkapi Palace
• observed prayer at the Blue Mosque during Ramadan Friday evening prayer
• lunch with the President of Koç University, the partner Turkish university for Georgetown
• various museums that showcase the mind-blowing history of this part of the world
• the Rumeli Hisari, which were the fortresses on both the European and Asian sides, that were significant in the conquest of Constantinople by Mehmed II in 1453 (thank you, 3 weeks of Ottoman history)
• the Yedi Kule (7 towers) which are the central points of the city walls
• the Spice and Grand Bazaar (too much money spent at the latter)
• trips to Bursa and Edirne, which were both given the honors of being Ottoman capitals at some point in their histories
• dinner with the Istanbul MP, who hosted us at the venue she uses to host Prime Minister Erdogan and the Turkish President and his wife

In Ankara, we were able to...

• visit the Turkish Parliament and speak to the deputy speaker of the house
• have a Q and A session with an MP from Southeastern Turkey
• visit the US Embassy
• visit the foreign ministry of Turkey (Turkish State Department, basically); one of the top diplomats is actually the husband of my professor
• meet up with Mike Nocella's friend, Ali!

This is actually a really condensed list of what we did in 14 days. It makes me a little breathless still to think I was expected to arrive in a completely foreign country, nomad-ize myself, and have a 7 am to 9 pm jam-packed schedule daily for my first 2 weeks here. It astounds me even more that I have never met most of the people before this trip, and how much I have come to rely on their company. My first two weeks in this country was extremely intense; but those two weeks have proven to be just the beginning of an even crazier semester. More updates to come of the adventures of Janice in Turkey.

Some of my favorite pictures:

Iznik tiles

The Aya Sofya

From the Bosphorous Strait

The Aya Sofya

View from Apartment out to the Golden Horn

Not Constantinople

My first night in Istanbul. Love it, love it, love. It. Kay hanim met us at the airport, we headed off to the hotel (scary bus ride) and enjoyed, absolutely enjoyed, the beautiful weather and view from the hotel terrace and our fifth floor patio.
I LOVE it. We spent a little bit of time at the hotel settling in, and then walked out for dinner. It was So beautiful. Because we came in the middle of Ramadan, people break fast at about 7 and pretty much, it’s a huge party at night. We are near the Hippodrome, and that is where most people gather from around the city. The municipality puts on this huge parade and...it’s just a big party. And it happens every night in Ramadan (which lasts for about a month, and our time at Istanbul is entirely during Ramadan). Yes.
We had dinner at a little kebab place- fairly simple food, but definitely healthy and yummy. I am so excited. ☺

paper hearts & real life

I have gotten a little over obsessed with this new movie coming out that few people have probably heard of. Somehow I came across this in the beginning of the summer, and I can't wait to see it when one of my favorite people from Georgetown comes to visit me in...a week! (she would probably best understand why awkward romance stories would interest me...)

I don't normally get charged up for many movies, but this one intrigues me for a few reasons:

1. Charlyne Yi is a comedian, actress, and musician. She may not be one of the most attractive stars to grace Tinseltown, but she definitely has talent.

2. She approaches love in a way I think I do- research. Data compiling, interviews with people who have more experience, diagrams...yeah. That sounds pretty familiar to me. The healthy skepticism that Charlyne possesses about love (for herself) and Michael disproving her makes me a little hopeful. :)

3. Michael and Charlyne are so, so cute together. Also, possible similarities with my jr high/high school crush on Matty T from Relient K...? (;

the Shons go South

Because everyone is our family has such crazy lives (Jackie's only 9- she'll get there soon enough), it's hard to see everyone in the house at the same time, much less have memories I can reflect on when I'm not in Chicago. These family trips we have in once in awhile are thus profoundly valuable to me because of the time we get to spend together in such close quarters. A unique thing about my family, although I can probably come up with quite a few, is that we have large age gaps (among the children)- I'm 20, my brother's 15, and my sister is 9. All of us are in different stages of our lives- one in college, another in high school, and another in elementary school. One would think it would be difficult for us to relate to each other because we are so far apart from each other in life experience, but I think we manage.

And our parents- well, I don't know how relaxing of a trip they have when we are around, but it never fails to make me grateful to know how much they continually sacrifice for us, for me.

We've been to a lot of places in the country, but our travels have not really taken us to the South. This time, we went to Atlanta and New Orleans, with a short and refreshing stop in Montgomery, Alabama. In the 'ATL', we went on the CNN and Coca-Cola tour, which was pretty cool. Fun fact: ATL has the 3rd largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the world! CNN's HQ is in Atlanta, although there are satellites in NYC, DC, and LA. The personalities (crushes) I most vividly associate with CNN, like Anderson Cooper, are outside of ATL, but we were able to look in on a live broadcasting.

On the Coca-Cola tour, they had some pretty cool things- my favorite being the very last part, where we were able to taste 64 flavors of Coca-Cola products from around the world. I had not realized there were so many Coke products unique to so many countries. I wasn't a huge fan of the flavors from Africa, but they had some wicked names:

One familiar guy was this one from two years ago. I remember we had Simba Guarana ALL the time during our missions in Paraguay. I started missing cold purified water after a couple of hours of having only this to drink. It wasn't bad- it was just Coca-cola appropriately saturated with sugar. Brought back good memories though. Had a full glass of it for memories sake. :)

We also went to the Georgia Aquarium, which is supposedly the largest aquarium in the world. To round out our trip in Atlanta, though... we also found our car broken into, our luggage strewn, and my mom's work laptop gone. Not the best thing to happen on a family trip, but my mom's rather calm and accepting reaction challenged me. Definitely not a way I would have reacted, I suspect. On Sunday, we headed to Montgomery and were able to make the last moments of service at the Dexter Avenue Memorial Baptist Church, where MLK pastored for 6 years. I took communion there, realizing that it may be the last time before I go to Turkey, where I don't think I will be able to be part of a church. It was quite moving- sitting in the pews where a movement for equality and justice was started.

On Monday and Tuesday, we were in Louisiana. We spent Monday in the French Quarter and walking around New Orleans. It was ridiculously hot and humid, but still worth it. The French/Southern/Creole architecture, the music that fills the streets, and the haunted charisma that permeates throughout the city makes it a unique spot in the United States.

The last day of our trip was around the city; we went on a swamp tour and a plantation tour. on the swamp, we fed marshmallows to alligators, and were able to pet them. The swamps in Louisiana are ones I have never seen the likes of. The green is more vivid than any color I have seen, the Spanish moss romantically drapes across the trees, and the little green leaves paint the swamp like a Pointillist painting.

After, we went to Oak Alley Plantation, where we would see how the rich, Southern sugar cane barons lived. I've honestly never seen a place like this. The Southern history and culture, especially when you factor in the Creole and European influences, is something you won't find much of in this country outside of Louisiana.

An adolescent crush

In my high school years, and maybe junior high years (I've blocked out those years from my memory), I simultaneously started lashing out against my dissatisfaction with the world, took a leap of faith, and was introduced to... Relient K. These boys hold a special place in my heart; some of their songs have got me from beginning to end. The lyrics can be witty (mood rings) and hilarious (in love with the 80's), but they are usually just so... real. Everytime I fail, it's really nice to have these boys, especially Matthew Theissen, singing and voicing exactly how I feel so much more in tune and eloquently than I can.

Sometimes it's embarrassing to talk to you
To hold a conversation with the only one who sees right through
This version of myself
I try to hide behind
I'll bury my face because my disgrace will leave me terrified

And sometimes I'm so thankful for your loyalty
Your love regardless of
The mistakes I make will spoil me
My confidence is, in a sense, a gift you've given me
And I'm satisfied to realize you're all I'll ever need

You looked into my life and never stopped
And you're thinking all my thoughts
Are so simple, but so beautiful
And you recite my words right back to me
Before I even speak
You let me know, I am understood

And sometimes I spend my time
Just trying to escape
I work so hard so desperately, in an attempt to create space
Cause I want distance from the utmost important thing I know
I see your love, then turn my back and beg for you to go

You're the only one who understands completely
You're the only one knows me yet still loves completely

And sometimes the place I'm at is at a loss for words
If I think of something worthy I know that its already yours
And through the times I've faded and you've outlined me again
You've just patiently waited, to bring me back and then
Sometimes it's embarrassing to talk to you
To hold a conversation with the only one who sees right through
This version of myself
I try to hide behind
I'll bury my face because my disgrace will leave me terrified

And sometimes I'm so thankful for your loyalty
Your love regardless of
The mistakes I make will spoil me
My confidence is, in a sense, a gift you've given me
And I'm satisfied to realize you're all I'll ever need

You looked into my life and never stopped
And you're thinking all my thoughts
Are so simple, but so beautiful
And you recite my words right back to me
Before I even speak
You let me know, I am understood

And sometimes I spend my time
Just trying to escape
I work so hard so desperately, in an attempt to create space
Cause I want distance from the utmost important thing I know
I see your love, then turn my back and beg for you to go

You're the only one who understands completely
You're the only one knows me yet still loves completely

And sometimes the place I'm at is at a loss for words
If I think of something worthy I know that its already yours
And through the times I've faded and you've outlined me again
You've just patiently waited, to bring me back and then

The noise has broken my defense
Let me embrace salvation
Your voice has broken my defense
Let me embrace salvation

On the topic of me and failure... there is this one verse that definitely caught my attention for more than one reason this past week. It reminded me that my expectations for myself are not my reason for living, that I have hope beyond myself. A guest speaker who lived for awhile in Hawaii came to my church this past Sunday and gave us this verse, in Pidgin, which made it all the more memorable and possibly even more comprehensible...

Wen you guys get chance fo do da bad kine stuff, dass da same ting, jalike wat happen to all da odda peopo. But you know, you guys can trus God fo do wat he say. He no goin let you guys get so plenny presha dat you guys no can handle. Everytime get presha lidat, God goin make um so you guys can get outa dat. He goin make you guys strong fo handle, an no fall down.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Treasuring every step

I have...

· Performed my violin with the wind blowing my sheet music away in the port of Nassau

· Befriended the piano bar man aboard a ship in the Carribean

· Tasted sushi freshly caught on a boat off the shore of the Grand Bahamas

· Climbed Dunn’s waterfall in Montego Bay

· Ascended to the top of Köln Döm

· Retraced Martin Luther’s steps in the quietness that is Lutherstadt-Wittenburg

· Contrasted the modernity and the history that is Berlin

· Slept in a sketchy inn in Montmarte, Paris

· Hiked the red roads up to the Holyrood Crags in Edinburgh

· Punted in Cambridge

· Pretended to be going through King Cross’s Platform 9¾ in London

· Worshipped in Spanish and English simultaneously with brothers and sisters in Christ around a bonfire in Luque

· Drank yerba maté in Asunción

· Raced to see the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Badaling Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace in three days in Beijing

· Strolled along the ‘canals’ and quaint streets in Suzhou, the Venice of the East

· Observed riots, thousands strong, in Seoul at midnight

· Relived my mom’s childhood in Suwon

· Gotten an IV stuck in me for the first time in an emergency room in Pohang

· Witnessed creation glorifying God in Yosemite

· Been disappointed because the Golden Gate Bridge was obscured by fog in San Francisco

· Been exiled to an arcade where a straight man told me about his uncle and roommate, who are famous drag queens in Las Vegas

· Gotten stuck on top of a mountain in a forest fire, and was thus forced to literally stop and look at the bajillion stars in our universe while the fire was fought, on Mt. Rushmore on Independence Day

· Dropped my camera in the Everglades after canoeing into mangroves in Collier County

· Ravaged Maryland blue crabs, topped with Old Bay spice, in Baltimore

· Hiked down Mt. Cannon in the White Mountains in New Hampshire

· Driven around in golf carts around the little island of Put-in-Bay, Ohio

There are more, and there will be more to come. For me, the point of traveling is not to simply see more of the world. It's to know more of people and to challenge my limits and comfort zone.

I have been blessed, by people and by places. And by opportunity.

Starting a journey of many sorts

Although I am sitting right where I am supposed to be on a weekday afternoon- in front of my government designated Gateway computer- my mind is clearly not on radioisotopes and...anything else related to national security. My heart, on its own journey, is already in Istanbul, where I'll be standing in front of the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. My mind on Christian history in Turkey, where the seven churches in Revelations are commonly destinations for "faith-tours", where one can find Christian-history enthusiasts in fanny-packs.

I am so excited.

Of course, being in a foreign country, not knowing a single word of the language, and being allergic to foods that are used in nearly all the desserts will be a journey in its own league, but I am curious as to the difficulties, the revelations, and the appreciations I will garner leading up to my time abroad.

And here we go.