The End.... No, Just the Beginning

Turkey was amazing to say the least.  Anyone have a count on how many times I said amazing in this blog.... or number of times I said it while on the trip?  I don't but my guess would be somewhere in the billions.

Continue to follow my journey with life, love, cancer and all things Lindsey at
  Cancer Chic    (havecancermustblog.blogspot.com).

Thank you for reading.  

All my love -- Lins

Call to Prayer

Five times a day a beautiful song resonates from each mosque’s minaret for everyone to hear.  This is the Muslim call to prayer.  Being in a country where the predominant religion is Islam, you’re going to hear the call to prayer a lot and I’m lovingly surprised with this beautiful melody each time.  Minarets are the spires next to the mosque and a staple to the Muslim landscape.  Most mosques have one or two.   There used to be a rule that a mosque could only have more than one minaret if the Sultan had visited.  Minarets exhibit loud speakers to play the call to prayer beginning early in the morning and then repeated four more times before the day is through.  Prayer times follow the lunar calendar so the intervals change a bit each day, it’s not the same now as it was when we arrived a few weeks ago.  

Mosque with two minarets (Istanbul)

While in the Basilica Cistern, an amazing underground place next to Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), the call to prayer reached me, but not from a minaret.  The Basilica Cistern is full of pillars and walkways along a vast spread of water.  It’s lit in the most spectacular way and utterly stunning.  Coy serenely swim in the water and as I was observing them, I noticed coins on the fountain floor.  I decided to make a "wish."  I plucked an American quarter and a Turkish lira (also a coin) from my wallet.  If you’ve read any of the previous posts in this blog, I’m sure you can guess what my thoughts were about…

Basilica Cistern

I was again called to pray at the Basilica of St. Anthony off Istiklal Street.  By placing one Turkish lira in an unsupervised donation box you could take a candle.  This seemed like an amazing deal I just couldn’t pass up.  There were many amazing deals I couldn’t pass up during this trip, which is why my suitcase is full of scarves, but I digress.  Upon selecting my candle I walked to an open area along the wall where a shallow amount of water rests above a of layer sand in the wall crevice.  I used another candle to light my own and as I put my candle in it’s new resting place, I was nearly moved to tears.    

My candle

Turkey is a very religious and spiritual place.  Histories of all religions can be found here.  While in Turkey we learned of the Christians who fled to Sille and lived in caves to avoid persecution of the Romans.  We visited several mosques and learned about the introduction of Islam to the region.  Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived in harmony among one another for centuries.  It’s all so mystical, sacred, and peaceful I challenge anyone not to be as fully and profoundly moved as I am.  

18 Again

In a scene taken right out of a Zac Efron movie, at 31, I’m living in the dorms of a college campus.  Yeditepe University in Istanbul is home until Saturday.  I’m transported back to my late teens, freshly out of high school and on my way college.  The campus rests upon a hill, nestled into the forefront of a small forest.  It’s very beautiful and fitting as Yeditepe means “Seven Hills.”  Of course, Atatürk peers down upon us from an adjoining hill overlooking the campus.  Two large Turkish flags flank him.  The crimson crescent and star is everywhere.  Every.  Where.    

While on campus we’ll have several lectures about all things Turkey and then spend the last week of June exploring Istanbul.  We’re staying in the dorms and eating in the cafeterias.  I’ve never been to a college outside of the US before but this one is pretty similar to what American students experience.  My dorm room is the size of my closet at home and I’m sharing it with a roommate.   The food served in the cafeteria and is exactly what you’d think it would be but with a Turkish flare.    

It’s very strange to be living on a college campus again.  The first day I couldn’t get over it.   Twelve years after first moving into dorms, here I am again!  I don’t miss it and I don’t have any desire to repeat undergrad.  Now if I could just stop eating this Turkish version of a Snickers, I might be able to avoid my second round of “Freshman 15.”

Ata-boy Atatürk

The George Washington/Tomas Jefferson/Benjamin Franklin of Turkey is one man.  Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.  Famously and lovingly known just as Atatürk, which literally translates to “Father of the Turks.”   Mustafa Paşa (pronounced “pasha” and means General) rose through the ranks during World War 1 as a revered solider, officer and general.   Following their loss in the war, he led the charge to salvage what was left of the Ottoman Empire in the Turkish Independence War.   His vision and drive kept what we currently know as Turkey together when everyone-- Greeks, Russians, Kurds, and Armenians-- were scrambling and fighting for parts of the Ottoman Empire.

Upon the establishment of the Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923, Atatürk was named the first president.  In the words of Stephen Kinzer from the book Crescent and Star, “According to its constitution, Turkey is a secular state with no official religion. But the truth is that Turks profess, and must profess, a highly developed faith enveloped and defining every aspect of their lives.  It is the cult of Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic and now a virtual deity.” Atatürk’s picture is found everywhere.  Perhaps the only thing you see more than the Turkish flag.  In the two schools we visited, his picture hangs in every classroom.   Statues of Atatürk stand in every city large and small.  On a hill overlooking a panorama of Ankara, Turkey’s capital, is Atatürk’s final resting place.  This homage to Turkey’s premier is a marble mausoleum, museum, and cathedral combination lined with roses and Turkish flags.  It’s stunning, magnificent, and majestic.  We had the pleasure of visiting this place and it was remarkable, a fitting tribute to the treasured leader.

After the official establishment of the Turkish Republic, Atatürk took off his military uniform once and for all.  As many leaders make the mistake of seeking additional lands or conquering troubled neighbors, Atatürk instead turned his focus to the people of his newly formed country, his ideas of secularism and “catching up” to the West.  The capital was moved from Istanbul to Ankara, close to the people whom Atatürk ruled. 

Under Atatürk’s leadership, a secular state was formed.  Islam is/was the predominate religion of Turkey but kept separate from all politics and law making.  This practice is even named after the beloved hero, Kemalism.  Beginning by abolishing the caliphate, followed by the dissolution of the Islamic courts and replacing the Muslim calendar with the European one, Atatürk made one reform after another to bring Turkey into his idea of the modern age.  The Turkish language wasn’t exempt.  Turks always had their own language but it was written with Arabic script.  Atatürk unveiled the new alphabet of Latin letters at a gala with all the country’s leading figures in attendance.   Women were given the right to vote and hold public office.  Everyone was told to take a surname.  Anything was allowed except Atatürk, one man alone held that name. 

In every photo Atatürk looks like a Hollywood movie star resembling a dashing Clark Gable.  Mustafa Kemal had light hair and striking blue eyes.  “The Turkish nations has fallen far behind the west,“ he is quoted saying, “The main aim should be to lead it to modern civilization.”  Women were encouraged to take off their headscarves and men wore fedoras.  Atatürk set the standard for dress and it was very Western. 

The protesters of today’s Turkey revere Atatürk’s ideas.  They desire the secular ways and personal freedoms he instilled when the Republic was born nearly a century ago.  The current administration is slowly taking these freedoms away (see Current Events). 

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk remains nearly unknown outside of his own country… but inside these borders there is no one greater.  No one.

Dedicated on this Father's Day to my paşa and baba (dad), Ken Drahota. 

Everywhere is Taksim, Everywhere is Resistance

Tuesday, Prime Minister Erdogan will be at our hotel….  I don’t think we’ll be there but that’s still pretty amazing.  He’s coming to Vilayetler Evi for a conference, will make a few remarks and then leave.  We can't be in the building unless we want to be sequestered or our rooms so we're headed to a mall for the afternoon following our morning at an Ankara private school.  The school is kindergarten through 12th grade.  We get to tour the facility and meet some Turkish teachers... now you're speaking my language!  At the mall we can shop, hit up the book store, sit in a cafe and work and relax a bit.  We've been on the go since we landed 8 days ago.  

Here is a brief update on the protests.  We’ve been in the countryside for most of the week and weekend but we’re hearing news from the people and still trying to follow things closely.  I would be in the thick of things but perhaps I shouldn’t get tear gassed or arrested….. just a thought.  We continue to hound Suat, our guide, for information.  Prime Minister Erdogan and his political party have gone on the defensive.  He has announced there will NOT be early elections and he’s NOT resigning.  The next elections will be held in 2014.  Under his order the police have pulled out of Taksim Square, leaving the protesters be in an “Occupy Wall Street” type manner.  In Izmir the protests have turned into a festival with fireworks and celebrations.  Here also, the police are leaving the people alone.  However, in Ankara, the police continue to intervene using tear gas and plastic bullets.  The young people of Ankara seem to have created a “game” out of inciting the police and then heading out to the local bar. 

While at the Open Air museum two days ago, we heard some people chanting from atop one of the large rock structures.  Suat immediately joined in.  We leaned they were saying in Turkish, “Everywhere is Taksim, Everywhere is Resistance.”  This is just one of the phrases recited by the protesters.  “We are the soldiers of Atatürk” is another.  Atatürk is the beloved first president of Turkey.  Under Atatürk's leadership people had many personal freedoms.  Atatürk staunchly believed in secularism and created a Turkish nation where although Islam is the main religion, it doesn't mix with politics and the goverment.  Erdogan is mixing the two and it's created the tension that lead to the current status of people in the streets protesting.  (click here for more on this)   

The movement grows daily.  Unlike the “Occupy” moment in America which it’s been compared to, this truly has the potential to make change.  We’ll know more and more during our stay, especially during our time in Istanbul and watch the progression before leaving at the end of June.  Stay tuned.  

I spoke too soon... it's now early Tuesday afternoon and we're hearing that as of 7:27 am today, the police in Istanbul have attacked the protesters and are forcefully removing them from Taksim Square.  While at the school today (which was beautiful and so welcoming to our party) we had lunch with the staff and students.  During lunch we heard the clink of silverware on the glasses.  All the students joined in and it got quite loud.  This is sign of their solidarity to the protest movement.  The teachers allowed it to continue and the noise died down after about a minute and a half.  The teachers and administrators shared with us they are part of the protests too!  After work they join the protests and demonstrate their support for the removal of Erdogan.  Erdogan's tactics of pushing his ideas on the people and essentially doing whatever he wants has isolated him from the people and caused this discourse.  Turks want Ataturk's legacy to live on with the continuation of democracy.  Now that I'm Turkish, this is what I want too!  Actually, I'm just for civil rights for all humans, even though Turkish humans are my favorite right now. 

On the Ancient Silk Road

For the second time in my life I’m traveling the Silk Road.  Saturday we struck out for Kapadokya (Cappidocia), a province in central Turkey.  We stopped along the way at Agzikarahan Kervansarayi.  A kervansarayi (or in English, caravan surai) was a stopping point along the Silk Road.  Caravans of 300+ would stop for days at a time.  In today's world we'd call it a gas station/hotel/Target combo.  It reminded me of a mini-castle.   There was nothing left of this one except the stone structure but it was pretty amazing to be standing in such an ancient place.  Not the first time on this trip I strolled through a place so ancient I couldn’t grasp the actuality of it and stood there like a senseless fool saying, “this is crazy, this amazing” over and over. 

Next stop was Tuz Gülü (Salt Lake).  Tuz Gülü is the second largest salt lake in the world.  Our group joined other tourists walking in the lake; the deepest part is only 120 cm.  The bottom of the lake is salt, not sand, and it’s not like table salt, it’s salt rocks.  Walking into the lake is like walking on gravel but we endured this texture for the experience (and free pedicure- minus the polish - after exiting the lake my feet and calves felt crazy soft!)  Turkey gets 60% of it’s salt directly from this lake, which had 33% salt saturation.

The thing I love about Turkey, excuse me, one of the many things I love about Turkey, is nothing is blocked off.  At Tuz Gülü we just marched right in.  At the museums, you can touch everything.  In Konya when Trent and I were in the midst one of our many laughing hysterics, I accidently took a laugh break on a 3,000-year-old rock.   Which just made us laugh harder at the fact that I was resting my forehead on an ancient rock…  There are many open-air museums where you walk among the ruins, artifacts, and excavations.  It’s nothing like Western preservation; everything is open and available for the people to interact with.  PLUS, there isn’t some commercialized shop at every stop.  Yes, there are markets and shops at the sites but they are all local products and local vendors.  It’s refreshing.  

Our hotel in Kapadokya is bananapants!  First off, it’s in a town called Mustafapasha.  Mustafapasha, that rolls off the tongue in such a great way.  It’s a Tuscan villa in the middle of Anatolia.  In truth, it’s Greek not Italian.  A-ma-zing!   While seeing the sites in Kapadokya, we visit an open-air museum of ancient churches and climb over, under, and in between the Fairy Chimneys.  Fairy Chimneys are volcanic formations that look just like their name.  We crawled/walked through the underground city of Kaymakli, used for protection from the Persians, not for everyday living.  It was intelligently built with a ventilation system and several rooms dedicated to making wine during their stay underground.    

On Monday we left for the Hittite capital, Hattusa.  As we drive through the Turkish countryside, the scenery is enough to bring tears to my eyes.  Literally.  I’m overwhelmed with emotions and can feel my heart swell.  Beautiful plains of vivid, buttery yellow grasses spread across the open fields while vibrant poppies line the roadside.  Low-hanging clouds rest upon stunted mountains in the distance.  We stop at one point so sheep can cross the road.  I’m in a picture right out of National Geographic.