Boğazici University

I am spending the semester at Boğazici University which is located in the affluent Istanbul suburb of Etiler. I live in its supposedly premiere dorm that is the "top choice of graduate and exchange students". But too me, with its closet like rooms, stark white walls, strict visitor rules, and unfriendly manager, it feels more like a prison or a hospital. However, the lively exchange students that live here and the cheap çay in the basement cafe make up for the lack of atmosphere. Since classes haven't started yet, there are usually daily excursions to Sultanahmet (the old city), Taksim (hip shopping and bars) and anywhere else that will keep us occupied during this strange limbo between registration and the start of courses.
Although Boğizici is one of Turkey's best universities, accomplishing a basic task like registering for courses requires a lot of effort because of a bureaucratic, disorganized administration. I was surprised when I learned that I had a four day block to register for my classes, which seem like a lot of time for me. However, when I realized that I was faced with a multitude of time conflicts, blocked classes, and a clogged on-line registration system, I wondered why we weren't given more time! Finally, after a marathon of obtaining approval for classes, e-mailing back in forth to the administration here and at home to make sure courses will count for credit, and maneuvering my schedule to fit in as many Middle East/Turkey focused classes as I could, I finally have timetable of classes that I think will work out quite nicely. I'm taking a smattering of classes including poly-sci courses, Turkish language, and painting.
After such a stressful process I'm looking forward to finally starting classes on Monday. I'm anticipating the walk to South Campus that leads past stunning views of the Bosporus and through tree lined pathways to a lovely quad lined with old stone buildings. I have to admit it still hasn't really sunk into my consciousness that I really am studying here. Although there are all the normal things a student neighborhood has like ATMs, grocery stores, and cafes, it still feels exotic to me!

Ramazan

Fives times a day, a haunting call echoes across the city, calling the Muslim faithful to pray. The beautiful Arabic chant confirms to me that I am truly in a different land. This month is Ramazan, so the official moment of of sundown is also called out so all who area fasting know they can partake in food and drink that they have denied themselves since sunrise. Last night I was in Sultanahmet for sunset. We sat in a park looking out across the Blue Mosque. And although I wasn't fasting, I still felt a tinge of the anticipation that everyone surrounding me must have felt. As the call approached, families sitting together on park benches began opening grocery bags, taking out bread, cheese, and bottled juices. A women in a Burqua drifted through the crowd selling prayer beads. Impatience and anticipation hung thick in the air. Finally clear voices rang out from every mosque in the city, signaling the end of fasting for the day. Turks surrounding us joyfully bit into sandwiches, sipped on water, and lit up cigarettes. Lights strung between the minarets of the Blue Mosque glowed with a Ramazan greeting. The second day of fasting was completed. I could not help but admire the strict observation and dedication of faithful Muslims during Ramazan. It is a difficult feat, made easier by coming together as a community. Nothing in Turkey is done alone which makes for a huge part of this country's beauty and charm.

First Impressions

I have been in Turkey for 7 days. Two nights at the Orient Hostel in boisterous neighborhood of Sultanahamet, home to the Aya Sophia, Blue Mosque and countless other intoxicating sights. On the morning of my second full day, I caught a 7 am ferry down the coast, en route to soak up Troy, the Gallipoli Battlefields, and the ruins of Ephesus.I spent five days touring the Aegean Coast, living on buses and in hostels. Instead of bogging you down with details, I thought I would just briefly recount a few aspects of Turkey that stuck me as particularly pleasant, beautiful, and unsettling (at least for a woman traveling alone)during the past week.

Pleasant:

• fresh warm bread
• ferry rides across the Bosporus
• chatting with fellow backpackers
• Çay with a cube of sugar served in a curvy glass
• The breeze from the Agean Sea
• Walking along the Çannekale harbour
• Friendly Turks
• wild tabby kittens
  

Beautiful:

• the view of the Bosporus from my campus at night
  
• the golden domes of the Aya Sophia
• the sun setting over the Aegean sea
• the Great Theatre at Ephesus
• scarves in the Grand Bizarre
• the Selcuk fountain set in front of an ancient Roman aqueduct
• the view from the ANZAC memorial on the Gallipoli peninsula
  

Unsettling:

• hordes of people accosting travelers at the bus station to pursuade you to stay in their hostel
  
• dirty toilets of the squatting variety
  
• being alone
• nearly missing the ferry
• not speaking Turkish