Easter in Amman

Hello All,

Sorry I have been away for a while. Essentially I spent Monday through Friday in the desert, so as you can imagine internet was pretty much non essistant. However, I will try to post about my trip tomorrow. It will take hours and frankly there is no time now. I did have an excellent time. Actually, this trip kicked Istanbul, Turkey's butt.

For now I want to talk about Easter in Amman. It is a simpler story to tell.

Today I woke up at my normal time, 7:30. Every other day, I wake up at 7:30. This gives me time to take a shower before school. I shower every other day. It is a cultural norm here to shower every 3-4 days as water is scarce (people totally look very clean and their hair is not dirty looking in the slightest way). But since I'm of European decent, my thin blonde hair can't take it so I shower every other day. My host mom said I can use the shower anytime, but I hate the idea of hogging the water.

Anyways...I woke up at 7:30 then quickly went back to bed. My friend yesterday told me that we didn't have class in the morning. I figured I would sleep in and head to school for some work around 10am instead of the normal 9am. Bad mistake. Around 8:45, I had the gut feeling that my ass should be at school. I got myself together, essentially brushed my teeth, washed my face and threw on clothes and hailed a cab. I arrived at school at 9:05 with a panicked look. Class had started at 9. Damn. We had a short meeting and then were told to work on our projects.

For my group's project, we are preforming an Arabic puppet show about Romeo and Juliet, or Ibrahim and Leila. It is a lot of work, and personally, I had never been a fan of group work. I would rather skip that dynamic and carry on alone. However, this was not an option. Every single thing went wrong during our preparation. After 6 hours of work, I got to leave school at 6:00pm. Surprisingly I had not lost my temper and lashed out at people (Yay, my interpersonal skills are improving!). After the project, I decided to get my hair cut because I felt like I looked pretty nasty without my makeup and my two day old dirty hair in a pony tail. I was also kind of down and wanted to do something special for Easter.

I made an appointment earlier in the day and I walked to a very nice, upscale salon in Abdoun where I had gone before. Every woman in the salon was dressed to the nines and had beautiful hair and makeup. I felt especially gross considering my background.The guy asked if I wanted my hair washed, I said yes and began to unravel my hair from the ponytail. My hair was essentially glued in the pony form. As the guy was washing my rank hair (yes, rank), he asked me how often I washed it. I was totally embarrassed. I answered honestly, every other day expect for today. Luckily he seemed more surprised that I have to wash it so often. Feww...I still felt gross and I think he felt bad for asking. It's okay. He totally was okay with asking. He was just curious. I got a great haircut and he insisted that I keep drinking more and more coffee. He gave me weird looks when I asked for water. What's new there...

So essentially it had been a rough day. I trotted home around 7:00pm without the chocolate bunny that I had tried so hard to find. I really wanted that bunny and was kinda frustrated that I could not find it. Why couldn't I simply have the darn rabbit to eat?! I sighed. In addition to a lot of things going wrong, no one had wished me a Happy Easter all day and I had not seen any type of festive decoration. I understood that Jordan is a Muslim country and that only 5% of the population is Christian, but surely people remembered that it was Easter! I walked up the stairs to my host family's apartment really down. I wanted some Easter. Facebook pictures of Easter would not do.

I walked into the apartment, and immediately charged my cell so I could call my parents. My mom had called earlier but I couldn't talk because I was working on the puppet show from hell. Next I walked over to the kitchen table where my host mom and sister were peeling beans. I jumped in to help. After some chatter, my host sister told me that she wished her Christian teacher Happy Easter today. Yes, I thought, they know it is Easter! She went on to explain that her teacher replied that today was not Easter and that it is in 15 days. Suddenly things clicked. The Christian community in Amman runs on a different calendar than the Roman Catholic Church. I explained that today was Easter to me because I am Roman Catholic. They were surprised. Apparently even Jesuits in Jordan choose to celebrate Easter on the same day at the Orthodox Christians to simplify things. My host mom immediately asked if I wanted to boil eggs. I said sure. She made me beautiful eggs that she placed in a basket for me to keep in my room. I was excited to have the eggs, but even more excited that I did not have to eat them. My host mom said they were for decoration.

The rest of the evening I spent watching movies with my host mom and sister, one of my favorite activities to do.

It was a wonderful Easter after all. My host family made it awesome! I learned an important lesson: often there are really good rational reasons for things. My host family did not forget or ignore Easter, but were planning on celebrating it with me 15 days from now. Also, it is amazing how a kind gesture can turn your day around.

I just thought I would tell a story.

Talk to you later,
Natalie

The Janub

Hello,

I just got back from a four day trip to the South of Jordan. In short, it was wonderful. At the moment, I am trying to finish homework and study. I will blog soon.

Love,
Natalie

Al Baqa'a Refugee Camp

Hello all,

Today I started my Saturday at the ripe time of 7:30am. I needed to get dressed and situated for my visit to Al baqa'a camp. I threw on my Gettysburg sweatshirt, threw my hair in a pony tail and stopped my makeup at the foundation level. I wanted to go low key. Around 8:15 I hailed a taxi to take my to the bus stop. From there I would meet up with the students running the English as a Second Language program and they would take me to the school.

A couple of other students from SIT had said that they would be coming, but last minute decided not to come. I'm sorry, but I need to address something here. All the time these students complain that they don't get to see "the real Jordan" because we live in the very wealthy part of the city. They also say how they want to take a taxi to the ghetto of East Amman (We live in West Amman) in order to "experience real life". However, when it come to getting your hands dirty and experiencing "the real Jordan", everyone is too busy to show up. Don't worry though, these very same students talk about how they are going to change the world every single day. Perhaps they should start by trying to help a small group of people and by attempting to understand their world and realities. While it might be adventurous to drive to East Amman in order to stare at some poor people, it would be better for everyone if they would just try to help those in need and not just drive by to "check it out". This ticks me off.  Don't worry this is the end of my rant.

So I stood by myself at the bus stop and waited for the girls to show up. They called me to let me know they were on their way and I patiently stood in front of the police car at the circle and waited for them. In a few minutes, a girl with long blonde hair showed up near the buses. We waved at each other and instantly knew that we were looking for each other. We waited for a bit more and a lady around 40 with blonde hair showed up and then finally a girl with brown curly hair showed up. I was happy to be with people who looked like I did. We got stared at as a group.

We boarded the bus and set off. On the bus ride I found out that four girls run the English as a Second Language program are college graduates working as part of the Fulbright program. They are paid a small sum and their expenses are covered by grant money. All the girls were friendly and were happy that I want to volunteer on a regular basis at the camp.

The bus dropped us off right in front of the school. The school is a white building consisting of an office, a large classroom and a small classroom. I taught and hung out in the large classroom. There were two different classes. All of the children were prob between 8-16 years old. I really liked the children alot. They came and really wanted to work on their English. They have more motivation that most of the college kids I know. I was really impressed. This is because knowing and understanding English is important to their futures. They need it in order to pass the national exam in Jordan in order to go to college. Essentially, education and English are their way out of the camp. Honestly, if I was in that situation, I would be working my buns off.

I had two children that I helped, one in each section. The first child I had was about 10 years old. He was really good with his English and wanted me to help him with his homework. He literally read my pages from his text book, which equated to a few paragraphs. I could tell the boy had practiced alot because he seemed familiar with the material. I gave him a few corrections here and there, but he was pretty good. He beemed when I said good job. I spoke mostly English to him because he was at a level where he could understand and respond. After we finished his homework, I taught him the lesson plan that was handed to me. The topic was weather and seasons. He picked up the material well and seemed to fully understand what I was talking about. I used Arabic to introduce the new words, but besides that all conversation was in basic English.

The next student I had was a 12 year old girl. We spoke mostly in Arabic because she was not quite at the level of understanding and responding in English. She was very shy and nervous and kept whispering her Arabic responses and questions. I had to keep asking her to speak up. This lesson was a bit tough. When learning about the weather, she kept saying that it snows in Summer. I kept trying to correct her, but I think she walked away thinking that it snows in the summer. I feel really bad. I tried Arabic but I think she was nervous and tired of learning. I played a couple of games I made up with her, like fill in the blank, pictionary and making her ask me questions to see if she understood. She seems to have gotten most of the other material.

The children do have the opportunity to go on trips. Every year, a donor donates enough money to send  five of the top students to the omra, or small hajj. In Mecca, the children get to see the places were Muhammad walked as well as to fulfill their religious obligations. A fellow teacher and I were talking and we thought that the money could be used for housing or food, which everyone is in need of. However, I believe it is important for these children to see different places and experience more than the refugee camp. While money for food is great, perhaps the trip will inspire the children to keep to their religion and to study hard so that they can go more places some day.

On the bus back home, I talked with one of the teacher's fathers who was visiting from America. He asked me how long I had been volunteering. I said that I just started today. He told me he was impressed with my teaching style and that I thought I had been there for a while. This meant a lot to me. I really hope I helped a kid learn some more English. I know that I walked away learning more Arabic.

After the classes, I got back on the bus with the girls. They took me back to the place where I could get a cab. Here are some basic bus rules I learned.
1) Buses do not have a set schedule. They leave when the bus is full.
2) You can get anywhere for a nickel
3) Don't sit next to a man if that seat is available. It makes a woman appear like she is "looking for something"
4) Men sit with Men, Women sit with Women regardless of relationship or age. If I want to sit next to a male volunteer from the school, I need to tell the driver so he does not think something weird is going on.

Then I arrived at my castle in Shemsani where I was had a large place of mensef waiting for me, my own room and plenty of clean clothes. I was so happy and feel so blessed that I was able to experience the camp, but I am so happy that is not my everyday reality. I think five hours a week will be enough. I look forward to returning. I made friends with the student coordinators. I was even invited to go out to lunch, but I was too exhausted.


Below are some pictures of the day. I didn't take too many because I didn't want the children to feel uncomfortable.

A vegetable stand in the camp

A store in the camp

I made this picture extra large for a reason. Look at the amount of trash and the poor condition of the house! This is totally common. People are really living in poverty in the camp. Trash was everywhere in large heaps and I could really smell it. When I left, I felt like I had dirt wedged in the pores of my face. It was literally coming out on the bus ride home. 

Children playing a game in English during fun time

Students playing with the English Language

Additionally, my host mom, sister and I are running the 10KM marathon in the 20th annual Dea Sea Marathon. They asked me to participate so I told them about my lack of any sort of athletic ability, but they still want me to come. The meeting place is at King Hussein National Park, one of my favorite places in Amman, and we will run to the Dea Sea, another wonderful place. Apparently, my host mom, sister and I are also designing matching shirts for the event. I wonder what they will look like. I'm really excited. Now I just need to find out what appropriate athletic wear is in Jordan. After signing up for the marathon, my host mom asked if I wanted to go to the dentist. Being the weirdo that I am, I said yes and that I would love to see a Jordanian dentist office. It was a very nice office and very much like an American dental office except dental care is cheaper in Jordan. I am glad I went. Now I want to go to the doctors. I hope I get bronchitis or something because I can't just show up not ill. That would be dumb. A friend of mine went and said it was an interesting experience. I want to go too! If I was in Gettysburg, I would have gotten bronchitis at least four times by now!

After signing up for the marathon, my host mom took me and my host sister to her sister's house for her birthday. I sat in one of the nicest houses I have ever been in and ate three slices of cake from three different cakes with fruit on them. Coming from a refugee camp to a party that had three cakes, coffee, tea, nuts and much more food was a bit of a reality check. I felt like I experienced two extremes today.

I sat with my host mom's niece for a while and smoked argeela. She really loves the pipe and knows that I do too so when we get together we smoke and talk. I have to keep explaining that I can't smoke alot because it makes my head dizzy and I don't want to be an idiot at a family party. She just laughs and understands. She is 24 years old and has finished college. She works for the mobile company Zain and always has nice clothes, nice nails and beautiful hair. It glistens in a way I have never seen. She always likes to touch my hair, but I really feel like her's is the winner without a doubt. I also talked to my host mom's nephew while smoking argeela. He is a resident radiologist at the moment and is doing quite well for himself. I really enjoyed getting to talk to two Jordanians close to my age. It was a good time, even if they laugh at me when I cough after smoking the argeela. Its funny, I have to give it to them.

Talk to you soon,
Natalie


PS- The internet is creepy! I just googled the camp for some information and my the profile picture of my blog came up as one of the possible images. That is so creepy to see my face under Baqa'a camp! CREEPY!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello,

Yesterday was Mother's Day in Jordan. I woke up and went to wish my host mother a happy Mother's Day. She seemed so surprised and happy that I remembered. She said thank you and was really happy.

So I went to school, We did not have classes in the morning (how is this program accredited? lol) so I went to Taj Mall and looked for some summer clothes as well as a back pack and a new jacket. Honestly, since I have gotten back from Turkey, the sexual harassment has gotten a lot worse. After talking to some other female students, I found out that they felt the same way. As a result, I decided to no longer wear my hot pink jacket and hot pink backpack in Amman. I would like to try and blend in a bit more, but I know I'll never truly blend in. The jacket I got is actually a really think beige sweater (going from hot pink to beige....) and the backpack is a nice black color. I had to stop myself from picking up the lime green one by reminding myself of my mission. I also went to look for some summerish springish clothes. Oddly the easiest place to find appropriate clothing is American Eagle. The sales people were nice and helped me pick out some shirts. In the last week, I have received three different marriage proposals from Taxi drivers. I think they like how I can speak Arabic and they love the hair and skin color. My host mom just told me to cover as much skin as I can because people really like the pale skin. This means long sleeves. I figured this out because I went around in a short sleeve shirt and things got a little weirder then normal.

I was walking with one of the guys around the school after my shopping trip. We walked past a bus full of Embassy Guards who just kept staring at me and trying to talk to me. This boy was more upset than I was. He just yelled "I'm f****** tired of this" at them. Apparently the attention that he sees the female students get really upsets him. It was interesting to see how much this guy cared. Personally, I did not even notice the guys. I just looked at the street and walked past because I did not want to stir them up. I would not have really noticed if it wasn't for him. He told me that often in Taxi's he gets asked off questions about sexual things which make him uncomfortable. Also, the young man is gay so he can not be open about his sexuality at all. This must be hard for him.

Back to Mother's Day

In Arabic class, we learned a traditional Jordanian Mother's Day song. It goes as follows:

ست الحبايب يا حبيبة

يا أغلى من روحي و دمي

يا حنينة و كلك صليبة

يا ربي يخليك يا امي

يا ربي يخليك يا أمي

يا ست الحبايب يا حبيبة

Here goes my rough translation:

Wonderful woman, o dear one (insert term of endearment)
O one more treasured than my soul and blood (life)
O sweet one, o Mom
O God protect you, my Mom
O God protect you, my mom

YAY! I kinda did it!


Below is a link to the song:

Jordanian Mother's Day Song


Next, the teachers made us call our host moms in front of the class and wish them a happy Mother's Day. This was kinda odd. I felt it would have been better for each of us to do it face to face. What resulted was my host mom and I playing phone tag for 15 minutes which then resulted in her calling SIT. She was worried something was wrong because I was calling in the middle of the day. I just talked to her and wished her a happy Mother's Day again. The whole thing was kinda dramatic and I felt bad that my host mom was worrying. It was supposed to be a worry free, nice gesture.

Ahmed, the security man, said that he is upset there is not a Father's Day in Jordan. The same male student I was walking with earlier said that in Jordan, every day is Father's Day since it is a patriarchal society. All the students laughed hard and he even got a chuckle out of Ahmed. Since we gave the female teachers flowers for Mother's Day, we will most likely have a "Father's Day" celebration soon to keep it equal.

On Monday I will be leaving to do a Southern Excursion with the SIT group. Ahmed planned the trip. I am totally excited except for one small detail, I will be re-visting al-Rajiff, the town I stayed at during the Badia homestay experience. We will be visiting the special needs school that my host mother runs, which means I will see her again. I am left with a delema. We were told to contact our host parents if we would ever be in the Badia again. I wrote this off as a "Oh yea...when pigs fly!" sort of chance. However, I will be bumping into her. Ahmed is my Badia host mother's nephew so I know that is why we are going back. At least I will be with a group this time and only for a small period of time. One of the male students who also lived in Al-Rajif when I did made the comment, why are we going there? The school is a five-teen minute tour at best. I think SIT and Ahmed are trying to support local institutions as well as family members. It'll be okay, but I'm not too excited. Damn... At least I don't think I will be forced to turn down an invitation to dinner as I will not be invited to dinner. Maybe Ariel, the other student who lived at my house, will though lol.

However, I will get to see Wadi Rum, Petra, Aqaba as well as other famous and beautiful tourist places. I will get to camp in the dessert in Bedouin tents as well as ride a camel. YES I WILL GET TO RIDE A CAMEL! My life is complete now at the age of 21. I am also excited to use my new camera. It gets great pictures.

Conversations with Jordanians

Hello,

Below are a few conversation tin bits that I have had with many different Jordanians.

1) To call someone "cold blood" in arabic also can mean that you do not find the person sexy or attractive. My host mom uses this phrase when talking about Gerard Butler.
2)Most Jordanians do not eat many vegetables. Because vegetables are expensive, it has become part of the culture not to eat them. Jumana, a staff member at SIT, told me that she has to remember to force herself to seek out vegetables.
3) Muslim men can easily marry Christian women, but Christian women cannot marry Muslim Men. Seems paradoxical, but let me explain. The problems stems from the Christian community. The Christian community is very much a minority in Amman. As a result, Christians do not want their women marrying Muslims because they are afraid that they will convert or that the children will be Muslim and that it will make their minority even smaller. The issue has little to do with religious differences but more with demography. I have heard stories of Christians and Muslims dating undercover because they cannot get married.
4) It seems that Western people (from my experience Americans from SIT) feel that is possible for an Arab person to marry an American. My Arab friend feels differently. She stated that the cultural differences are too big and that one person would have to change how they do everything in order for the marriage to work. I find this idea interesting. I also wonder if Americans are more willing to go into a marriage with differences between the people in the couple because they know that they can get divorced rather easily and with relatively low to none social stigma. In the Middle East, divorce is hard and might take a while. As a result, people really, really, really think about differences and do not want to enter into a marriage with many of them. Americans, at least the younger generation, are more willing to give it a try. Love seems to be the base of American marriages while security and longevity seem to be more important in an Arab marriage. I'm not quiet sure I'm getting at this well...but I'm trying. I know of a girl who is trying to decided between two men to marry. One she loves while the other she is not attracted to, but he has a better job and will be able to support her. She is planning on ditching her boyfriend because the other guy is more of the marrying kind. While this also occurs in the US, I believe it happens more here. I feel like in the US, a couple can build their life together. In Jordan, a man is supposed to be established and the woman kind of adds to the picture, but is not the main supporter. A man must have a lot of money to be able to afford to marry here as well, so that kind of makes sense.
5) Marriage here is a contract...literally. A woman can put in where she wants to live, what type of house she will have and that she wants to finish her education. If these things are not met, she can get divorced quiet easily. A man can write things in as well. Both parties agree. I kind of like this idea. "On Wednesday at 9pm, Natalie will get to hold the remote for an hour to watch Real Housewives of New Jersey. The groom may not speak during this hour" (I'm joking of course, but its still a cool idea).
6) Technology has created a better dating scene in Jordan. People can check each other out on Facebook and send text messages. Secret romances are common and pretty funny to Americans. A lot of young people will stay up late talking on the phone to their "boyfriend". It seems unclear as to what the term "boyfriend" means. I have a feeling it is more of a friendship than anything sexual in some cases, but in others it seems to be the same relationship that people in America would have. Since virginity is a must here, I don't expect people to just be having casual sex. It would ruin them later. Since it is secretive, it is hard to find out a lot of information. Everyone in my program wants to know.
7) A tiny bottle of Saudi Arabian perfume costs 1000JD, but a drop of it will last you 1000 days (I'm joking).
8) A bottle of black label whiskey will cost you 90JD in Amman, but duty free 30JD. As a result, my host mom and her friend asked if I could take them duty free with my passport. I said sure, why the hell not. My mom's friend bought 2 bottles of whiskey and perfume. My mom bought Estee Lauder products and makeup. I think I saved them alot of money. They really appreciated it and took me to the mall for Hagen Daz ice cream. I had a huge cookies and cream one :).
9)Black dogs are bad omens, not black cats.
10) Handing someone a pair of opened siscors is an omen that will lead to bad luck between the two of you.


Til next time,
Natalie

Things I have learned in Jordan

Hello,

Yesterday my class went to a retirement community in Amman. It was an interesting experience. In Jordan and really the Middle East, it is not good to put your loved one in a nursing home or retirement community. It brings "shame" on the family. Essentially, everyone will look at the person's sons and daughters and say "what's wrong with you? Can't you take care of your mother?". As a result, retirement homes are a taboo and people do not openly use them.

The majority of the people I saw were about 65 years old and in relatively good health. They were walking around and excited for visitors. We gave each person a card, a lily and some cookies. They liked the flowers the most and the cookies the least. As a result, we, the students, ate a ton of cookies from a nice bakery in Abdoun. Kind of shameful on our part! They had pink icing so I could not resist.

A fair amount of the residents spoke English. One man greeted us with the word "imperialist" in English. Our teachers tried to shuffle us away from the man, but honestly we were not too upset. He explained that he did not like the US Government, but that he loved the American people. I hear this a lot in Jordan, and even in Turkey, so it does not upset me. Everyone is entitled to their opinion as long as you are respectful and go about addressing it in an appropriate manner. The teachers always worry about us feeling upset over this, and frankly it does not phase us as long as it is a respectful dialogue.

What upset me about the retirement home was the fact that I knew the residents did not choose to live there. I hope that they were happy. We were told by the receptionist not to ask about their children as it might upset them. However, one lady had pictures of her with her daughter at her wedding all over her room.  When I had a moment, I asked the receptionist what activities the residents participate in. She responded that they go out to dinner, have shopping trips and even gather a group for the umra, or small hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). It is nice that the residents can leave campus and even travel with a staff that will attend to their needs. From what I saw, each resident had a nurse in their room all the time, so they were not lonely. The staff looked really patient and kind too and helped them pick out a cookie and a flower that they would like to have. The residents lived in nice apartments sometimes alone and sometimes with a roommate. I also asked the receptionist if this retirement community was government funded or privately owned. She said privately owned. As a result, I know that the people living there must have been quite wealthy.

A Jordanian friend told me a personal account of her experience with retirement homes. She told me that a friend had a mother-in-law with advanced Alzheimer's. The woman would beat her and even broke her son's arm. As a result, it was necessary to put her in a home because she was becoming dangerous. Because it is taboo to put someone in a nursing home in Jordan, the family moved to the United States and put her in a nursing home there. This way, none of the other family members would know that the grandmother is living in a home and thus no shame would be put on the family. When relatives call, they always say that grandma is sleeping and can't come to the phone. It is interesting how even in advance health care situations, a family is expected to keep the person with them even if it might not be beneficial to the older woman. 

Personally, I think it is sometimes best for a person to go to a nursing home. Key word:sometimes. It is not for everyone and for every situation. But in advanced health situations, allowances should be made to make sure the person receives the best treatment possible.

til next time,
Natalie

Hijab

Hello,

I am killing some time this evening and keep looking up a million different ways to tie a hijab. It is so much fun to watch as it totally can become a fashion accessory!

Watch these videos!

Hijab video 1

Stripped Hijab

Hijab with Jewelry

Flower like Hijab

See ya later,
Natalie

New Opportunities

Hello,

Today I found out that I have an awesome opportunity to teach English to children of refugees. I will go every Saturday to the children and help them practice their English. I'm really excited to be able to hook up with an organization that will let me help people, especially children. It will be a great experience to see how people live in the camps as well. I am sure it is much much more terrible than I can even image. This experience will allow me to better understand the struggles of refugees. 

Every Saturday, I will meet up with students and people running the program and travel with them by bus to Beqa'a refugee camp. This is one of the six emergency refugee camps that were set up by international organizations in 1968 to help house and support the Palestinian refugees flooding into Jordan during the Arab Israeli War. 

Beqa'a refugee camp is the largest camp in Jordan and is 20Km north of Amman. UNRAW(United Nations Relief and Works Agency) runs the camp and has set up 8,000 house like structures where people can live. At this camp, there are more than 104,000 registered refugees. The organizations that can be found at the camp are sixteen schools, a women's center, two health care centers and a rehabilitation center. Most of the people in the camp are between the ages of 16-25. In this camp, the major problems appear to be a lack of education and a lack of proper housing. 

The camp has classes six days a week in order to help the children learn English. I will be working with kids from the age of 4 to about 13 years old. I will be helping for two sessions, each two hours long. 

While I am excited for this experience and opportunity, I would be crazy if I did not admit that I was nervous as well. I will be in a totally different world than I am used to. People will have real problems that I will not be able to assist with or mentalyl handle myself. However, I really want to help these children and I feel like the gains outweigh the nervousness. 

Talk to you soon, 

Natalie

Buying and testing out a new camera

Hello All,

Yesterday I went to the mall to buy a new camera and a new pair of sneakers. After Istanbul, the soles were separating from the shoes, so it was time for a new pair. I had had them for years and they survived the wash machine 300x. It was time.

I went to SmartBuy, which is the equivalent of Best Buy in Jordan. I was looking around at the cameras and finally a man came up to me to ask if I wanted help. I said yes and started asking him questions in Arabic. He responded in Arabic, but after a while, he asked if I would prefer to continue the sale in English. I said no, I would like to speak in Arabic. It was a proud moment when I bought that camera having talked and asked questions only in Arabic.

When I went to buy the sneakers, I did the same thing, only Arabic. Three salesmen helped me decide between two pairs of pink ones. They collectively told me that the hot pink was more me. I agreed. Buying this objects in Arabic made the purchase much more memorable. On the way home, the Taxi driver told me that I have a nice Arabic accent. This was a victory day for me as far as Arabic goes.

So today I decided I wanted to go somewhere and take some pictures. All my afternoon classes were canceled, so I went to King Hussein bin Talel mosque. I invited people to come, but they wanted to go to Starbucks. Their loss lol.  This mosque was built by the current king, King Abdullah, in memory of his father, King Hussein. It is the largest mosque in Amman and is built in a Levantine style. The lines of neutral colors mock a Syrian style while the towerish minarets mimic an Ottoman look. There are many gardens around the area as well as some museums. I decided to save the museums for another day since I have a lot of homework to accomplish.

When I arrived at the mosque, a man came up and escorted me out of the gates. I kept asking why I was being told to leave. He said that the mosque would be closed for the next hour and to come back in an hour. I asked if it was prayer time, because I had checked before I left and it wasn't. He told me it wasn't, but that it was just a break from visitors. All of this conversation was in Arabic. I decided to go to City Mall, a very nice mall nearby and wait. I walked around an Arabic Calligraphy store and went to a Starbucks (See you could have done both, SIT classmates lol). I loved the calligraphy accessory store. It is called Heba's Designs. If you want to check it out, I have the link on my facebook wall. I also bought four Arabic Pop Artist's CDs. In America it is impossible to find a lot of current Arabic music. I am tired of listening to the same Arabic songs over and over again. As a result I bought CDs from the top of the charts. The artists were Elissa, Carole Samaha, Melhem Zain and Wael Kfoury. I will bring the CDs home so that Kelsey and Kate can get some new Arabic music. Sorry Kelsey, this music is not like Marcel Khalif lol.

I finally hailed a cab and went back to the mosque. I walked through the gate without a headscarf on. The same man who turned me away earlier told me to leave again and re enter with a scarf. I felt so stupid. Of course I needed to cover my hair before walking in. What a rookie mistake! I quickly wrapped my scarf around my head and entered. He did not sem pleased, but he allowed me to continue. The guards are not to accepting for a very popular tourist site.

I walked around the mosque for a while, then asked a security guard if I could peak inside the main prayer room where the men prayed. I had seem pictures online and it was beautiful. Also, no one was praying. I could tell by the lack of shoes outside the door. The man said no and switched our conversation to English to make sure I understood I was not to go in there. Wow, a week in Istanbul totally made me forget that I had to follow the rules. In Istanbul, I could go into the main prayer room of any mosque that I visited and just hang towards the back in a respectful manner. Shame on me for asking to go to the men's room at this mosque! I know the rules! However, I was disappointed that I could not see the pretty prayer room. I went to the women's room and was able to peak at the main prayer room from behind a screen that reminded me of a Roman Catholic confessional screen. As you can assume, I could barely see anything. Honestly, I was a bit peeved. I could not see the inside of the mosque. I mean I had traveled from America. Why couldn't I see it? I had to remind myself that it was not personal, and that I should feel happy to be able to walk around. Chill your boots, Natalie!

Upon leaving, I bumped into another building. I asked another security guard in Arabic what the building was. He told me if was a holy place where they kept important things. I asked if I could go in (apparently I had not learned anything yet!). He said yes and offered to escort me. I said sure and he lead me into the small building. I am so happy I asked! This building houses a letter that Muhammad wrote to a friend around 1400 (that is what the guard told me and I double checked). The guard was nice enough to read it to me in Arabic in a beautiful song like manner. There was also a piece of hair believed to be from the "middle part" of Muhammad's beard. The Hashemite family owns these relics and put them on display at the mosque. This was an amazing experience! I am so happy I got to see everything! Skip the prayer room, I got to see genuine Muhammad things! I kept thanking the guard over and over for the wonderful tour. He said he liked how I kept speaking in Arabic. I said thanks and we parted ways. Beautiful experience! I asked him for permission to take pictures, he said yes.

Entrance to the Men's section

Muhammad's letter! He had very nice handwriting. I am too short to get a good picture of it. 

There are many trees and plants around

The label to the letter. The name of the friend did not mean anything to the guard or me. 

Look at how great my new camera is! I caught a picture of Muhammad's beard hair!

Lesson: Do not be mad about what you can't do. Be happy about what you are able to do! Also, always ask to see things. Sometimes the answer is no, but at least you know you didn't forget to see something. 

Also, I really like hitting up places by myself. I feel like I can just enjoy the place and I don't have to worry about interacting with another person. I also speak more Arabic when I travel alone. When someone sees a pack of Americans, they switch to English ASAP. I like practicing my Arabic so going alone suits me well. 

Til next time!

Natalie

Istanbul or Istanawesome?!

WORK IN PROGRESS!

Hello all,

I have just come back from Istanbul. In short, it was amazing!!! Istanbul is literally the crossroads of the world! You could walk down the street and see stores selling mini skirts and next to that store would be an Islamic clothing store. Some people would wear tank tops, others would not even show their wrists. Such an interesting society! Remember, Societies are complex :).

To begin, what is Istanbul? Why should anyone care?

Istanbul is the cultural, economic and historical heart of Turkey and has a population of 13.9 million people. However, it is not the capital of Turkey. The Bosphorus runs through the city and connects to the Black Sea on one end and the Marmara on the other side. The Bosphorus divides the city into two halves, the European side and the Asian side. The European side has most of the historical sites and is divided into two parts: Old City and New City.

Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, was conquered from the Byzantines in 1453 by the Ottomans. The Silk Road ran through the city and connected Europe and Asia to the silk road.

Also, you might be thinking..."Gosh Natalie! It has taken you forever to post? What's the deal?!". First, I needed to socialize with my host family. Second, my camera broke day 1 in Istanbul. The pictures looked really cloudy and were hard to see. As a result, I have hand edited all 723 pictures of Istanbul so that they look nice. Also, it took me 14 hours to load them on Facebook after I had finished editing them. I have been working, but it has taken me a while. Blogging and technology can be a full time job!


Where to begin....

On arrival day, we as a group just flew to Istanbul and rested and ate. We did not do anything too crazy or see anything. We went to the hotel and then out to dinner. Here is a picture of us at dinner. The first hotel we went to had a beautiful view of the Marmara Sea from the roof. Below is a picture of that dinner as well as the view from the roof of the first hotel.

My friend, Paige and I posing on the roof

The Marmara and some houses

In Istanbul, they always serve this really big long thin piece of bread. I could not stop eating it! Kelsey would love it :P

Allan posing with the food

I ordered a chicken Kabob. I'm such an American :)

On the second, we packed up our bags and moved to a new hotel. It was just as nice as the first one and we were content to move. After moving our things, we sat in the hotel's conference room and listened to a Professor speak about the history of Turkey. Personally, I strongly disliked this lecture. It felt like History of the World Part I crammed into an hour. My eyes kept glossing over and I could not follow.

After the lecture, we did a famous SIT activity, the drop off. This happens whenever we go to a new place. In the activity, they split us into groups of four hand us some cash and tell us to go to a certain place in the city. Each group goes to a different place. In the end, we all meet up and share where we went and what we did. My group got Galata Tower. I jumped from my chair, yelled yes and fist pumped. Everyone looked at me like I was having an issue, but I was that excited. I had been telling the teachers at SIT about how I played Assassin's Creed the Turkish version with my friend Kelsey at Gettysburg. My avatar would sit at Galata Tower and watch the city. I said I was excited to go there. I think the teachers put me in the Galata group because they knew that I really wanted to see the sight. I appreciated this. 

To get to Galata Tower, you have to walk up a long 90 degree hill. I thought I was not going to make it. The steps were not even, but slanted which made it even harder to walk. Meg and I walked slowly behind the guys, but we made it. Below are some pictures of the tower. From the tower, it is possible to see all of Istanbul and all the bodies of water. 

View from Galata

Galata Tower at night

                                                   

The shadow of the tower on the houses

                                            

                                             

Me at the tower 

                                                  

Galata tower is a must see in Istanbul!

                                           

This sea gull flew up to us at the tower and chilled with us #sspiritual-experience

John, Meg and Jesse were in my drop off group. We took a selfie at the tower

After the tower, we walked around for a while. There are some beautiful European shops by the tower. One was a store that sold all hand made shoes! Quiet impressive. By the tower was also a stand that sold fake Istanbul IDs quietly. We really wanted to buy some, but then decided we would prefer not getting arrested if caught. It was tempting though. For once I was not the voice of reason, but it was Meg. They had 50 ids you could choose from. We walked back down the steps and went to the hotel for nap time. Yes, afternoon nap time.

The rest of the day was free. Paige and I had a really nice dinner at a fancy restaurant near the hotel. I got steak. It was most likely the first piece of beef I had had in 2 months. While there is beef in Amman,  it is not USDA steak type of beef. Thus I avoid it. I eat chicken a lot :). 

On the third day we had a historical tour. We visited Tokapi Serey, Hagia Sophia and The Blue Mosque. It was quite the day!

Tokapi Serey was breath taking! This palace was built in 1459 after Sultan Mehmet II conquered Constantinople. The name of the palace means cannon gate palace. The Ottomans ruled for 624 years. For 400 years, the Sultan lived in this palace and 4000 people also worked and lived there as well. The palace included a harem, a bakery, a mosque, a treasury and many other rooms. As a result it is a UNESCO historical heritage site.

Here are some pictures of Tokapi Serey

A sitting room

Door to circumcision rroom-Izniktile

Sultan Mehmet's signature

Here is a link that explains Mehmet's signature: Mehmet's signature

fountain

EEntrancePalace

a small fountain in front of the library

The Turban room

Me at the palace

Iznik tile

More TILE!

MORE TILE!

THE TILE IS KILLING ME!

Tile in the circumcision room

My favorite thing about Tokapi is the Iznik Tile. It is so beautiful and I cannot believe that someone painted all of them by hand. Iznik tile and pottery was developed by the Ottoman Turks. It derives its name from the town of Iznik in Anatolia, the place where the Ottomans came from. The color of red is now lost and no one can reproduce it. The motifs usually include carnations, tulips and some type of blue design. I feel like I have more pictures of the tile, but I cannot find them. Stupid camera! I'm a tile-o-phile.


Personally, I really wanted to see the harem of Tokapi Serey. When we were given free time to explore the palace, I asked the tour guide where the harem was. She kind of avoided my question. When I asked a third time, she said that it was not included in the tour. So I asked how I could see it. Apparently, there is a separate admission fee to see the harem. I did not have time on that day, so I planned to come back. Unfortunately, whenever I had time for the remainder of the trip, the harem was closed. I really would have loved to have seen it, but that is really the only place that I did not get to go to. This gives me a reason to come back to Istanbul one day.

The harem is totally the most important part of the palace complex. It was where all the women lived and where all the sultans were born and raised. When we think of harem today, we think of a group of powerless concubines living in a room only trying to please the sultan. The women were actually politically active. Since the most of the early sultans did not have a wife/queen, the women in the harem were always trying to get into a better position. Also, the concept of the first born son gets to be the crowned price did not exist. The Sultan instead would pick his favorite son to succeed him. The mothers were always making sure that their son would be the best. They made sure that the boy received the best education and instruction in court ways as possible. The mother wanted her son to be king, because then she would be the top woman in the harem and also she would have the sultan's ear. She could get him to do as she pleased. Also, once an heir was named, the Ottomans would kill all the other competition. This meant that sometimes brothers were killed. This prevent succession problems and the mothers were very much involved in this. If you want more information, read The Imperial Harem by Leslie Pierce. The writing will make you want to hang yourself from a bridge, but it had some good information. The harem is much more than a sexual pleasure room, it was the most politically active room in the palace. Not seeing it was like going to the White House and not getting a glimpse of the Oval Office, you really want to see where the power is.

After the palace, the group went to Hagia Sopia. This Byzantine church was converted into a mosque when Mehmet II conquered Istanbul. The story goes that after Mehmet conquered the city, he immediately ran to Hagia Sophia to claim it. It was such an impressive building and he could not wait to make it his. Upon arrival, he saw his soldiers knocking down the statues and tearing apart the beautiful mosaic. He ordered these soldiers to be killed and ordered that the church not be destroyed. Mehmet saw this church as the jewel of his newly conquered territory. He added a mihrab, a minbar and minarets to be installed in order to make it a mosque.  Hagia Sophia, or Saint Sophia, is no longer a mosque. Now it is a museum. I think the large mosaic of Jesus was under reconstruction. There was a lot of construction items blocking it from view.

Below are pictures.

The Domes

Mary and Jesus lived in the Mosque too! Mehmet left them up. 

Beautiful chandeliers

Mihrab and MMinbar-pointin the direction of Mecca as well as acts as an amplifier for prayer

A Byzantine Angel

This angel's face is showing. The other threes faces were covered with plaster. This is because of the ban on living images in Islam. One face is shown because the reconstruction people wanted us to see what they would have looked like.

Me

Next the group visited the Blue Mosque. If you ask a person in Istanbul where the Blue Mosque is, they will give you a puzzled look. The Blue Mosque is a foreign name. The real name is Mosque Sultan Ahmed. The reason why people call it the Blue Mosque is because of all the tiles. In the Blue mosque, there are over 200,000 hand painted Iznik tiles. I was in heaven. When the sun hits the tiles, they give off a blue light. Hence Blue Mosque. At one time, it contained the tomb of Ahmed I. The blue mosque was designed by the master architect Sinan. He was famous during the Ottoman time period. The mosque was intentially built across from Hagia Sophia so that the two would be compared. Sultan Ahmed thought his mosque was better and wanted people to see that in the comparison as well. 

The Blue mosque is the only mosque in the world to have 6 minarets. This is actually because of a mistake according to our tour guide. Apparently the word for gold and six were close to each other back in the day. The Sultan wanted golden minarets, the architect thought the Sultan wanted 6 minarets. Needless to say, Sultan Ahmed was not happy. He moved to Saudi Arabia for a few years and built another mosque there. He eventually came back and accepted the Blue Mosque.  I like stories :). 

Below are pictures

Are you loving the tiles yet? I am 

Mihrab and Minbar

Outside of the mosque. Thanks dude for getting in the picture...anytime.

After the mosque, we went to go see how Turkish carpets are made. A small rug will run you about USD 1000. It was fun to sit with the lady by the loom and help her tie some knots. The difference between Persian and Turkish carpets is in the way that the knots are tied. A Turkish carpet wraps the thread around 2x while a Persian carpet does it 1.5 times. Below are tons of pictures. 

Beautiful!

That was the end of the group adventures for the day. This evening, Paige and I went to the HogaPasha Mevlevi Sema Ceremony in order to see the Whirling Dervishes. In 2005, UNESCO named this ceremony as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.  

Before jumping into the Sema Ceremony, it is important to known what Sufis are and what they believe. Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam. In short, Sufis want to turn their hearts away from everything except for God. They do this through a dhikr "rememberance". The Dhikr is a sort of ritual. Some Sufis move their heads back in forth, other's pierce themselves and some sufis dance. They use this things to help them focus more on God. 

Remember my buddy, Bawa Muhiaydeen? Well he started a sufi branch in America. He is a swaying Sufi. I like chilling with the Sufis. 

The whirling dervishes are formally known as the Mevlevi Dervishes. This order to Sufis was started by Rumi, a 13th century Jurist, Poet and theologian. The order began in 1273 in Konya Turkey after Rumi's death. The whirling dance represents man's journey through mind and love to the state of connection with Allah. In the dance, a Dervish attempts to shed his human needs and focus on finding the truth, or Allah. At the end of the dance, the dervish returns to humanity and is better able to interact with creation. The act of the Sema or Whirling was created by Rumi. One day he was walking down the street and heard the crafts men reciting there is no god but God as they banged the gold. As a result, he created his dhikr. Also all of Rumi's poems are about God. He writes to God as if they are lovers. He is that in love with God and connected to him. St. Augustine did the same thing when writing about Jesus. Rumi's poems are often found in Valentine's Day cards. 

Rumi has said in reference to Sema:

For them it is the Sema
of this world and the other.
Even more for the circle of dancers
within the Sema
Who turn and have, in their midst,
their own Ka'aba.^[10]

Below is my favorite Rumi poem. He is writing about Love and God.

"The Lovers"

will drink wine night and day.
They will drink until they can 
tear away the veils of intellect and
melt away the layers of shame and modesty.
When in Love, 
body, mind, heart and soul don't even exist.
Become this, 
fall in Love, 
and you will not be separated again.

When in conversations at school with classmates, sometimes we play the game "If you were a Muslim, what type of Muslim would you be?". I always answer Sufi. I really like the idea of a certain ritual that an individual can work and improve upon. I also like how Sufis believe that the human is able to directly connect with God. Of course I would also like to whirl. 

No pictures were allowed during the ceremony since it is a religious ritual. I will explain the ceremony using words. 

Sema is a spiritual journey in which a sufi connects its soul to God and experiences unity with him.

During the ceremony, there is a band, mutrip, that plays the music that the Sufi's dance to. The band is composed of a flutist, drummers and chanters. Across from the place where the Sufis enter is the semahane, or sheik's post. This is marked with a red sheep's fur blanket thing. It represents birth and existence. In between the entrance and sheik's post is the hatt-i Istiva. This direct line will only be crossed by the sheik, or leader. This line represents the shortest path to unity with God, a unity only the sheik has obtained. No other sufis can walk this line.

There are 7 parts to the Sema ceremony
1) The Sufis line up and the sheik sits by his red mat. The band plays for awhile. Next the nat-I-Serif is chanted. This work praises Muhammad. I could not find an English translation, but I found a youtube video in Turkish. Link below:nat-I-serif

2) A drum and voice start to play. This represents "Be" or existence.
3)Ney begins, This is when the flutes play in order to represent God's first breath giving the universe life. This music is improvised by the flute player.
4)The improvisation is completed. Devr-i-Veled begins with the accompaniment of the "peshrev". The sheikh and whirling dervishes revolve three times with the music. REVOLVE NOT WHIRL! they are walking. The first revolution represents the creation of the sun, moon and stars as well as the creation of non living things. The second revolution represents the creation of plants and the fourth represents the creation of animals. The sufis bow and prostate themselves to each other before the whirling begins.
5) The Sheikh returns to his shake post. The Sufis then take off the black robes they were wearing. They begin whirling at this point. This start of whirling represents the birth of humanity. When the dervishes enter the circle, their arms are crossed across their bodies. This is so they look like the number 1. As they turn, their arms unravel. Both arms go up, one points to heaven the other to earth. This is to represent "from God we receive, to man we give; we keep nothing for ourselves". The movement of the dervishes paralells the solar system.
         1 Salute- Get rid of doubts and focus on the existence of God
         2 Salute- dissolve your existence into the existence of God
         3 Salute-Cleansing...to reach "maturity"
         4 Salute-union of "non existence" and "existence" is reached. The Sheikh begins to whirl with the dervishes again at this part in the Sema. The Shekih, still wearing the black robe, opens it up with his right hand and clapses the edges with his left hand. This demonstrates how he opens up his heart to his people.
6) The Sheik returns to his post. The music is improvisational again. The Quran is recited; "The East and the West belong to God and wherever you turn, you are faced with Him. He is all Embracing and all Knowing". In Arabic, of course.
7) The Fatiha is recited for all people (in Arabic)

"In the name of God, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
All praise and thanks is for to God, [The] Creator, Owner, Sustainer of the Worlds.
The Entirely Merciful, The Especially Merciful.
Owner of the Day of Recompense.
You alone do we worship and You alone we seek for help.
Guide us to the Straight Path.
The path of those whom Your blessings are upon, not of those who You have cursed nor of those who have gone astray."

I know this is hard to read, its hard to explain as well. I figured I would try. I tried to follow what the program said, but terms are often confusing. 


Now would be a good time to explain the outfits. There are three parts.
1) ski- 

This hat represents the tombstone

2)the coat-a black robe. This represents the grave. 

3) The tennure- this white outfit represents the shroud.

In Sufism, there tends to be the idea of death before dying. Since a person is only united with God upon their death, a Sufi must die in a metaphorical sense in order to unite their soul with God while they are alive. Beautiful!

Below is a link of the Sema ceremony. I have a DVD version of the one I saw, but if you want to watch now here is a version. Skip to 1:30.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdi-it43j30

After the Sufi ceremony, Paige and I went to bed. Tomorrow would be our free day to see whatever we wanted. We wanted to be awake and prepared. 

FREE DAY!

On our Free Day, Paige and I planned on visiting the historical sites around town. I planned to visit the harem on this day, but it is closed on Tuesdays. I still have an excellent day though. 

First we woke up and walked to Suleymaniye Mosque. This mosque was built in honor of the Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent by the famous archetect Sinan. The mosque was finished in 1588. Suleyman had this mosque built in a similar way to the Dome of the Rock, which was built on the sight of the Temple of Soleman. Suleyman thought of himself and wanted to portray himself as the second Soleman. 

When I went there, it was under reconstruction. We could not see anything except a small aisle for prayer. Quite honestly, I'm not sure we were at the correct mosque. However, I am writing about the mosque because it was very important in Turkish history. I hope I went to the right place, but all the mosques look the same from the outside. 

Okay so after some intense google searching, I have determined that I was never actually at Suleymaniye mosque. I'm kind of disappointed that I made that mistake. It is supposed to be amazing. I think I was at the University of Istanbul's mosque, but I really don't know. 

After the mosque visit, Paige and I went to the Grand Bazar. This place is huge! Inside there are over 3,000 shops and the bazar receives about 250-400,000 visitors a day. There are fountains and beautiful tiles! Unfortunately, my camera deleted my pictures of this (I just realized now). So I only have three pictures of lanterns. I didn't realize the extent of my camera problems til this minute. I bought a new one today, but I will blog about it tomorrow :P. 

Below are some pictures I googled

One of the fountains

Ceramics

What a store front would look like

Iznik fountain!

ceiling

After this. Paige and I went to walk towards the Blue Mosque. Our goal was to talk to the Imam and get a copy of the Quran from him. Essentially, our free day became a scavenger hunt. On the way to the Blue Mosque, Paige and I stopped for lunch at a place nearby. We enjoyed our lunch outside and were ready to leave. On the way out, the waiter said he would like to give us a free cup of tea on the house. We figured what the heck and stayed. He listed many options, Apple and Rose Tea. We picked rose tea because we had had the apple tea before. The Rose Tea was the best tea that I have ever had in my life! It smelt like jello, but tasted very good. They literally put tiny tea roses in hot water. It is amazing! After tea, we went to the Blue Mosque. We walked around for a bit and noticed that the Imam had many people in his room. We did not want to interrupt, so we sat outside his door. After a while, I got up to ask an employee across the way if Paige and I could go up on the balcony where the women pray on Fridays. He said no, but was kind to us and told me to come back on Friday if I wanted to go on the balcony. After a brief chat, he took us to the Imam and introduced us. The Immam asked if we had questions, I said that I would prefer if he just spoke. He told us that Islam recognizes all the prophets that Christians do, like Moses, Noah and Jesus. Except in Islam, Jesus is not the son of God. He talked for a long time about this and seemed to want to drive home the point that Christians and Muslims are very much the same. I agree with this. Both religions share similar principles with each other and Judaism. Upon leaving, the Imam handed us a small English version of the Quran, a book about how to pray in Islam and a book about Islam. He was very nice to us and I enjoyed our conversation. He even let me practice my Arabic with him for a few minutes once he knew that I knew a little Arabic. That was kinda cool. The Imam told us that if we waited around for 2 hours that we could hear his favorite Muezzin chant the call to prayer. We decided to keep moving, but we thanked him a lot. 

Next, Paige and I visited Basilica Cistern. This is the largest cistern in Istanbul. It was built in the 6th century by a Byzantine Emperor Justinius. It is believed that over 7,000 slaves helped to build the cistern. It provided water to many buildings, including Topkai Palace. The most interesting thing about this cistern is the two heads of Medusa that are found in the corner. It is believed that she was put there because due to her story, she was a Gorgan and thus lived in the ground. Her head was used for decorative purposes. The heads are tilted sideways or upside-down in order to divert the gaze of Medusa so she does not turn you into stone. 

Me at the Cistern

The cistern

Fish are friends not food

a singular fancy column...looks like the evil eye but I am not sure

It's the head of the Gorgan, Medusa!

After this, Paige and I walked around for a bit. We each bought a silk shirt from a store and had fun trying on the many different patterns and colors. The shirts are made in Istanbul with silk from China. After about two hours, we found ourselves in front of the Blue Mosque again. We heard the call to prayer and went inside the mosque. It was so beautiful! The Muzzein was really excellent and I am glad that we heard it. It was neat hearing the call to prayer in a very European looking area. Sometimes in Istanbul, you tend to forget that you are in the Middle East. This was a nice surprising reminder. 

After this, the day ended and Paige and I went to bed. We were tired. I did experience the night life 2 times and hitted up some clubs. They were fun, but I preferred to wake up each morning fresh and ready to see the historical sites. 

The next day, the SIT group went to visit Faith University in Istanbul, but on the Asian side of Istanbul. It was nice to see a university, but it was not particularly interesting. Below are some pictures

...Actually I can't find the pictures. But honestly, you aren't missing much. #stupidcamera

The next day, the SIT group went on a Bosphorus River cruise. Since the Bosphorus divides Istanbul between Asia and Europe, we could see both sides at once. Below are some picture. 

That evening, Paige and I went to dinner and a show. The show included different types of Turkish cultural dance. The program did not give names for the different acts or really explanations. The first one scared the crap out of me. It had two men, one dressed as a women, the other as a man. Their bellies were their faces and their arms were covered in cloth and above their head. This acted at the hat of the figure. They had these fake stuffed arms that laid limp at their waists. While I was watching the one figure dance, the other came up to me and surprised me by smacking me with his fake arms. I was shocked and totally suprised. I screamed. This dance was kind of sexual. The figures kept trying to get it on. It was a bit out there, but only lasted 10 minutes. 

Below are pictures. 

The terrifying two

Look at how she dances so innocently

Look at its limp arms!

The next dance was belly dancing. This was the one Paige and I were most interested in #suchAmericans. The lady was very good. I gave her a tip and she danced for me. However, I could not bring myself to put the money in her skirt or bra like the other customers had done. I felt that that was demeaning so instead, I handed it to her. We both laughed. Good times. 

When she danced for Paige and I

The last dance reminded me of a type of Debka dance. It consisted of a lot of stepping. After the two men danced, they invited Paige and I to join them. We had a fun time! I'm sorry to say I don't have pictures of this either, but it was fun. 

The next day, we packed up to go home. 

Someone had asked if I could post pictures and describe anything I bought. Below are the most significant

Harem pants. They are huge in the thigh and the crotch hangs low

An Evil Eye necklace to protect me

One of these lanterns

A necklace with the Arabic letter "و". In sufism, the  "و" is considered the letter of love. It is used in Arabic as "and". Without  "و", nothing could connect. Man and women, heaven and earth, God and people could not be together if it were not for this letter. Beautiful.


Things I bought not pictured

1) a replica of an Iznik tile from the sanctuary room of Topaki Serey. It was hand painted by a famous Turkish painter that I am too lazy to look up at the moment.
2)A scarf with random Arabic letters
3) A Music box that plays"Uskudar a Gider Iken".  I had to sing this song for my Ottoman history class (in Turkish). It was nice to be able to connect a memory from Gettysburg College with a memory from Istanbul. Below is a link to the song in Turkish.
Song
English and Turkish words are as follows. It is a song about how a women is flirting with her scribe while walking down the street.

Üsküdar'a gideriken

Üsküdar’a Gider İken Aldı Da Bir Yağmur,
Kâtibimin Setresi Uzun Eteği Çamur.

Kâtip Uykudan Uyanmış Gözleri Mahmur.

Kâtip Benim Ben Kâtibin El Ne Karışır,
Kâtibime Kolalı Da Gömlek Ne Güzel Yaraşır.

Üsküdar’a Gider İken Bir Mendil Buldum,
Mendilimin İçine Lokum Doldurdum.

Kâtibimi Arar İken Yanımda Buldum.

Kâtip Benim Ben Kâtibin El Ne Karışır,
Kâtibime Kolalı Da Gömlek Ne Güzel Yaraşır.

English

While going to Üsküdar

While going to Üsküdar, rain started,
My scribes coat is long, his skirt is muddy.

The scribe has woken up from sleep, his eyes are cloudy.

The scribe is mine, i am his and strangers can't interfere,
Starched shirt looks nice to the scribe.

While going to Üsküdar, i found a handkerchief,
I put lokum (Turkish delight) into my handkerchief.

While i search for my scribe, i found him at my side.

The scribe is mine, i am his and strangers can't interfere,
Starched shirt looks nice to the scribe.

3)A Karagoz puppet-I wrote a paper about this type of Turkish shadow puppetry back in the day. I traced its origins back to Indonesia and compared Indonesian puppets to the Karagoz. I also explained what Islam had to do and how it effected the shows once the Ottomans converted to Islam.

My old friend Karagoz

I think this sums up Istanbul!

Talk to you soon, 

Natalie