The Turkish Language

          My main goal of the last almost 9 months has been to learn Turkish. This seems like such an easy pursuit when I say that way, but it has been anything but. Perhaps a better way to say it would be that the Turkish language has been the bane of my existence here. 

          Turkish is both a very difficult and very simple language. The grammar is very complex seeming but once you have learned it, it is hypothetically relatively easy to use. So today, I will attempt to give you all an insight into the beautiful language that I have devoted this year to learning. 

The first thing to know about Turkish grammar is that the word order is opposite from English, although this is flexible and you can usually be understood as long as the verb is always last in the sentence. 

Ex) Bir kitap okuyorum. - I am reading a book. 

However, translated directly from Turkish this sentence says a book reading am I. 

Which leads to verbs. Turkish verbs are wonderful because there are no irregular verbs and you can tell the subject of the sentence based on the conjugation of the verb, which means you are often able to not put any subject word into the sentence and everyone still knows what you are talking about. 

Ex) Koşuyorum. - I am running. 

      Koşuyorsun. - You are running. 

      Koşuyor. - He/She is running. 

      Koşuyoruz. - We are running.  

      Koşuyorsunuz. - You (plural/formal) are running.  

      Koşuyor(lar). - They are running. 

The subjects in Turkish are Ben (I), Sen (you), O (he/she/it), Biz (we), Siz (you formal/plural), and Onlar (they). However, as I said above, these often aren't used in sentences and are just assumed from the ending on the verb. 

Ex) Okula gidiyoruz. - We are going to school. 

Using biz is not necessary because it is implied by the ending on the verb. 

Turkish is an agglutinative language meaning that there are many endings that you add on to words to change their meaning. Because of that, it is possible to make an entire English sentence with one word in Turkish. 

Ex) Ev - house

      Evim - my house

      Evimde - in my house

      Evimdeyim - I am in my house. 

Another interesting part of Turkish grammar is their use of vowel harmony. There are 8 vowels and whenever you add endings onto words, you have to make sure that the vowels "match". If the word has a, ı, o, or u, the ending you add will also have those vowels. If the word has e, i, ö, or ü, the ending you add will also have those vowels. Seems confusing but really just takes practice. 

The last thing I will mention because I'm guessing most of you don't really care that much about Turkish grammar is that there is no gender on nouns. It is truly a language lovers dream because every noun is used with either bir which means one or with nothing before it. 

Ex) Araba kullanıyorum. - I am driving a car. But directly translated as car driving am I. 

This is such a tiny part of the enormity of Turkish grammar but it may give you some idea of what this language is like and maybe it was at least a little bit interesting. 

Now I will list some of my favorite words and things you are most likely to hear if you were to come to Turkey. 

Merhaba - Hello

Nasılsın(ız)? - How are you? (Casual and formal) 

Hoşgeldin(iz) - Welcome

Hoşbulduk - The response to welcome

Buyurun - There is really no English equivalent of this but is said when you enter shops or houses usually and kind of means look or here you go. It's ised all the time. 

Teşekkürler/Sağol - Thank you (formal and casual)

Inşallah - used as hopefully. 

Maşallah - a pretty general exclamation but used as great or wow mostly. 

Some of my favorite/most used words:

Ahududu - raspberry. I have actually never seen a raspberry in Turkey but I still like the word. 

Keçi - goat. This was the first Turkish word I learned and it has stuck with me although I don't use it much. 

Karpuz - This was pretty much the only word my friend Jake knew when we arrived and he told it to us so much, it became one of the only words I knew for awhile. It means watermelon. 

Çay - it means tea. Now whenever I hear chai tea I laugh because it sounds like they are saying tea tea. 

Susar mısın? - I just think this phrase is really funny because it's the polite way of asking someone to shut up. Basically "Could you please shut up?) 

I hope I didn't bore you all too much with this post and I hope it gave you a little glimpse into what I've been studying these past months. Turkish is an incredibly difficult language to learn but it is truly very fun to speak and is really beautiful when spoken by people with not my accent. I get frustrated by this language very regularly but I am so glad that I decided to learn it and I can't wait to continue my learning. 

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful week! 

Istanbul: Take 2

          This past weekend, I went back to Istanbul, this time with my classmates to visit colleges. We visited four colleges but  also had plenty of time for sightseeing while we were there. This post is mainly going to be pictures with descriptions of all the places we went.

          Our trip began on Thursday night as we drive overnight to arrive bright and early in Istanbul. 

Yeditepe University. The first university we visited and where we stayed in the dorms during our trip. 

Boğaziçi University. An absolutely beautiful campus and a school that many American universities have exchange programs with. There was some kind of fair going on the day we were there. 

The view from the Boğaziçi campus. 

We also visited Istanbul Technical University on Friday but I didn't take any pictures. Although I am going to college in the U.S. it was still interesting to see some colleges and hear what some of the current students had to say. 

We also visited Koç University on Saturday which was my favorite of the school's we visited and had a beautiful campus. A lot of American schools also have exchange programs here, so maybe I will be studying there in a few years. 

On Friday night, we had a nice dinner at a restaurant right on the Bosphorus. Everyone got dressed up and we took lots of pictures before eating and dancing. It was so much fun and me and Priya decided that it was our make up prom and that we were each other's dates. 

We visited a place that had a view of the whole city and took pictures there. 

We visited Taksim Square and got to wander and see the famous trolley car go up and down the Main Street. 

Saturday night, we went to a mall where my oldest host sister met me and my other host sister for tea and birthday cake for my birthday that day. 

Dolmabahçe Palace. This was the center of administration for the Ottoman Empire for many years and was the home of many sultans over the years. Atatürk also used it as his presidential palace much of the time and spent the last days of his life there. The interior is absolutely gorgeous but pictures weren't allowed so I don't have any for you all. 

The Blue Mosque. I was far more excited about seeing this than any of my classmates but it just blew my mind to be in a place with so much history. The interior was gorgeous although it was incredibly crowded, so it was a little hard to enjoy. 

The Hagia Sophia. Another truly incredible thing to see. You can clearly see what parts of it are from when it was a church and which were added when it became a mosque. It is still being restored but there is a lot of very cool stuff to see inside. 

The Basilica Cistern. I don't know a lot about the history but it was very cool and eerily beautiful. I was surprised to discover that the cistern is actually full of water; I had always assumed the floor was just made of very shiny rock and that was what caused the reflections. 

Topkapı Palace. Another home of the Ottoman rulers. I was not allowed to go in with the ticket I had because it was apparently only for Turkish citizens (although they let Priya in because she looks so Turkish), so I ended up having to go get another ticket and missing half of our tour. The part I did see was very cool though!

Our last activity of our trip was a ferry boat ride on the Bosphorus. We played loud music, sang, danced, and enjoyed the beautiful views of an absolutely amazing city. 

          I had such a wonderful time on this trip, spending time with my classmates and falling ever more in love with the country that is home now. I was so grateful to have the opportunity to see so many amazing things during this trip and to have celebrated my 17th birthday in such an amazing city with such great people. 

           As always, thanks for reading! Have a wonderful week wherever you are! 

My Trip to Samsun

          A few weekends ago, I was lucky enough to get to go visit the three other YES Abroad students in their host city of Samsun. Samsun is a city of over 600,000 people on the coast of the Black Sea.

          I left from Aydin in the morning of Thursday, the 23rd of April and began what turned into a bit of an adventurous day of travel. Between the train ride, a layover and delay in Istanbul, and a mix up getting picked up in Samsun, my day got very long, but it all turned out just fine. 

The sky was so pretty on my flight into Samsun. 

          On Friday, I got to see a lot of the city and meet a few Rotary exchange students who are also living in Samsun this year. We went to the city center, walked by the coast, went bowling at the biggest mall in the city, and walked around the biggest shopping street. That night, all 4 of us exchange students stayed at my friend Elsa's house and we helped her to make a traditional Jewish Shabbat meal. I really enjoyed seeing a little bit of an important cultural event for her and the food was absolutely delicious. 

The Black Sea. 

The view from Elsa's house. So beautiful!

Me and Elsa! (And our Jewish meal but you can't see it)

           On Saturday, we all went out to breakfast together and then headed back to the city center. Our plan was to go to a hamam but it was closed, so instead we went to a park right on the water that also has a monument to the Amazin warriors, who lived where Samsun now is some say. It was beautiful by the water and cool to see the park. 

Me and Elsa!

Me and Rowan and the sea

With the statue in honor of the Amazon warriors

They change the flower pots at this park everyday to show the date. This was the one year anniversary of becoming a YES finalist!

The sunset by the sea was gorgeous

          On Sunday, we went to a wedding in the morning and went back to the city center for the afternoon. I had not brought any nice clothes with me, so we had a bit of an adventure figuring out what to wear but it worked out and I had a really lovely time at the wedding and talking with some of Elsa's host mom's friends who were there. After that, we went to the bazaar and then to an amusement park where we all hung out and talked. That night, we went out to dinner at a delicious restaurant that overlooked the whole city. We were there as the sun set and watching the lights come on in the city was absolutely gorgeous.

Elsa and I for the wedding

With Samsun in the background

With a famous statue in another park. 

          Monday morning, we went to a nearby town and explored a little there. A very nice old man showed us how he makes baskets and then gave us one and we got to go to an extremely old mosque that is said to have been made completely without nails. After that, I had to go to the airport to head home. I ended up meeting several Americans in the airport who were heading to Ephesus and really enjoyed being able to help them out. 

The man showing us how he makes his baskets 

In the really old mosque. 

          I had an absolutely wonderful weekend in Samsun and wish I could have stayed longer. Seeing my friends was amazing and I loved getting to see a different part of Turkey. 

           Thanks for reading! Have a good week! 

How Lucky I Am to Be an American

          Before I came to Turkey, I was certainly aware of how lucky I was to be American but I didn't really have any context for that knowledge. But since I came to Turkey, I've come to understand it so much more. 

           For me, and for many other Americans, we didn't choose to be American; we were just born into it. I could have been born in so many other countries, but by some stroke of luck, I was born and got to grow up in America. I got to grow up in what so many consider to be the best country in the world and I got to grow up speaking the language that people struggle for years trying to learn because it's become "the world language". Before I came to Turkey, I knew I was lucky, but now that I have watched my classmates struggle to learn English because they think they have to to go anywhere in life and heard person after person tell me that they wish they could go to America and why would I ever leave such a perfect country, I appreciate what I had so much more. 

          Don't get me wrong; I know how many problems the U.S. has. I come from one of the poorest states in the U.S.  I've seen plenty of bad things happening in the state that I love and I know that it is not limited to New Mexico. Every country has problems, and America is certainly not an exception. But we are working on fixing those things and we have a lot of freedoms to be incredibly thankful for. 

          When it really comes down to it, no matter how many problems the U.S. has, I was really lucky to grow up there. I was given so many incredible opportunities, including the one to come here, because of where I was born. And that's pretty special. 

          This is just my opinion but as I start to think about my return to the U.S. And reflect on the time I've spent here, this idea always pops into my mind. I know not everyone shares the same opinion as I do, but I wanted to share mine. 

          As always, thank you for reading!

April!!!!

           I would first like to apologize for my somewhat extended absence from posting. I got somewhat busy these last weeks and never could quite find the time or motivation to write one. I hope to start posting regularly again from now on. This post will be an update on this past month for me. 

         In early April, my oldest host sister returned from Istanbul to spend a weekend here. I always love getting to have my whole family here and it's wonderful to see her. While she was here, we spent a lot of time around my city with her and her friends and I got to meet many new people. We also went to a nearby village and enjoyed an amazing dinner in a historical restaurant built in the 1900s. 

          We were given the opportunity to meet and ask questions to one of the head members of one of the political parties here who also runs a program giving grants to people invlages to build their businesses. It was very interesting to hear about the program she implements and all the wonderful effects it has had for people in the villages. 

Visiting the woman in charge of a program to give grants to village people. 

          I got to tour around my school's science fair and learn about everyone's projects. I was so impressed with all of my classmates and how well done their projects were. I even got to try the traditional water art called Ebru!

          I started volunteering at a preschool and have enjoyed making friends with and getting to know all the little kids there. I have also continued to volunteer at a nursing home, which always brings me so much joy and teaches me so much. 

          I also got the opportunity to visit the other YES Abroad students in their host city of Samsun. The city was absolutely beautiful and I loved traveling around it, getting to know a new host family for the weekend, and getting to spend time with my amazing friends, as well as meet some new ones. I will make a longer post about my trip soon, but for now, I am waiting for some picture on my friend's camera. 

 

          I had a lovely past month here and I can't wait to see all that May will bring. As always thanks for reading!

Turkish Time

          Sometimes when I'm talking with my friends here, I'll mention something about how busy I always was in the U.S. and I'll end up describing a normal day in the life of an average American teenager, or something like it. And as I go through my list -school, sports, dinner, homework, sleep- I realize just how structured my time always was and how little variety there was in my life. Monday through Friday, my days looked exactly the same and every weekend, I did basically the same thing. 

          But that is just how American culture is. So much emphasis is placed on doing tons of activities and always keeping busy, that my repetitive life suited me just fine. And I'm not saying this is a bad thing. I was perfectly content with my schedule, with always being able to count on what was going to happen and when. 

          But when I came to Turkey, my whole scheduled life went up in flames. Suddenly I was faced with days and days of free, empty space for me to do whatever I wanted with. I could go home after school and sleep. I could go to a cafe and spend a few hours there. I could go walk around my neighborhood for a few hours and take in the sunshine. I was given all this time to do whatever I wanted with. And sometimes I miss my schedules so much, because I had structure whereas now I often find myself just floating with no real purpose. 

          But I also think that's really beautiful. That I can go out and wander with no destination or time frame in mind. That I can sit a cafe for hours talking and not have to rush out to make it to the next place I need to be. I can just relax. And that's how Turkish time works. It says you don't need to plan out every minute of your day. You can just let life take you where it will with no time limits and no stress. 

          And my favorite part of Turkish time is the spontaneity in it. My plans were made days and weeks in advance at home but here they are made twenty minutes ahead and that's totally normal. My family can say, "Do you want to go the beach for the day?" and we will be on the road within minutes. It feels so nice to just go and do something without planning out every little detail. 

          While Turkish time can be a bit stressful as plans are made ten minutes ahead of time and I am left to fill hours of my time every day, it also gives me the ability to relax so much more than when I was in the U.S. And I truly love it. I wish we could be a little more spontaneous and a little less stressed in our daily lives at home. 

          Who knows if I will be able to retain some of my carefree attitude surrounding time after my return, but I hope it doesn't disappear completely. I have been able to relax so much because of this and I have figured out some of the things that make me truly happy when I was able to slow down and just look around. 

           I think we could all use a little more Turkish time in our lives. Try it sometime. I bet you will enjoy it. 

          

My New Normal

          I came to Turkey 7 months ago today. I have been living in this amazing place for 212 days. And at some point in these past 7 months, "life in Turkey" became "life", plain and simple. The things that made me feel like I was impossibly far from home when I first got here are now just the everyday occurrences of life in my new home. And that makes me wonder, when and how did it all become normal? 

          I got to skype with my family earlier this week. While we were talking, the call to prayer started in the background. The call to prayer has become the soundtrack to my life here and I barely even register it anymore. But that wasn't something my family was used to hearing and they asked me about it. And I realized that I hadn't even registered that it had started until it was pointed out to me. My first morning with my host family, I literally jumped out of my bed when the call to prayer went off at 5:45 in the morning. And so I began to wonder, When did I get so used to that part of life?

          I was talking to a friend recently and she asked me what are some different things in the culture here. And I spent all day thinking about it before I replied, "If you came here, I'm sure you would think everything was so different but it's all so normal to me now." And I started to wonder, when did that happen?

          When did the houses I see everyday go from being run down and dirty to absolutely beautiful to me? When did the public buses go from being death traps on wheels to my favorite form of transportation? When did Turkish food go from being something I ate when it was put in front of me to something I crave? When did I start being able to sing the Turkish pop music and having favorite Turkish TV shows? When did speaking Turkish go from being a chore to being something I love to do?

          I guess I can't really say exactly when this all became normal to me. There wasn't one day when I woke up and suddenly everything was normal and I never got the "What the heck!" look on my face anymore. I still get that sometimes; I didn't suddenly become Turkish and completely understand their culture. But at some point in these last months, this life became my new normal. 

          I have 3 more months here. Less than half of the time I have already spent here until I go home. And that's really not very long. I've begun to realize just how much I will miss it here. Everytime I think of leaving, I start to get a little emotional because this country has claimed my heart. 

          But for now, I plan to thoroughly enjoy the time I have left here. I can't wait to enjoy the next 3 months of my new normal and my new life. Happy Easter everyone!