So I think it is pretty much a lost cause for me to try to write every day - so many wonderful things are crammed into each single day that there is no way I can do justice to each one of them! But I promise to keep trying...
We arrived in Bursa on 5/21 afternoon. We were met by some familiar faces, namely the Sicilian/Maltese GSE Team. It was lovely to see them again. From there we were whisked off to one of the premier kebap places in town, which Bursa is known for. The maitre'd didn't even bat an eyelash when my host explained to him that there were two vegetarians among the group to a kebap house. He quickly replied that they make vege kebaps as well (now isn't that an oxymoron?). I was a bit dubious, but the most delicious dish was set in front of me and I practically inhaled it! ;-) I looked around after I took the last bite only to realize that everyone else had barely gotten started with their food....oops!
After that great lunch, my host and Jodi's ( Erdem and Sait) took us around downtown Bursa. It was nice to spend some time in a little bit smaller group and we quickly found out that Erdem and Sait are very good friends for a long time. Erdem is learning English and Sait spent 7yrs in Germany, so he ruefully told us that his German is far better than his English. But we reassured him that his Englısh is quite good.
Erdem took me home to meet his famıly - his wonderful wife Nihal and beautiful daughter Irem. I also met Irem's best friend Seray, who was spending the night. The night was filled with laughter, mispronounciations (mostly on my end), tasty food, and good conversation. Seray is a talented musician and graced us all with her flute playing. Irem and I compared notes on which movie stars were the hottest while Erdem simply rolled his eyes and laughed at us. ;-)
Oh dear, I must stop now - I have to be ready at 9am and guess what time it is? Yep! So ciao for now and please keep reading!
My apologies for not writing last night. We had a great Rotary meeting last night and even had a translator! It threw me off my stride just a little bit, but it was sure nice to have the translator around. We came home after the meeting, and Yakup had to head off to bed since he has to round early in the morning. Aygül, Kaan, and I stayed up to listen to each other's music. While at the meeting I played some of my Karnatic music to Kaan and hıs good friend, Ege, who also happens to be his next door neighbor. Ege's parents were away on a trıp to Europe, but he came with us since his parents are Rotarians as well. Both Ege and Kaan really liked the music, which really made me happy since most of my American friends don't seem to. Then I played some Bollywood music, which they absolutely loved - no suprise there! :-)
Algün is a beautiful dancer, and we (Kaan. Algün, and I) had a little ımpromptu party last night. I started to write down the names of the singers and the songs, then finally gave up and asked Kaan if he would mind making me a CD mix of his favorite songs. He was sweet enough to agree.
Today we were off to see the horse farm, which is the biggest in the country. They mainly breed thoroughbreds and Arabians. The horses were beautiful to behold, and I even got to feed two of them! In addition, we got u close and personal with a three day old foal - it was absolutely adorable. Moda immediately stated that she wanted one, preferably that one! I do so love Moda - the girl knows what she wants! :-)
Then it was off to a leisurely lunch and exploration of a small seaside village, which was both picturesque and charming. Moda and I decided that we would own a villa on a seaside cliff overlooking the ocean. We have some great ideas....now to see which one of us will win the lottery and make our fantasies come true! ;-)
We got home late and I had just enough time to give Yakup, Algün, and Kaan my gifts. They were so gracious to accept them and my many thanks for making my stay at Balıkesir so memorable. I truly feel like I am leaving family behind when I leave each place.
Tomorrow, it will be a quick breakfast and then off to Bursa....
Helllooo Balıkesir! I was just getting comfortable on the minibus the Edremit Rotary Club had employed to take us to Balıkesir when we arrived. I guess time does pass by quickly when you are busy missing friends. I hope you are doing well, Arzu and Çeytin!
We were met in Belıkesir by our host families. I had briefly met Dr. Yakup Bardakçi and hıs beautiful wife Aygül ın Kuşadası, so it was a little like meeting a friend. They were so incredibly warm and welcoming that I began to feel better immediately. Oh dear, I guess this means I will be missing them just as much when I leave for Bursa!
We had lunch at Balıkesir Köftesi where my hosts learned to their comical dismay that I am a vegetarian. It was funny to see their faces turn disbelieving when I told them that I have never tasted meat! :-) Though they don't speak much English, we still managed to communicate and have a good time. During the conversation, Lana & I learned that both of our respective hosts had taken 4months of English classes together, at which point I confessed that though we five had taken 8wks of language classes, I remembered very little. They all laughed, but my host Yakup kindly jumped in to say that he doesn't remember much of his English lessons either! ;-)
After lunch, we all visited a vegetable bazaar that only operates on Wednesdays - boy, was it fun! It ws colorful, loud, and chaotic - kinda reminded me of my childhood when my aunt or grandmother would take me with them to buy veges in India. We really are more similar than different! Then we trekked off to see the women's bazaar, where women sell handmade items. My host Aygul bought me a beautıful embroidered scarf as well as a cute velvet bag. I must admit I was a little humbled - I don't know how to knit or sew.....well, I can sew human tissue, but that is definitely not the same thing! ;-)
My hosts took me to their home, which is absolutely gorgeous! Aygul did a an incredible job decorating the place, and she told me her daughter helped. I met their son, Kaan, who is a very handsome and accomplished young man, and who was indispensible in translating for hıs parents and me! Hıs sıster, Dıdem, is currently a university student in Istanbul, and ı got a chance to talk to her last night as well. We went to dinner at the clubhouse and I was absolutely stuffed with all the good food there. We came back home to have Turkish coffee, which Aygül showed me how to make properly. Woohooo! Another skillset to add to my olive oıi making and soap making repetoire! ;-)
I'll write more tonight after the Rotary meeting
Wow, I have already been in Edremit for two whole days and I didn't even realize it. It was a bit of a shocker tonight to realize that we are all leaving for Balikasir tomorrow morning!
The day started off for me with a trip to one of the schools, where Betül teaches so that we (Çeytin, Arzu and I) could pick up Yosha. To the kids, Yosha and I were like rockstars! I got asked my age (hmm, guess there is no social rule about asking a woman her age here in Turkey) as well as for my email address. Yosha was asked to sign autographs...on kids' arms and hands when paper wasn't readily available - go Moda! ;-)
Then it was off to join the rest of the gang at a rustic breakfast place. The others had been there for an hour or so, But fresh food was brought out and all of us dug in to a most delicious breakfast! After a quick cup of tea, it was off to see some museums and tour the city. We had a late lunch in one of the many small towns that surround Edremit. The view was simply gorgeous!
I got home with enough time to repack my suitcase (agaın!) and get my gifts for my host family together. I was fortunate to meet Arzu's grandmother, who ıs in her 80s. Arzu's Mom and Dad came to the house to babysit Ege and Ada while we went to the Rotary Club dinner meeting. Wıth all the confusion, I didn't get a chance to give the gifts to my hosts before the meeting.
The meeting went absolutely great. Because Edremit is a smaller town than the others we have visited so far, we ended up meeting virtually all the members of the club in the last two days -there were very few completey new faces, which made the atmosphere much more relaxed for us. At the end of the meeting, we ended up putting up a slide show of the pics Val had taken while in Edremit, and this was an absolute hit! I think we will try to do that again at our next presentation.
We all came come around 1130pm, and I got the chance to give my hosts the gifts I had brought them. I hope our hosts realize that we (my fellow GSE members and I) are severly limited in what we can bring because of weight restrictions, perishability of the items, and other factors. And the gifts just don't do justice to the amount of gratitude we have for our hosts for putting us up and taking us around the town. I don't think any gift is adequate enough to show our thanks and appreciation!! But please know that your kindness and generosity stays in our minds and hearts for all our lives I truly feel that I have met people that I would be proud to call my friends all my life! And I must especially say that Çetın and Arzu feel like kindred spirits to me! Thank you once again for the beautiful gifts, but most especially for your kindness, warmth, care, and time!
Oh dear, it ıs already 115am, so I better get myself off to bed. Goodbye, Edremit! I shall miss you deeply!
Sorry to all my friends and family who have been following my posts so far. We went from Bodrum to Kuşadaci and lo and behold, no wi-fi at a 4 star hotel! Ah well. I used that time wisely...no wait, I didn't, but it was just too fun to actually rest! ;-)
Kuşadasi was the location of the district conference, and boy, was the hotel gorgeous! We left Bodrum a little after 11am on Thursday ( 5/14/10), had lunch at a lovely seaside restaurant, went to one of the smaller and poorer villages to see a school that was being renovated with the help of Rotary money, then went to a Masi village where the woman make those famous Ottoman rugs by hand. I finally worked out some of the things my fancy smancey camera could do and got some great video of the women as they were working at the loom. Can you believe it, but the woman make about two dollars an hour for the work that they do?!? Wow, I better stop complaining about my work!
We were about an hour away from Kuşadasi when we got the phone call that they were holding on the opening ceremonies until we got there - oops! We were about an hour late, but I really didn't think we were as integral as that phone call implied! I had a bit of an epiphany then - we really are cultural ambassadors from the US and for many people, their impression of us WILL translate to their general opinion of Americans! Wow. It was rather humbling to realize that, and I knew then that I must always strive to maintain an image that will do my country and my sponsoring Rotary Club proud.
We did our presentation the following morning and it went very well. I had several Rotarians come up to me and comment that I was very polished in my presentation - guess I must give thanks to my years of surgical training and my professors who believed no method was better than being put on the spot! After the presentation, we had some free time to put up our feet, let down our hair, and just vegetate. Ahhhh....
On Saturday, Shu-Shu was kind enough to arrange a bus for us to visit Ephesus, the supposed site where Mary (mother of Jesus) spend her last days after her son was killed by the Romans. The chapel was small but peaceful in a way I cannot describe adequately with words. Outside, there was a prayer wall, sort of an equivalent to the wailing wall outside of Jerusalem. As I walked out of the area, I could only think of one thing - how God must weep about all the blood that has been spilled in His name, whether it be Allah, Jesus, Yehovah, Brahma, or any other myriad of names we have given Him.
Sunday saw us packing up our bags yet again and headıng out to Edremit. I rode with Yosha and her host family, Mehmet and Betül Semerci. They were wonderful conversationalists and we all hit it off from the start! As Lana has told you in her blog, we went to a site (on the way to Edremit) called "The Devil's Footprint". I don't know about the footprint, but the vista was absolutely gorgeous! Lot s of pictures were taken on that hilltop...now if I can only download my pics!
I met my absolutely wonderful hosts when I reached Edremit - Dr. Çetin Serim and his wife Arzu are some of the kindest people I have met. I also met their handsome 7yo son Ege (pronounced Eh-gay) and theır beautiful mischevious daughter Ada, who ıs only 4years old. The Serims couldn't come to pick me up from Kuşadasi because Çetin was on call the entire weekend.
Çetin took Monday off to squire me around the town, for which I am profoundly grateful. He took me in the morning to see the hospital he works at, and I got to meet not only his surgical partners but also the head anesthesiologist. The timing was just right for me to observe an induction and intubation, and it was fun to see the similarities and differences between American and Turkish practices. Then it was off to an olive oıl producing factory and museum. From there we went to a soap factory and learned all the different ways of making soap. Huh - I didn't realıze how complicated it can be! The owner of the factory was very kınd and gifted us with several of his soaps, which I briefly considered passing on to my friends as gifts, then just as quickly thought, "Nah! It's all mine!" ;-) Dinner was at a seafood restaurant, since Edremit is especially known for its great seafood. Yeah, but not so good for a vegetarian! The waiter looked stumped when Çetin politely inquired about vege options, then finally turned to me and said, "Ma'am, this is a seafood and steak restaurant - we don't get many vegetarians here!" Hmm, he has a point....;-)
We came home and Çetin and his wife were very kind in letting me phone home. Huh. I didn't realize how much I missed my parents until I heard my mother's voice.....thank you sooo much. Çetin and Arzu, for letting me hear such a beloved voice after almost 3wks!
Well, I think I have brought you all up to date! It ıs 120am and I really must catch some z's. Please continue to read me and comment! I
I want to start off with an apology - I am absolutely exhausted and can hardly keep my eyes open. But I have to tell you all what an absolutely delightful day I had. I don't have the names of all the places I vısıted today (they are upstaırs ın my room), but boy, they were all beautiful!
We started off with a wonderful Turkish breakfast in the park by the waters. Then we had the opportunity to visit a school for the handicapped that is being helped by the Bodrum Rotary Club. The principal of the school took time out of his busy schedule to show us around.
Then it was time for lunch - ah, life is tough, isn't? ;-) I have developed a love of eggplant - they do ıt soo well ın Turkey! After lunch, we went to the Bodrum Underwater Archaelogıcal Museum. It was fascinating to get a glımpse of another time. The archaelogist who discovered the find conducted the tour hımself - what an incredıble honor! He called us hıs five angels! I do so love compliments! ;-)
After the tour, we had a leisurely coffee and explored the shops around the area. Then it was time to go home and freshen up for our presentation at the Bodrum Rotary Club meeting tonight. The meetıng went beautifully, and I made new friends - people I really want to keep in touch with even after I leave Turkey.
Thanks again to the Bodrum Rotary Club for taking such good care of us! You are making this experi
We arrived in Bodrum this afternoon around 3pm. You know, I really need to stop saying I love each city because each one is as beautiful as the last, if not more! Bodrum is a perfect example - it is incredibly beautiful, and is only enhanced by the warmth of the people we have met here!
We had pizza as a late lunch - and I mean PIZZA, not pide. I almost felt like I was back in the States because it was a perfect thin-crust pizza. Yum! Then we had a lazy walk around the marina followed by a fabulous dinner at the Mia Marina. The city views were breathtaking!
I just got home to my wonderful host family and am looking forward to a good night's sleep. Tommorow is part vocational day and part sightseeing day.....I can't wait!
We are leaving Marmaris today....I don't know whether to be sad to be leaving such a beautiful city and wonderful new friends or to be excited about going to a new city and meeting new friends....
What an absolutely wonderful day it has been! I am so grateful for this opportunity to vısıt Turkey and interact with these extremely kind and thoughtful people!
The day started out with a traditional Turkish breakfast that our wonderful host provided us with. For those that don't know what it entails, it is an incredible assortment of cheeses, honey, jams, hazelnut spread, green and black olives, fresh bread, sesame bread (looks and tastes like sesame bagels), hard-boiled eggs, and hot chai. It is definitely my favorite meal of the day, especially since it is vegetarian-friendly. Our host has been so gracious in making all these things available to us. I usually have only one problem - though my stomach states it is filled to the brim, my taste buds want more! Yeah, I'm gonna gain weight on this trip! ;-)
Then we set off to see the city of Marmaris. Wow! How absolutely beautiful! The experience was only enhanced by the company we kept. We all met at a coffee shop next to the seaside, then made the acquaintance of a Holland couple. They didn't know about Rotary International before, but they certainly do now! Then we meandered around on the boardwalk, enjoying the beautiful weather and the company. We stopped briefly to buy trinkets, then proceeded to go to an adjoining area (sorry, it ıs almost 3am and my brain is definitely not working at full capacity).
Zulfıkar (a Rotarian) was our gracious guide and host. We had a coffee break (in my case, a wine break) sitting at a restaurant by the sea. He and I (and the rest of the team) had a thought-provoking discussion about Rotary, why one would want to join, and what it really means to help our fellow man. I was impressed with hıs insightful observations and reasoning. Thank you Zulfikar for being so open and honest!
The day ended with a sumptous spread done by our hosts. We loved trying every new dish! Our hosts were so generous with their time and attention that there were not enough words to express our gratitude! We were gifted with the pine honey that Marmaris is famous for, then I was also given a beautiful orange and black shawl as well as a newsboy hat that I absolutely adore! More importantly, I have made friends that I hope to keep for life.
Wow, it is only our 2nd full day here in Marmaris but it feels like we are at home, mostly in part due to the wonderful people we have met! There really is nothing like Turkish hospitality!
I forgot to add in last night's blog about my dinner companions. They were all accomplished young university students, but I spoke very little Turkish and they spoke very little English - so we conversed in made up sign language. I am not sure how much we really understood each other, but we certainly had fun trying! ;-)
Today's agenda includes a trip into the main part of town and shopping (yeah!), then a trip to the beach. Wow, have I mentioned how hard it is to be a GSE Team member? First we are plied with great food, then forced to visit beautiful sites, and then have to converse with incredıbly kind and gracious hosts.....yeah, ıt's a tough life alrıght! ;-)
I would like to wish a Happy Mother's day to my Mom (miss you lots Amma!), my Izmir host Neşe, and my wonderful current hostess Nezıhe Eükrüoğlu, Leyla (mother to Zamora) and of course to our team Mom Valide Sultan. Being a mother is probably one of the toughest jobs in the world, but one of the most rewarding as well. My mother is my best friend, and I wouldn't be where I am without her love and support.
I love you Amma, and I miss you very much!
Okay, now off to the shopping and beach with our host Zülfikar Soyvural!
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