Semester at Sea- Turkey

Turkey

We only had one day in-between Greece and Turkey for classes, which is unexplainably exhausting. With my four classes and papers due every day while at sea sleep becomes a luxury that I don’t often receive. When we arrived in Turkey we were advised to wake up as the ship pulled into the port. People filled the decks of the ship as we slowly came closer to the incredible and unique skyline of Istanbul. Minarets of the 2,500 mosques in Istanbul fill the skyline, calling the faithful to prayer. The unique architecture and 18 million people population in the city invites a different feel from the other ports. Turkey is a 99% Muslim country, and its relevant through the 5 times daily call to prayer which resound on the loudspeakers of the mosques that can be heard at any point in the city. The call to prayers was my favorite part of Turkey simply because it is a reminder to stop and recognize where we are, it brought my actions into perspective and reminded me of the foreign lands which I stand.

Turkey is a place of contradiction in the sense of the people. There was an aspect of Turkey which was extremely hospitable, on several occasions I was invited into shops without the intention to buy anything but the locals just wanted to share tea with us. I spent several hours experiencing the culture as the Turks invited us to share with them. The other side of Turkey was the part where local men sent our cat calls, who yelled across the street in search for attention, and violated us on the bus with the slick and quick grab of a butt (which happened to all the girls in my group). I understand though, we ask for it, American women come into a Muslim country and are hardly as covered as the Muslim women who live there. We look much different as we wear tight clothing and allow our hair to fall freely, which is much different from the local women. The part of Turkey that I will always love and remember is the “Turkish Hospitality” which is an incredible aspect of this culture, to love and invite a perfect stranger into your family and business to share tea and good conversation.

I toured Mosques, went to the “Grand Bazaar” with over 5,000 shops, went to Turkey vs. Italy soccer game, went on a hike and enjoyed a Turkish bath. The hike was with Semester At Sea. We took an hour bus ride over the bridge into the continent of Asia side of Turkey. Four guides led us into the wilderness of Turkey. It was incredible, but turned ugly very fast when we realized that the guides were simply businessmen taking a break on a Sunday afternoon, and led to a 5 hour, 7 mile hike without water and on a very hot day. A girl even had to be taken to the hospital. We were lost and most of the group was complaining, we were over 2 hours late coming back. There was about an hour where I ran out of water and instantly was upset and angry that SAS would allow this to happen.

I was humbly awakened by the realization that insufficient water is the first cause of death in the world today. People die every 3 seconds from the same thing I suffered for an hour for, and what makes me actually think that I deserve water as soon as possible? What makes me different from them, what makes me think that I have special privilege to these basic human rights because of the place I was born. It brings my to my senses to realize the pain that people suffer daily because of this lack of resources. I only thought of it as I was out of water, as my mouth was dry and my stomach sick I come to think of these people. I wish I could remember them daily, every moment of every day and that it would come to life to ignite a constant passion to help. I think of the children in Africa that I was with last summer and the research that I have done that moves me to action. I must do something to help, and this hike was a reminder of my goal and purpose in life, even though the purpose was different than I perceive, but it moved me to remember and I am thankful for it.

If any of you ever comes back to Turkey, I fully recommend a Turkish bath. It was the most incredible and memorable experience. With two other girls, I experienced a relaxing time in a large sauna while getting a bubbly scrub down from a Turkish woman, a dip in the pool and a hot oil massage. What a day!

There are countless stories from Turkey, and I hope pictures to share when I return that are sufficient in explaining this adventure. There is so much to tell, and I thank you for reading this far! I would love to hear updates about everyone’s life, thank you for your support and love!

All my love from thousands of miles across the sea,

Laura