Dearest St. Olaf,
Merhaba from Istanbul!
We write to you to tell of our first few weeks of adventures as St. Olaf takes Istanbul by storm once again. We all met safely in Turkey on August 26th and haven't stopped to breathe since. The day after our arrival we had our first day of classes, thrust into the throws of Binnaz, our spirited Turkish professor at beautiful Bogazcici University. We had two days of intense “survival Turkish,” for which we are all incredibly grateful, before we began to learn about the rich and diverse geography, history and politics of this cosmopolitan city. Bogazici is a prestigious and beautiful University with a rich history of its own. We all feel incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to spend these three weeks sharing all that Bogazici has to offer. Each day we walk to class down a winding hill on campus overlooking the beautiful Bosporus Straight. We have our classes in a small room in the Ataturk Institute and every couple of days a different professor lectures us in his or her area of expertise. This set up keeps us on our toes with a test at every professor switch, but we agree it is fascinating to be able to have a diverse set of opinions on Turkish issues.
On September eighth TIME actually shared a lecture with St. Olaf’s Global Semester. We enjoyed seeing both close friends and familiar St. Olaf faces. We enthusiastically met Global students outside the gates of Bogazici and shared a class that focused on globalization and Turkish History. After class, some of us had lunch with Global students and were happy to share insights gained in our short but full time in Istanbul.
Bruce's class on religion and society in the Middle East is also well underway. We have been learning about the three Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—through reading, discussing and direct observation. Our regular class time has been supplemented with visits to St. George’s Orthodox Patriarchate, Neve Shalom Synagogue and several Mosque visits. Some of the group attended a Saturday evening prayer service at the Blue Mosque and were communing with devout Muslims, while many others have observed prostration and Islamic posturing during call to prayer. We all have been keeping our eyes open for ways to compare and contrast these “cousin” religions and pay special attention to how these communities act independently and with each other.
Though Turkey is a secular state, 99% of the population is Muslim, so we have been paying special attention to this beautiful, fascinating religion. Our group this year is lucky enough to experience Ramadan, a month long period in which Muslims fast, in Istanbul. Fasting during daylight hours during the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam meant to help one connect with Allah and instill compassion for those whom hunger is not a choice. Not everyone fasts in Turkey but some of us Oles have tried going 16 hours without food and water and have found it to be an overall positive experience.
Those of us who fast wake up at 4:30 each day to drink some water and eat breakfast before the sun rises and eat nothing else until the call to prayer at sundown. Boy, food has never tasted so good!! That brings us to our favorite part of Ramadan: iftar. Iftar is a community-oriented meal that happens every night to break the fast. The food is wonderful, but we have found that the company is even better. We like to go to restaurants or have picnics outside of the Blue Mosque to break the fast with the local Turkish Muslims. An important part of Ramadan is its emphasis on hospitality, so we often get invited to eat and interact with locals.
On top of the religious observations, we have all been taking advantage of the many museums and cultural highlights of Istanbul. Touring Dolombahce Palace was a particularly breathtaking experience! The ornate rooms and décor are excessively beautiful, fit for a sultan. Or Atuturk—Turkey’s cutest modern despot. We were actually able to see Atuturk’s bedroom where he died. Other highlights at Dolombahce Palace include a variety of “squatty” potties and Turkish Baths, or Hamams, made from beautiful Egyptian marble. Disappointingly, the harem was quite drab in comparison to the men’s area. Those boys and their self-indulgence…
Other highlights of our time here in Istanbul include our tour day in which we saw the Hagia Sofia, The Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palce (where the Sultans lived before Dolombahce Palace), we spent a day lounging at the Black Sea, have explored the Underground Cisterns and seen a panoramic view of the city from the top of Galata Tower. Just the other day a chunk of our group took a public ferry up the Bosporus to its entrance into the Black Sea. While in the small Asian fishing village where our ferry stopped, we climbed a small, but very steep, hill to an old Byzantine Castle, and had fun exploring Asia and commentating on its exotic shrubbery for hours.
It seems that the amazing experiences never stop happening here in Istanbul, so we will surely have more to tell in the months to come.
Missing you lots!!
St. Olaf TIME 2009
Merhaba from Istanbul!
We write to you to tell of our first few weeks of adventures as St. Olaf takes Istanbul by storm once again. We all met safely in Turkey on August 26th and haven't stopped to breathe since. The day after our arrival we had our first day of classes, thrust into the throws of Binnaz, our spirited Turkish professor at beautiful Bogazcici University. We had two days of intense “survival Turkish,” for which we are all incredibly grateful, before we began to learn about the rich and diverse geography, history and politics of this cosmopolitan city. Bogazici is a prestigious and beautiful University with a rich history of its own. We all feel incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to spend these three weeks sharing all that Bogazici has to offer. Each day we walk to class down a winding hill on campus overlooking the beautiful Bosporus Straight. We have our classes in a small room in the Ataturk Institute and every couple of days a different professor lectures us in his or her area of expertise. This set up keeps us on our toes with a test at every professor switch, but we agree it is fascinating to be able to have a diverse set of opinions on Turkish issues.
On September eighth TIME actually shared a lecture with St. Olaf’s Global Semester. We enjoyed seeing both close friends and familiar St. Olaf faces. We enthusiastically met Global students outside the gates of Bogazici and shared a class that focused on globalization and Turkish History. After class, some of us had lunch with Global students and were happy to share insights gained in our short but full time in Istanbul.
Bruce's class on religion and society in the Middle East is also well underway. We have been learning about the three Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—through reading, discussing and direct observation. Our regular class time has been supplemented with visits to St. George’s Orthodox Patriarchate, Neve Shalom Synagogue and several Mosque visits. Some of the group attended a Saturday evening prayer service at the Blue Mosque and were communing with devout Muslims, while many others have observed prostration and Islamic posturing during call to prayer. We all have been keeping our eyes open for ways to compare and contrast these “cousin” religions and pay special attention to how these communities act independently and with each other.
Though Turkey is a secular state, 99% of the population is Muslim, so we have been paying special attention to this beautiful, fascinating religion. Our group this year is lucky enough to experience Ramadan, a month long period in which Muslims fast, in Istanbul. Fasting during daylight hours during the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam meant to help one connect with Allah and instill compassion for those whom hunger is not a choice. Not everyone fasts in Turkey but some of us Oles have tried going 16 hours without food and water and have found it to be an overall positive experience.
Those of us who fast wake up at 4:30 each day to drink some water and eat breakfast before the sun rises and eat nothing else until the call to prayer at sundown. Boy, food has never tasted so good!! That brings us to our favorite part of Ramadan: iftar. Iftar is a community-oriented meal that happens every night to break the fast. The food is wonderful, but we have found that the company is even better. We like to go to restaurants or have picnics outside of the Blue Mosque to break the fast with the local Turkish Muslims. An important part of Ramadan is its emphasis on hospitality, so we often get invited to eat and interact with locals.
On top of the religious observations, we have all been taking advantage of the many museums and cultural highlights of Istanbul. Touring Dolombahce Palace was a particularly breathtaking experience! The ornate rooms and décor are excessively beautiful, fit for a sultan. Or Atuturk—Turkey’s cutest modern despot. We were actually able to see Atuturk’s bedroom where he died. Other highlights at Dolombahce Palace include a variety of “squatty” potties and Turkish Baths, or Hamams, made from beautiful Egyptian marble. Disappointingly, the harem was quite drab in comparison to the men’s area. Those boys and their self-indulgence…
Other highlights of our time here in Istanbul include our tour day in which we saw the Hagia Sofia, The Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palce (where the Sultans lived before Dolombahce Palace), we spent a day lounging at the Black Sea, have explored the Underground Cisterns and seen a panoramic view of the city from the top of Galata Tower. Just the other day a chunk of our group took a public ferry up the Bosporus to its entrance into the Black Sea. While in the small Asian fishing village where our ferry stopped, we climbed a small, but very steep, hill to an old Byzantine Castle, and had fun exploring Asia and commentating on its exotic shrubbery for hours.
It seems that the amazing experiences never stop happening here in Istanbul, so we will surely have more to tell in the months to come.
Missing you lots!!
St. Olaf TIME 2009