First Week-end

I woke up with the call to prayer today (5:50) and yesterday they gave me a laptop so finally I have time to write.
I arrived last Friday in Istanbul. On Saturday I took the boat to visit Eyüp, a religious area. The guidebook advises not to visit on Friday because so many go to the mosque. It has some sacred tombs. I went into the mosque and found a place with the women upstairs. The iman was giving a sermon. the place was packed and they kept coming!
The best part was seeing 2 young boys dressed up for their circumcision. I will post pictures. Muslims have these ceremonies up to the age of 12 or so. The little boys looked like miniature sultans- complete with daggers and swords!
I met my friend for dinner (he is the former hotel clerk- we stayed in touch for 2 yrs.) We had fish sandwiches by the Galata Bridge. Men and a few women fish on the Galata Bridge 24 hours. Erhan told me about his plans- sort of bleak. He is a college graduate, but makes very little working in a hotel. Like many Turks, he lives at home. He thinks about going abroad to work or marrying a Scandanavian- I nixed that idea for him.

Sunday I was invited, thanks to Michael Berger, to a baby naming at a synagogue. Security is tight because they had a bombing there. I approached a man nearby on the street to ask for the entrance because I knew it was on the side. He said no- the synagogue is closed. But, when I showed him the name of the host- he directed me to the side entrance. They have a scanning machine and a room that you enter first and then you are buzzed into the building. I did not have to show any id- the host informed them I was coming and that was sufficient.

The men had pink kippas! This was a naming for twins. The place was packed- 500+. Piped in music- people didn't even sing mazel tov. The cantor just sang. 3 video cameras and many photographers.

Then.....the reception! Many people in the world don't have such parties for weddings! There was a big room with candle-lit tables, then another room with couches. Many buffet tables with delicous food. In the back was a magician and assistant for the kids- and yes, Turkish kids are like American kids- they had special food for them! There were 3 musicians and yes- you guessed it- a cutting of the cake- which consisted of white blocks- like baby blocks.

People weren't that friendly- I found one woman who spoke a little English. But as she started getting stuck on words, she said- so you do speak some Turkish, right? and proceeded to talk in Turkish.

At 4 the driver from Koc came to pick me up. Sunday there was not much traffic and if you drive 80 mi/hr and disobey all traffic rules, you make it to Koç in about 40 min

From the campus they brought me to my apartment. The university has explosive growth, so they rent some apt nearby. I am just down the road- the area is quite ugly- just 8 story apartment buildings plopped down in barren lots.

My flatmate, Isha, was very welcoming. She is a post-doc in Chemical Engineering. She gave me dinner. She is from Erzurum- in the east- not too far from Armenia. She said her 'ancients' came from Azerbaijan. Of course I couldn't wait to talk politics with her. She is observant and prays when she can. Her mother wears a scarf and Isha thinks women should be able to wear the scarf in universities.

We have 3 bedrooms and a living room and kitchen- large and pleasant. One roommate has the master bedroom and bath- so just Isha and I share a bathroom. Then I discovered another bathroom in the hallway- great- 3 bathrooms. But, this one is Turkish- a porcelain hole in the ground, so I just use the sink!

Both flatmates have double tea kettles- they look like double boilers. Turks drink prodigious amounts of tea. Of course shoes are left in the hallway, even tho we have no Turkish carpets. And thanks to my Israeli experience, I'm adept at climbing stairs in the dark. Everyone but America knows how to conserve. When you enter the building, you press the hall light and then climb the stairs- there are switches on each landing, but invariably the light goes off when you're in the middle of the stairs.

now about work.....