A swim in the Aegean Sea
Now that I’m here - and figured out a little more about the specifics parameters of what I can share - the vow of secrecy is lifted a little. I’m writing from Turkey, in a city near the Aegean Sea. After flying through Munich on a trip that started Thursday afternoon and concluded Friday at midnight, we arrived safe and sound. (One of my travelling companions still bemoans how we lost a whole day of our lives in travel.)
After getting adjusted to the 10 hour time change, yesterday we took a walk around the city. It so many ways, it reminds me a lot of walking around Guadalajara in Mexico - the curbs and the streets, the style of the parks, the way business happens out of carts and at little stands, the right of drivers, not pedestrians, etc. - though there were also enough things - including the regular muslim call to prayer that happens troughout the day - to keep me grounded in experiencing “Turkiye.”
Today, we went to church with our partners - whose church chose today for a special service and lunch by the Aegean sea. So after the service, I stumbled on the rocky beach and dove into the infamous & mythical Aegean Sea. No sea monsters swallowed me, so I’m able to continue on in this trip 
I’ve been encouraged and surprised by the level of spiritual openness in the students here that we’ve met. Our partners here are amazingly cross-cultural and have laid a foundation of excellent relationships and trust with the students they are working with. I’ll share more about some of what’s happening later.
Until then, I wanted to share some words that I’m learning, as I have an ambitious goal of learning 100 Turkish words before I leave. Here are a few:
– “tebrikler” = congratulations (for my friends whose baby is only 2 weeks old!!!)
– “memnun oldem” = nice to meet you (it doesn’t yet role off my tongue, but I’m practicing this one a lot.)
– “merhaba” = hello
– “rusvet” = a bribe (don’t worry, I haven’t had to pay one for anything: not sure how this word came up…)
July 8th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
scott! i’m so excited you are over there. reading your blog brings back memories of my time there - can’t believe it’s already been two years. have a wonderful time.
July 10th, 2007 at 3:23 am
i agree with bo…hearing of you there makes me miss it!! make sure you get to hit up the bakeries…i did so every night! also, don’t miss the cheap university bakery for late morning snacks! (i guess i miss the food)
ps. i TOTALLY understand what you mean about guadalajara. though i’ve never been there, i’ve noticed between ensenada & rosarito, as well as kumasi and accra, ghana, there’s a certain similarity (at least to my western eyes) to 2nd/3rd world countries that’s very familiar. maybe it’s the cinder block buildings?
July 10th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Small Scott, are you saying that all brown people and their countries are the same?