Van and Erciş

Earthquake damaged building

Many of you may recall the huge 7.2 earthquake that took place in Turkey on October 23rd.  This past week I visited Van and Erciş– the two cities that were hardest hit.  It seemed to me that there is both good news and bad. 

Lake Van

Earthquake damage

On the one hand, the area has amazing natural beauty.  There is a huge lake (Lake Van) that is light blue in color (kind of like Lake Louise in Canada) set against mountains that still have snow on their peaks. 

Containers

About 160,000 displaced people are being housed in 34 orderly and neat “Kontaynir Kentler” (Container Cities) where each of 21,000 containers has a bathroom, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, heat, and a satellite dish.  The drinking water is tested daily to insure that it is clean, and there are nurses and doctors who staff the Container Cities. 

Container child

On the other hand, imagine the difficulties of 6 or more people living in a small container that has 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen.  (You can do the math with 160,000 people and 21,000 containers).  Definitely not where you’d want to stay for very long, yet with 60% unemployment, containers may be the only option for some.

While the health and security needs seem to be taken care of, there was less attention to the mental health needs.  The psychiatrists that we spoke with were clearly burned out (and who wouldn’t be seeing 40 patients a day!).  They are assigned to this area for a 2 year stint to fulfill their national service obligation, and they are counting the days until they can leave.  Nurses and psychologists are a bit more permanent, so there may be some hope there, but everyone is demoralized.

Van Cat

Armenian Church

In addition to going to the Container Cities and talking with medical professionals, we also took time to see the famous Van cats -- famous because they are all white, have one blue and one green eye, and are sometimes deaf.  Many years ago we had such a cat in the US!  We also saw the Van lake fish (Pearl Mullet) which are the only variety of fish in the lake (due to the unusual natural chemical content of the lake).  We saw them migrating from the lake up a stream for spawning (just like our salmon do!).   And last, there is a beautiful little Armenian church on an island in the lake.

One can only hope that the resilience of these people and the beauty of the area will help the reconstruction efforts to make this province even better than before the earthquake.

Fulbright Finale in Antalya

This past weekend all of the 2011-12 Turkish Fulbrighters gathered in Antalya (in the South of Turkey).  We were hosted by the Commission at the Pirate's Beach Club -- a beautiful resort on the Mediterranean.  As you can imagine, the theme for this place was pirates, so all of the staff were dressed in pirate attire.  There was even a one legged pirate and a one armed pirate (truly).  In addition to catching up with our "classmates," we were able to relax and reflect on our time in Turkey.  We even had a guest (Deputy Under Secretary from Department of State) who was a former Fulbrighter.  As well, there was an excursion to Olimpos (see pix) and another Greco-Roman site which was right by the Sea.  It was truly a fitting way to reconnect with some remarkable people in an amazing place.

Happy Birthday, Brig!

Brig the Frog

Brig and EK

Brig with patch

Brig and Eric

Dearest Brig

Belated happy birthday to my incredibly awesome grandson who is wise beyond his 9 years!  Your personal resolve never ceases to amaze me.  In the years that you wore your eye patch you never complained – even though I know it was uncomfortable and definitely not cool (after all, you can’t play pirates every day).  But then coolness has never been your concern, as you’d rather play in a chess tournament than a basketball game.  You’ve faced stitches and surgery – all with your typical bravery and stoicism.  And what a joy it is to see your art skills develop!  I will always think of you as my “reciprocal” grandson – because whenever I bring you a present you never fail to give me some small little gift in return.  Though you are often seen with your brother, you couldn't be more different.  How I wish I could show you Turkey and some of the sites I’ve seen this year.  Maybe one day when school’s not an issue I can kidnap you for a short trip.

With all my love,

Gran

Intra-Urban Turkish Transport

Moving from one place to another is a real experience in Turkey.  In Ankara, transportation is actually pretty efficient and not very expensive.  Below is a brief summary of my experience with the major transport modalities in Ankara:

           Arabalar (Automobile)

Turks are normally very kind and sweet people – that is, until they get behind the wheel of a car.  And then they become extremely aggressive and impatient.  Drivers pay no attention whatsoever to lines marking lanes (there could easily be 4 cars abreast in a 2 lane road).  Forget pedestrian crosswalks -- drivers don’t even see them.  Traffic lights are frequently ignored – actually they’re not totally ignored, as a driver might give a short beep to let you know he’s running through a red light.  Which brings me to another thing.  The average Turkish driver is much more expressive than the average American driver -- beeping his or her horn at least 20 times a day.  Hard to imagine that last September I had actually thought we might buy a car for our 9 months here!

           Dolmuşlar

I wrote in my early days about riding the dolmuş, and having been a dolmuş regular now for over 7 months, I have accumulated quite a few more dolmuş experiences.  As you may recall, a dolmuş is a mini-bus that you can flag down and get on or off anywhere along the route.  The dolmuş actually becomes its own little social community.  For example, people with infirmities are sometimes helped on and off  (I was even helped on during an ice storm!), I have held small children on my lap when there were not enough seats, men (and sometimes even younger women) will usually give up their seat for older people (including me!).  Having said that, accepting a seat can be socially delicate.  One day on a very crowded dolmuş when I was still standing, someone vacated her seat to get off.  Another woman and I were standing next to the seat, so I motioned to her to take the seat (I thought she looked old!), and she motioned to me to take it (I guess she thought I looked older!).  We motioned back and forth a few more times, and I eventually won (because she took the seat).

Taksi (Taxi)

Every neighborhood has a taxi stand, so no one is more than about 3 blocks away from a taxi.  In addition, every 50 meters or so there is a call button mounted on a tree or post, so all you have to do is push it and a taxi will show up shortly.  Typically when we have to take an early morning taxi (like 4am!), we go to our stand the day before to make arrangements.  Invariably, we are invited in for çay (tea) while I try to explain in Turkish what time we need to leave.  All the taxis are metered, so it’s a pretty honest system.

      Otobüs (Bus)

We actually have a bus stop right outside our apartment, so it’s extremely convenient to take this bus to Kızılay (our favorite shopping and movie area) on Saturdays.  We’ve bought cards, so we just get them punched each time we take a ride.  As with the dolmuş, men are expected to give up their seats for ladies.

      Metro

I have only ridden the metro once, so can’t speak with authority, but it was very efficient.  And, the very same pass you use on the bus works on the metro.  The only trouble is that the metro in Ankara doesn’t go very many places.

       Foot

People walk a lot in Turkey!  And given the state of sidewalks which are frequently torn up or in disrepair, they have to walk in the streets.  That means that there is a lot of competition between pedestrians and motorized vehicles.  Needless to say, motorized vehicles usually exert stronger influence, but it’s a healthy competition!

      Motorcycles

These are very rare.  The only motorcycles I’ve ever seen are driven by the food delivery men like MacDonalds (yes, they deliver in Turkey) and Wienerwald (they deliver roasted chickens). 

      Bicycles

There simply are none, or “yok” (as the Turks would say).  Clearly the pedestrians and the motorized vehicles have won out in Ankara, so there’s no space for bikes.

A Love Letter -- to Istanbul

I was enchanted by you in the Fall, I loved you in the Winter, and now I’m infatuated by you in the Spring. 

You teased me in the Fall, and even though the days were getting shorter, your sparkle and energy came through.

We were more alone in the Winter, and though it was cold, you showed me your warmth.

Your beauty peaks in the Spring, with amazing colors and scents.

Time is not kind to some, but you are ageless. 

I am counting the days until I can see you again.