First Week in Ankara

It has been about 10 days since I left Dallas-Ft. Worth Int'l Airport for my flight to New York, but it feels like so much longer. Turkey is such a rich and beautiful country, an amalgam of old and new, Islamic and secular.

In Ankara, Turkey's second largest city and capital, one will inevitably hear the azan over loud speakers five times a day, but you will also see just as many people in the street in western dress as you see women in hijabs. One can find a doner kebab joint catty-corner from a McDonald's 100 meters away from a 100 year old bridge. One will see images of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on every building, but Communist Party pamphlets on every other street corner. Since arrival in Ankrara, and having experienced a week of real life, and not just tourism, I have begun to see an intriguing picture of the modern Turkish Republic.

Meyve suyu (fruit juice) vendor

Mescid at dusk

The main reason for my summer spent in Tukey is language learning, as that is what my awesome NSLI-Y scholarship provides. However, I am just as thrilled by the cultural exchange, something that is just as important to me.

Mr. Ataturk - THE man of the century (to the Turks, at least).

JFK alongside Ataturk

My Turkish classes takes place on weekdays from 9-2 at Ankara University's TÖMER Foreign Language Institute.

To get to class in downtown Ankara's Kızılay district from the residential area where I am staying, I must first either walk 20 minutes or ride a bus to the Metro station, then take a 40 minute subway ride downtown. Ankara has a very modern and clean metro 

At school, there are 7 other beginner-level American student in my Turkish class. We began this week with introduction, and have covered verb conjugation, pleasantries, and a lot of vocabulary. The class moves fast, but typical of Turkish University, there are frequent breaks. After every hour of class, there is a 10 or 20 minute break, called a teneffüs. These breaks are a great time to review, use the toilet, or during the longer breaks, visit a cafe just down the street.

Turkish is a difficult language to learn for English speakers, but I've been told that once you learn the basic patterns and conjugations, it becomes much easier. I will work hard and see how much I am capable of learning. Already in one week's time I am able to communicate some basic things with my family or shopkeepers.

Caliş! ~ I must work hard!

Also, after school each day, there is a cultural or community activity. 

The first day, my group went to Ankara Kalesi, Ankara Castle, a fortress and historic neighborhood. We explored the castle ruins, which had very beautiful views, and then ate lunch at a doner restaurant. Afterwards, we explored the windy and hilly streets of the market within the castle walls. It was a bit touristy, but awesome to image that it was once a thriving market and village.

Here are a few pictures from my visit to the castle:

Another day, the activity was community service. My group went to a foundation that works with children with Leukemia, called Lösev. We handed out fliers around the neighborhood, prompting people to donate for the Ramadan fundraiser.

the fliers we handed out

Yesterday, we had free time after school, and I went with two of my friends to Teleferik, the gondola (cable car) line of Ankara's mass transit. This gondola is an actually public transport line, but it is free, and it carries you in a car high over the city, climbing up one of the city's hilliest neighborhoods.

view from the gondola

The views were amazing, as we were on one of the city's highest hills. There was a jumble of apartments and large building ina circle, and then at the edge, the city just stops, and nothing but fields surounds it. It is very breathtaking.

So far, I have had phenomenal experiences in Turkey, a country with a rich history and a bright future. Every person I have encountered has been friendly and helpful, and every bit of food I have eaten has been çok lezletli, very delicious.

Stay tuned for my experiences this weekend and some anecdotes about cultural adaptation..

Turkish flags everywhere... Turks might even be prouder than Texans...

Follow my and my fellow exchange students' adventures on Instagram:

@ankaradventures and @ankarafoodie.