Subject: Shalom from Israel #3!
August 17, 1999
Greetings everyone,
Is there anyone else besides me who didn't know the first thing about Turkey? Turkey is on the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It is part Asian and part European and some of the cities mentioned in the Bible are in Turkey. It is a very long country, and mountainous, with lovely resorts on both seas. There were no direct flights from Tel Aviv/Ben Gurion Airport to Ankara, in central Turkey, so we flew through Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. We landed in Ankara at 11 p.m. and the city was still hopping on a worknight! My assistant went with me, but I traveled home alone.
Security in Turkey is even stricter than in Israel. I'm not sure if it's because of the Ocalan situation, or if goes back farther than that. There are no jetways; you have to ride buses and walk out to the plane. You have to point out your luggage (sitting on a cart next to the plane) before it can be put on the plane. We had to walk through a metal detector into the hotel. And there are lots of military, armed and prowling around. On the way back I flew through Antalya. Someone met me at the plane and kept passing me to the next person until I ended up in the transit lounge. I kept feeling like security people were hanging around watching me during my layover. A person who lived in Turkey said Antalya has a drug problem, and they may have thought I was a dealer.
Some children in the airport read my luggage tag and about fell on the floor laughing at my name. To them, McDonald's is a hamburger joint.
Back to Ankara - the Sheraton breakfast buffet featured some foods I was not used to like salad, fish, olives, and a big square of honeycomb. We visited a contractor who builds F-16's for the Turkish Air Force. I got to climb a ladder and peek into the cockpit. The employees live next to the building and they get free food and housing. A lady carries trays of hot red chai tea through the office. We got to eat in the executive cafeteria that served several courses of Turkish food. We came during a hot spell, and I couldn't seem to cool off. Even the offices and the car were hot. During the winter there is snow and ice. The people speak Turkish (what else?). There are mosques with minarets everywhere, and we heard the prayer-chanting often. There are men walking along the street carrying trays on their heads.
The drivers in Turkey are even worse than the Israelis. Fortunately, a lady from Germany drove the whole time I was there. She runs marathons and has nerves of steel. She just came from assignments in Bosnia and Macedonia where she slept in a tent. She drove the whole time, thank God. There are tons of hills, and most people drive standard transmissions. There are almost no lane lines, so everyone drives wherever he wants. They routinely drive the wrong way on one-way streets, make turns from the wrong "lane," and run red lights. It was like bumper cars, except fortunately we didn't bump. I guess if I go back by myself, I'll take a cab, bus, or train. I have never seen so many "taksis" in my life!
I did do other things besides eat and sweat. For instance, we went to a carpet shop because Turkish carpets are cheaper in Turkey. Some are huge, and there are also little ones called killims. Some of my co-workers bought carpets. I bought pistachios.
We also visited the Ataturk Mausoleum. Ataturk was their top modern politician. He is called the Father of Modern Turkey and he is almost worshipped. He introduced many important reforms, such as the Latin alphabet, improved education, and women's rights. His museum is immense and gorgeous and sits on a big park with guards who remain motionless as statues, until the changing of the guards, where they stomp around in groups. During important historical events, Ataturk's profile and eyes have been supposedly photographed looking down from the clouds.
The money in Turkey is something else - the denominations of Turkish lira are huge! I think it cost 3 million lira to buy a hamburger. So, in Turkey anyone can be a millionaire!
On a more serious note, there was a terrible earthquake in Turkey this week. It did not hit Ankara, and all of our Government co-workers and contractors there are safe.
Anyway, it was good to come home. It took an hour to process through passport control and get my luggage. Those of you who have been through Ben Gurion know what I mean. Just wait till the Year 2000 pilgrims start coming!
Recently we had a partial eclipse of the sun. My co-workers all went out on the roof of our building armed with pieces of paper punctured with pinholes to watch it safely. Someone gave me a welding helmet, so I got to see the real thing for five seconds. So far I am no blinder than normal, so I guess it worked.
Contrary to what most Americans believe, except for the orthodox religious, Israeli women are "liberated." Many wear bikinis and short skirts and tank tops and sundresses that are low cut in front and back. They hardly ever wear pumps. Most of the shoes sold are sandals. Most girls serve in the Army when they turn 18.
Odd things we have seen:
A man riding a motorcycle with two dogs in a sidecar.
A Carmelite nun in full habit, yakking on a cellphone.
An old man standing on his head on the beach.
Traditionally garbed Muslim women at the beach, carrying bright pink plastic inflatable beach toys.
The American Ambassador's house sits on a cliff above the beach near our house. One day while walking along the foot of the cliff, we looked up and saw a man buzzing back and forth in front of the Ambassador's house in a motorized parachute. There were several people in the Ambassador's yard who appeared to be Security personnel, anxiously watching the man as he floated back and forth. Apparently he took off and landed from a vacant lot nearby. Anyway, he attracted quite an audience. (Maybe it WAS the Ambassador!)
We use the metric system here. So, an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper is called something else, I forget what. Kevin figured out our gas mileage (converting from liters) and it has dropped to 25 mpg from Florida's 32 mpg, due to the traffic conditions. (Incidentally, when we bought our Saturn in 1996, I named it "Ezekiel" after the Israeli Old Testament prophet who dreamed about four wheels moved by the Spirit of God. Saturns are built in Spring Hill, TN and Tel Aviv means "spring hill." Of course, at the time we didn't know we'd be moving to Israel!)
Shekels come in paper money from 20-shekels and up. Coins for 10, 5, etc. The coins that make up a shekel are agourat.
At restaurants, a 12% service fee is often added in automatically. This is the waiter's salary, and then you are supposed to add more for a tip. They don't seem to bring you plates for the bread that comes before the meal.
We had to buy an Israeli clock-radio, as the American clock wouldn't keep correct time on Israeli electricity (something about it being pulse-driven). Our new one is a 24-hour clock.
The American International School for Embassy personnel's children is accelerated. One of our employees moved here with a teenaged son, only to learn that the son's grades weren't high enough to qualify. They had to send their son back to the States to stay with relatives to finish high school.
There is no American military presence here, so we fall under the Embassy. Our home is a "new" Embassy lease, so there are scores of things that need to be done to bring our "flat" up to Embassy standards. This week they installed a ring in the garage wall for the motorcycle, along with bars for the windows and patio doors. They have also been in to install blinds, for a fire inspection, to install a security alarm, to set up a gas-proof room, and a couple of times to get us the correct furniture. Our mirrors still aren't hung, and we have no fire extinguishers, so that will be another visit.
Our military wear civilian clothes.
Our neighborhood is a mass of traffic circles, one-way streets, high walls, and big trees by the road, so driving is interesting. Most Israelis drive however they want. The more law-abiding ones, if they find themselves going the wrong way, simply back up fast, all the way down the street.
Closing thought from Kevin:
You know you're a redneck diplomat when you bring home a big take-out box from the Ambassador's ritzy party.
bye,
Kevin & Liz