| Dear Family and Friends, No doubt about it, Turkey is probably the strangest country I have been in so far. From the moment I arrived in the country and was accosted by my first carpet seller, I knew that I was in for an adventure. For Chris, Marisa, and I, our adventure would bestow upon us two glorious days in Istanbul (one at the beginning and one at the end of our journey) and two amazing days exploring the ancient ruins of Ephesus and the white �calcium-deposit� hills of Pammukale. As I stepped off the train in Istanbul and basked in this new world, I marveled at the winding streets and at the many women adorned in full Islamic regalia (gowns and head-coverings), I was amazed by the brilliant mosques which dotted the city in every direction, and I delighted in the Muslim prayers, which were broadcast throughout each Turkish city during certain times of the day as believers rushed to remove their shoes, wash their feet, and hurry to the nearest Mosque. Perhaps one of the highlights of Istanbul was the famous Grand Bazaar . . . �Would you like to buy a carpet?�we were asked by gregarious Turkish men at every turn. �Or how about one of these? Or one of THESE?!!?� �No . . . no . . . and NO.� We passed rows and rows of candy, Turkish spices and teas, complete belly dancing costumes, musical instruments, carpets, pillowcases, purses, little wooden things, etc., frightened to stop, or let our eyes even wander, at any one booth too long. �Where are you from?� The heavy-accented men would ask. �What part of America? Are you married? How many children do you have? What is your favorite color? What is your social security number? Do you like carpets?!� And on and on it went . . . Sometimes, you might even get invited into their tents �for some tea�, as we did, in Marisa�s attempt to buy some pillowcases for her family. The three of us seated ourselves on three small chairs in the tent of carpets, pillowcases, and rugs as the apple tea, a Turkish delicacy, was brought into us. The aroma of sweet apples and the scents of Turkey filled our nostrils as we sipped our tea and listened to the carpet man bring his pillowcases to life. �See this one, this is a nice one,� he alleged. �Or how about this one with the little moons? Or this one?� And, then, with a brief, �Humma Yumma Yucka Yoo!� to his friend �Steve� on the other side of the tent, more and more pillowcases of all shapes, sizes, colors, designs, and sexual orientations were brought in for our enjoyment. Pillowcases reached the ceiling in colorful towers around us and we cowered at the thought of being smothered in Turkish pillowcases, never to be heard from again. But, at least we would meet our end with bellies full of apple tea! �Can I take your picture?� I asked the carpet man in between cases. He agreed, if I got into the picture with him, so I handed off my camera to Chris. �Is she married?� he asked my friends, who replied on my behalf. �Then maybe I can propose to her at the same time!� Awwww, you can�t beat Turkish men! I navigated my way through the maze of Turkish pillowcases, my life being threatened with each step, until I reached the little carpet man for the picture. And then, it was time to bargain. If you�ve ever been to Nogales, Mexico, you know exactly what I mean. �Will you sell us two of these for this much money?� �How about selling us five for 3 million Turkish lira, my first born child, and a backrub?� �What, 9 million lira for ONE? The guy down the street is only charging 5 million!� �I�ll give you this stick of gum and my pet rock collection for one of these!� I am probably the world�s WORST bargainer, so I willingly let Chris do all of my bargaining for me! We finally bought Marisa�s pillowcases and prepared to leave the little tent and a happy little carpet man thanked us and asked all too-eagerly, �Would you like to buy a carpet?!� AAAUUUGGGHHH . . . NO CARPETS!!! As Chris, Marisa, and I settled down at the end of the day and examined our purchases, we were pleased with the outcome of our bargaining. Marisa attempted to build towers with her pillowcases, Chris tried on his belly dancing costume and practiced his techniques, and I tried to analyze the intricacies of the designs in my new carpet, as the Islamic call to prayer rang out throughout the city and out departure to Ephesus rapidly approached. What an interesting trip this was turning out to be . . . surely there was nothing like it. Humma Yumma Yucka Yoo, Chantel P.S. I was excited because I not only added another country to my repertoire, I added a whole other continent! Most of Turkey is part of Asia, so, by going to Ephesus and Pammukale, I also went to Asia! Go figure! |
 |
 |
 |
| Letters Home |
| More Letters |