Happy Conquest Day!

Hello all,
I know you probably won't get time to look at this post until after you get back from all the Conquest Parties you're going to today. As you may remember from yesterday's post, today is the 555th anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. I've been surprised by the very public nature of the government-sponsored celebrations. No one else has; they argue that it's a simple affirmation of Turkishness, commemorating one of the most important and triumphant moments in Turkish history. I agree, of course. But at the same time, I can't help but be confused. It seems counterintuitive for the government, which (despite its more Islamic orientation) is avidly seeking membership in the European Union, to emphasize the events of 1453. In the Western psyche, this year is viewed as catastrophic for civilization; the uncouth Turks destroyed the venerable and cultured Byzantine Empire, streaming across southeastern Europe until halted by the heroic efforts of the Austrians in 1529 and Poles in 1683. To celebrate May 29 in such a public way only heightens the fundamentally non-European identity of the Turks. Many European countries are struggling to integrate their rapidly growing Muslim populations, and are hardly enthusiastic about admitting 70 million more into the EU (a population increase of over 15%). May 29 is a day of understandable pride for Turks, but I still wonder about the government's rationale.
Enough rambling (we haven't even been to the main celebrations, scheduled for tonight- I'll report tomorrow). Today we woke up early- 8- to go to Sabancı University, one of Turkey's newest and best universities. We had to take the ferry to Asia, and then an hour-long bus ride, and techincally it's still in Istanbul! It was a really interesting day, interacting with Turks our own age who spoke much, much better English than we're used to; they actually were quiet proficient. The students were so enthusiastic, smart, and curious (I feel like this sounds condescending, and I certainly don't mean it to be!), and we're meeting up with them again tonight or tomorrow night. Here's the group:
Okay, I know this looks more like a class picture than a group of friends, but we're certainly the latter. Here's one of the University itself:
In the very background is the Sea of Marmara, with one of the Prince's Islands. The University's about 9 years old, and has almost 3,000 undergrads. It's private (rare) and interdisciplinary (only one in Turkey with liberal arts and sciences).
That's about it for the day. As any of the other students could tell you, I've been embarrassing myself all day saying stupid things, so I'll cut my losses and say goodbye, happy Conquest Day, and I'll talk to you all tomorrow!