I'm writing from my living room in North Carolina; Edward and I got back to the US about 4 days ago. It's a little strange to have to reflect on our last days from America, but I feel obligated to finish what I started almost 2 months ago.
So Sunday was our last full day in Istanbul as a group. Being us though, we still requested a full agenda. We started at the Yerebatan Cistern, an incredible early Byzantine site a stone's throw away from Hagia Sophia. There's not much water in it today (only about a foot), but there's a forest of columns and a bunch of fish, which is bizarre:
The red lighting and classical music in the background (for some reason Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto was playing) heightens the surreal atmosphere. In the very back of the cistern are the two famous Medusa heads, monumental column bases that no one has been able to sufficiently explain:
We emerged from underground to catch a boat for our tour up the Bosporus. Because of time, we didn't go all the way up, but were able to see all the sites up until Rumeli Hisari, the fortress built by Fatih Sultan Mehmed II in 1452 before taking the city:
No shortage of great picture opportunities on this trip; one of my favorites was sailing under the huge Bosporus Bridge:
Also, the view of Ortokoy Camii and the bridge:
We got back to our flats in the afternoon to get ready for our final dinner together. William and Sarah took us to a beautiful restaurant right on the Sea of Marmara. Here's the group, with the view:
We had such a good time, eating the (huge amounts of) delicious food and reminiscing. Even Hande, our Turkish teacher, showed up!
The very next day, starting at 2am (!) our group began to drift back to the United States. For those of us left on Monday, it was a day to get a little more sleep, work a little on our assignments, and take one final walk through the city that had been our home for 5 of the last 7 weeks. To use a completely original word, it was quite bittersweet. We payed a visit to our donercis (the guys who operate the doner stand/restaurant where we got about 25% of our meals), and got some pictures:
David with Scowly and Smiley (what we called them before we learned their names, Olcay and Tuncay). The next day, before Edward and I left for the airport, we went to say goodbye. Though we made clear we were in somewhat of a rush, Tuncay told us to sit down, and ran off. When he came back, he had a Fenerbahce (one of Istanbul's 3 club football teams) banner which he proceeded to wrap around my shoulders. It was an appropriately Turkish ending to our trip. A new friend (who spoke no English!) sent me off with an obviously meaningful gift; I think it was his, because it doesn't really look brand new. We got their email address, so we'll be able to send them the pictures and check up on the doner business. Edward and I's journey back to the US was, barring a slight crisis in Ataturk International Airport, fairly uneventful. When we arrived at the airport, our flight to London, scheduled for 2, had been moved back to 5:30, ruling out any chance of our making the connection to Washington. Through some finagling I still don't understand, we were put on another set of flights (Istanbul-NYC, NYC-Washington), and ended up arriving at the same time at Dulles.
The past few days have been incredible, and I've loved every minute of being home. Seeing family, friends, and Peaches (who is not happy about all the cats she's seen on the blog) has been great. I wouldn't say I miss the city yet; I've only been home for 4 busy days. I know that I will though, which only makes me more excited for my inevitable trip back. In case you haven't gathered, I kind of had a good time in Turkey, and my considerable pre-trip interest in the country has been immeasurably widened and deepened. The trip hasn't really given me more insight into whether I want to pursue academia or foreign service, but I know that in either of these fields, I want to specialize in Turkey.
So I guess that's it; the blog has finally come to an end. I thank each and every one of you for following it, even casually; I can't tell you how happy it made (and still makes) me every time someone mentioned reading it. I hope that I've been able to explain 'why Turkey' a little more clearly. It would be futile for me to succinctly name the reasons, as I tried to do before in my inaugural post; instead, I'll let the blog stand in its entirety as a testament to what is surely one of the most fascinating and engrossing countries on Earth. I'd also like to thank Professor Shields and William for their incredible leadership on the trip; there's no way we could've learned as much, or had as much fun, without them. And before I overstay my welcome, I want to thank the 9 other UNC students, my new dear friends; I had such an incredible time with all of you, and I cannot wait to hang out with y'all in Chapel Hill.
Until "Why Turkey- Round 2!", that's it!
Clayton
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