Once More Unto the Breach

After the third horrific day, things got better.  I wasn't understanding things in class better--to this point I still only barely know what's going on at any given time--but I accepted the fact that I wasn't going to understand anything, and that made it easier to stomach.  Basically we start off with all the conjugations of whatever suffix or whatever we're working on, and that's pretty easy because I just have to copy it down.  Then she gives us example sentences to try and explain to us the different meanings it might have.  This is where things get hard--normally I'll understand at least one (the main) meaning of the suffix.  But then she might put up the same exact sentence, with a slightly different conjugation of the verb...sometimes a difference of only one letter.  Then she tries to explain the nuances of meaning to us in Turkish.

That's where the whole process, for me, breaks down.  Her explanations just don't get through to me.  Whether the grammar is too advanced or she just spits out a bunch of vocabulary words I don't know, I just can't get the subtle differences that she's trying to express.  My only hope now seems to be when she leaves the room on one of our three breaks, when I can turn to the other students and ask if they, at least, understand.  Usually they have understand better than I have, but it's still not enough to completely turn on the light.  Basically I can now hear the suffixes when people use them and thus generally get the gist of what they're trying to express, but I feel far from comfortable at actually using them in conversation myself.  It's also very frustrating when I can't even word my question properly to get her to explain what I want.

But I digress.  Truly this is an improvement. 

 I survived the week, obviously, and on Saturday we had our trip to Seferihisar.  I got to sleep in a whole hour before heading to TÖMER, where we met our buddies and were loaded onto a bus.  It was a very long, mostly uneventful ride, but at least there was pretty scenery to look at.  We finally arrived at the beach and set our stuff down, and I was excited to go swimming for the first time in Turkey.  The "sandy beach," however, as I soon discovered, was anything but.  There was no sand in sight, but rocks of various sizes that I had to step on in order to get to the water.  Once there, my troubles were not over.  The water was cold, but I couldn't ease my way in because of even more rocks underfoot.  My only option was to fall forward so the water could support me as I crawl into the deeper area and away from the rocks. 

Once there, the experience was considerably more enjoyable.  After a bit of swimming we had lunch, did some more swimming, and then did some exploring on the rocks nearby.  After even more swimming, however, I began to feel that we had been there quite long enough, thank you, and that it was time to go home.  But, as I soon found out, we still had several more hours there.  I swam in the pool for a bit, but I was starting to burn and tired of the water.  I spend the rest of my time watching other people play Backgammon.  Game and game after Backgammon.  I don't know how Backgammon is played, and even after someone started to explain it I still don't, so this part was a bit uninteresting for me.  But finally we left, thus ending my first cultural excursion.

Sunday was a rather quiet day.  I mostly did homework or studied Turkish, as well as watching Coriolanus with my host family.  I think that they actually understood the film better than I did even though it was in English, because they had subtitles for the Shakespearean dialogue and I didn't.  I enjoyed it, although I don't think my host mother did, and it was interesting to see Lord Voldemort with a nose.

And so, my first week in Turkey ended enjoyably but uneventfully.  Classes the next week were much the same, less distressing but no less confusing.  Monday was my host brother's birthday, and on Tuesday after class we met up with our language buddies and went to a museum, Agora, and Kemeraltı, a bazaar.  The museum we went through rather quickly.  It was mostly filled with different textiles, mostly from the Ottoman period but some dating much earlier, but there were some other things like swords to look at.  Agora is some Greek ruins that, at first glance, doesn't look particularly impressive.  There are a couple of columns standing and a bunch of other pieces arranged on the ground.  Once you actually walk around, however, you can see a bunch of passageways that are below the ground level.  Walking around under the arches there was actually rather fun, and a lot cooler than walking around in the sun.  We also met some very friendly kitties, and that was nice, as well.

Next we went to Kemeraltı, which was probably the most interesting.  It was my first experience going to a real Turkish bazaar, and it did not disappoint.  So far there had been nothing in Turkey that I really wanted to buy, but looking around at the bazaar, I wanted to buy everything.  As well as trinkets for souvenirs, spices, and the like, there were also a bunch of dress stores with dresses I really liked, as well as store after store filled with intricate "circumcision outfits."  I felt slightly bad for any children I might have in the future, because I really wanted one.  For those that don't know, in Turkey (although not so much now), boys get circumsized around the age of eight.  They get dressed up in these sultan outfits and paraded around before. . . yeah . . . the actual circumcision.  And although I'm glad I'm not an eight-year-old Turkish boy, that didn't make the outfits any less cute.

After walking around for a good bit, we sat down in a cafe.  I got water, but most of the others got coffee and, when they were finished, had fun telling each others' fortunes.  They also brought out little plates with tiny cubes of Turkish Delight, which was my first experience with it in Turkey.  Although I hadn't been a huge fan of it while in America, I did like the "authentic" lokum that I tried.  Once more I felt like we were there for a bit long for my tastes, because when you can't really contribute to the conversations going on around you very well, it gets a bit boring.  But eventually we did leave, and that was pretty much that. 

The next event of note came on Thursday, when we had our excursion to Çeşme.  Once more we were loaded onto a bus, driven far away, and let out with no word on what the plan was.  We walked around a little town for a bit, and I thought we were walking to the beach from there.  It was definitely constructed for tourists--all the buildings were cute and white and there were souvenir shops and cafes lining the streets.  But there were beautiful flowers everywhere and it was rather charming for a place that you knew was merely touristy. 

To my surprise, we walked back the way we came and got onto the bus once more.  This time we were driven to Çeşme Castle, which was quite cool.  We walked around the castle for a bit, enjoying the view, and looking at the exhibit covering the Battle of Çeşme during the 1768 Russo-Turkish War.  It was interesting, but they hurried us out before we'd even had a chance to go to the very top of the castle, which was disappointing.  We couldn't have been there for more than half an hour.  Once more on a bus, we were driven to a beach.  We got out and brought our stuff to some chairs, which Spencer was able to haggle the attendant down into letting us use for three liras.

Although not as scenic, this beach was more fun for me.  The water was warmer, and although there were rocks in the shallows, there weren't as many and you could soon walk past them.  We stayed there for a while, talking and enjoying the water, before heading home.  The next day we had our "Documentary Subject Selection" for the documentary we're going to be making, and since I'd enjoyed the trip, I picked Çeşme as my subject.

That weekend was different and rather exciting.  My host mother decided to take me to her mother's apartment by the beach. I packed my stuff into my bag and we got onto the Metro, and from there to a bus. I'm not sure exactly where her mother's house is; just that it was a rather long drive. But we made it and I was introduced to her mother and her older sister, who were both very nice and welcoming. We had a very large Turkish meal that night, then sat around and talked. Her mother's house didn't have any air conditioning or Wifi, or even a fan in my room, but somehow I was able to survive the heat.  What I was not excited to encounter, which I had not seen in Izmir during my entire stay, were mosquitoes. And boy, did they love me. I counted fourteen bug bites on my right foot alone, and they were barely biting any of the Turks!  They attributed it to my sweetness, but I think that the bugs were just racist against Americans.

I turned in early and got up late, trying to make up for getting up early all those mornings for class. We had a very large and delicious Turkish breakfast (my favorite being simply fried dough, which I drizzled honey over), then got dressed into our swimsuits and went to the beach. We brought our stuff to a cafe and I was finally able to get Wifi, so I frantically checked my email before we went swimming.  This beach, although crowded, was by far the best--there was a beautiful view of the mountains, warm water, and absolutely no rocks. I loved it.

We headed back after a few hours for a shower, another large Turkish dinner, and hanging around. I accompanied my host mother to a pazar, and watched in horror as she bought vegetable after vegetable that she would be sure to feed me later. After our little shopping trip we watched The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly--thankfully in English, with Turkish subtitles.  What I did find hilarious, however, was the fact that they blocked out all the cigarettes with a little cartoon flower. Now, I can understand shielding children by blurring out blood. It's not every day that I walk down the street and see someone with a gaping stab wound.  But to have Tuco being brutally beaten and bloody and to censor out the cigarette instead of the violence, while everyone in Turkey smokes, struck me as very amusing. Turkish children have certainly seen cigarettes, and I'm pretty sure that Turkish babies might be born with a cigarette dangling from their lips, but apparently they must be shielded from them on the television.  After the movie, I worked on a blog post and went to bed.

The next morning I awoke to find that our group had expanded with several of my host family's cousins, an uncle (I think), and an adorable second cousin, Nehir. After the beach we headed home, where I discovered that the Wifi, which I had missed dearly, wasn't working. Heartbroken, I went to bed, mentally preparing myself for another week of strenuous classes, a ton of homework, and more social life than I had experienced in the past year in Kansas.