In case you didn't know Turkish swimming cats love the water. After we left Washington D.C we flew over night to Munich, Germany. This was the first time I had ever been in Europe by the way, and honestly it seemed just like Atlanta to me...well the airport did since I never left it. From Munich we then flew to Ankara. You know how there is the Red Eye that flies people from L.A. to New York over night? Well Lufthansa has something similar called the Turkish Crying Babies Make You Want To Stab Yourself In The Eye flight, I honestly think the plane consisted of our group, 12 gangly Canadian female basketball players, a freaky German male flight attendant and 83 pissed off crying Turkish babies. As we flew over Eastern Europe I wondered if my host family would like me. I wondered if they would have air conditioning, and more importantly if they would have internet. As the plane flew over Ankara it looked like we might have been flying over Phoenix or some other western American metropolis with its orange terracotta shingled roofs. I was left nonplussed from my first vision of Ankara. Then after we landed we started to drive through the city, and I slowly began to like it. Granted you are smacked in the face from all the non licensed Disney likenesses, but it still has a charm. A fellow CLS student, Robin, said it best when she compared Ankara to Mexico City, it really had almost central American feel to it, who would have guessed it was technically in Asia.
From the airport we went directly to TOMER, where we were individually introduced to our host families. Mine was Emine...at least I think that's her name. Emine has the vibe of a stern southern grandmother, especially in that she almost made me cry several times during my first 14 hours. She has a cute tidy apartment that she shares with her husband Husnu and a daughter. The most important thing about their apartment is it is walking distance to the TOMER, I believe I am the only one that lucked out in that department. Emine is always wanting to teach me Turkish, but the problem is she does not speak English so regardless of what she says to me I repeat it, even though for all I know she is saying, "What time do you want up?" Emine and I have a failure to communicate. Finally out of Frustration she would shake her head and walk away. Then when she was walking me to class she started talking about something involving the Turkish American Association that we passed, and of course I went to my old standard of repeating everything said to me, and again she shook her head and walked away.
When I arrived at TOMER for orientation I just wanted to be away from Emine, Ankara and Turkey for that matter. All the other folks in the program seemed to have dynamic host families that lived above banks or were glamorous P.E teachers. I told my plight to all that would listen, about how stern she was, and how she would just walk away. All I got was maybe things will get better. During orientation we would have fifteen minute breaks where a young man would take our drink orders and bring us beverages. I have to admit this made me feel a little uncomfortable, as if I was in colonial Indja or something. But then I always feel a little uncomfortable when I am waited on. During the second break I tried Aryan for the first time. For y'all that don't know Aryan is a salty cold yogurt drink. I didn't hate it.....I didn't love it either. They say Ayran is good cure for being hungover, that might be the only occasion that will bring me to try it again. After class we had an hour to explore the area before our host families came to pick us up. Lauren, Anne, Courtney and I began exploring the immediate area around our school and ran in to Emine who was on her way to get me. Courtney is such an awesome lady, this is third time in Turkey with the program, and she spoke to Emine telling her about how I am an absolute beginner because many universities in the United States do not offer Turkish classes. Emine told Courtney, who then told me that I should explore more with my friends and that she and Husnu would meet me in Kugu (swan) Park. When I arrived at Kugu Park there was festival happening. I meet my host parents and we sat on a bench and with the help of the Berlitz Turkish Concise Dictionary we began to communicate. Yes maybe I for the first time started to really listen as well. We spent over two hours listening to Turkce muzik, as I would randomly point at things asking "Bu ne?" While in the park I looked over and saw my classmate Emily who looked to be doing the same thing with her host mother and grandmother. I think Emine and I have reached a turning point, and regardless of whatever happens during my stay here in Ankara I had a really great afternoon with two amazing people, and Kugu (swan) is now forever blazed in my vocabulary.
