Turkey Day in Turkey

Happy Thanksgivng everyone! Many of you have expressed concern, so let me put your fears to rest: we do indeed celebrate American holidays in Turkey. I have the good fortune(?) of working for an American-owned school, so we were given the day of Thanksgiving off from school and held a grand feast in the main reception hall of the school for all the American teachers and staff, their families, and curious Turks and miscellaneous others seeking a good meal. We lit the fireplace in the staff lounge, ate turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, and celebrated the holiday in traditional style. Not all of my Turkish colleagues knew the origin of the holiday; in fact I have been asked to explain it to the student body at the flag ceremony on Monday, so I was compelled to do some research to back up the apocryphal stories told to me by teachers and relatives since I was a child. Apparently, the earliest recorded Thanksgiving dinner was not at Plymouth Plantation in 1621 as most of us have been led to believe, but in 1565 in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. Dates and places aside, the Turks I know were most interested in the aspect of the holiday involving a harvest feast, something with which they could easily relate (especially those from the farther reaches of Anatolia, where the harvest is still a special time of year). In a way, Muslims have their own version of a Thanksgiving: the Sheep-Slaughtering Holiday(Festival of Sacrifice-my students call it the Sheep-Sacrificing Holiday). That is our next major holiday break, for which we will be given a week off from school, the second week in December. Interestingly, this holiday is based on the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at Yahweh's behest, so it ties together three of the world's religions in one! Ah, the holidays, a time to gather us all together...even if it means shedding a little blood! Happy Holidays All, whatever your beliefs may be.

History and Holidays

(photo courtesy of Ataturk.com)

Tomorrow is the date on which the Founder of the Turkish Republic died, and Istanbul is getting ready. Banners bearing Ataturk's image and Turkish flags are appearing eveywhere, and every school has been planning ceremonies for weeks now in honor of him. Ataturk succombed to his liver disease at 9:05 a.m. in Dolmabahce Palace, and at that time tomorrow the entire country will stop in its tracks, stand, and have a universal moment of silence in honor of the father of modern Turkey. It is kind of awe-inspiring to think of the entire population of a country doing anything at exactly the same time, but as we have been told that even if we are alone in our homes, classrooms, or anyplace else, we are to stop what we are doing as soon as the sirens begin, stand and be silent, it is clear that this concept is a reality here.

I am reading a biography of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk now, written by Andrew Mango, and it is becoming increasingly obvious to me the reasons for the reverence of the man on the part of Turkish citizens. As the Ottoman Empire fell, Ataturk gathered the Turkish people and led them to the development of a modern republic, including a new alphabet, secularism, and rights for all, including women. Women in Turkey actually had the right to vote before women in the United States!

I have also been learning about the history of the neighborhood/former village in which I live, Arnavutkoy. The current name means "Albanian Village," and came about during the population exchanges which took place in the early years of the Republic in which the Greek and Kurdish residents moved out and the Albanians moved in. The Turks then also moved to the area, which was known at the time for its fishermen and its strawberries.

The strawberries are long gone, but the concrete piers along the Bosphorus are still filled every night, all year round, with boats, fishermen...and fisherwomen. I discovered a website dedicated to the oral history of Arnavutkoy: http://www.megarevma.net/theoralhistory.htm.

God Bless America

It is amazing how much your perspective changes when you watch your country's greatest election from a foreign land. 70% of Istanbullus polled supported Obama, the remaining 30% did not for fear that he and Biden will call them to account for the Armenian tragedy. It seems, however, that the U.S. has finally moved beyond its greatest atrocity, and it may be time for the rest of the world to follow suit. My students, while nervous about the Armenian issue, were enthusiastic Obama supporters, and literally stood up and cheered as I entered my classroom yesterday wearing my red, white, and blue. With the exception of the Russian leaders (who are too mired in pettiness about blaming the U.S. for the economic crisis), the whole world is breathing a collective sigh of relief and optimism about the fate of America and her ability to make the world a better place to live. God Bless America. Today I am truly proud to be an American, for the first time in a very, very long time.

Random Thoughts and Pictures

Istanbul is quite simply one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I live in one of the most picturesque parts of this vast city of 14+ million people, and I still find myself gazing around me in disbelief at my good fortune in being given the opportunity to come here. As anyone who knows me well can imagine, it took about five minutes for me to find new friends here. So far I've been limited to my colleagues and their spouses, but as it turns out, there are some pretty amazing people in that lot. Those who were already here welcomed me like family instantly, and the other new people and I have all had ample time to bond through the opening festivities and survival bonding sessions we've held since.

Have I mentioned that Istanbul is filled with cats? Somehow it just adds to my sense of well-being to be surrounded by felines. They are the source of some controversy around campus, but at the end of the day it's always nice to be greeted by random purring creatures on your walk home.