To Asia and Back

Yesterday I took advantage of my location right on the Bosphorus to cross into Asia. Directly across the Strait from Sariyer is an old castle on a hill that offers fantastic views. I couldn't find any history on the castle itself but the Asian side definitely offers a unique experience. The towns are much smaller, quieter and less overwhelmed with tourists. We crossed the Strait by seabus from Saryier to Anadolu Kavagi (silent g) for anyone interested in the geography. The coast is expectantly more touristy and actually reminded me a little of Venice. Houses right on the coast had "boat garages" - I'm not sure how to explain it but for anyone who has seen The Italian Job, it was very reminiscent. The castle is maybe a 45 minute hike straight up a steep hill but getting to the top was well worth it. Pictures will be up on facebook soon. From the top, looking south, you can see almost the entire way down the Bosphorus especially on a clear day. Looking north takes you right into the Black Sea. Although from my vantage point it all looked pretty close and small, the dotting of oil barges and tankers definitely helped put the scene into perspective. The afternoon plan was to head down the Asian side to Kadikoy but we had to reevaluate when our first of two buses took more than an hour. Instead we went for dinner in Taksim and met up with some other program participants for drinks.

I figure it's probably time to explain my program a little bit. I am studying at Koc University through CIEE. The University is taught in English - Turkish students who get in with insufficient English language skills need to take a gap year at the University to improve. CIEE at Koc is part of a larger International Exchange group. There are about 40 CIEE kids but an additional 80 directly enrolled international students. CIEE students are also directly enrolled so not much separates us from them. CIEE will sponsor some weekend trips and day trips but there isn't much more advantage to being CIEE or directly enrolled. The exchange office does a great job at offering services to their students.

Classes started Monday but the culture here doesn't really begin until the second week. Students don't come to the first week of classes and many professors are also at conferences and things. So next week I'll actually begin studying. I'm taking 5 classes - all on the region and the people here. My classes are: Turkish Society in a Comparative Perspective, Contemporary Turkish Politics, History of Turkic Peoples, The Art of the Mediterranean and European Civilizations, and Turkish. There is also an exchange class on the history and society of Turkey offered that I may audit but who knows. Don't want to overload.

We've also started planning independent trips - next weekend I'm going to Trabzon. More on that when it comes. It's on the Black Sea. Look it up.

One last thing, sorry this post is so long. I just want to give a shout out to my family, especially Avital - congratulations on your Bat Mitzvah! I hope you have an amazing time (and get some cool gifts). I can't wait to hear all about it.