Oh Istanbul...

So, I've spent just under a month in my new home and I am LOVING it.  When I went abroad going home to the States was always a distinct possibility.  This just sort of solidifies things.  Now, before you freak out Cindy let me clarify.  This is more like a solidify in the sense of a non-Newtonian fluid.  That is to say under the right conditions it will behave as a solid and maintain its shape, etc.  but under another set of conditions it acts as a liquid and takes the shape of its container so on and so forth.  What I'm trying to say is that things are peachy keen at the moment and life is good.  Why mess with something if it's not broken?

Anywho, moving in a more forward direction...  School has been hectic.  I've freaked out a little bit about the course load I have this year.  It's not so much the amount of classes I have but more the breadth.  I am teaching grades 7, 8, 9, and 11.  I am also teaching three different curricula (Checkpoint, IGCSE and IB) and not just chemistry this time but physics too!  Now, it's not like I didn't expect this.  I was told about the lower grades when I interviewed with the distinct possibility of teaching an IB course.  It just really hit when I saw it on paper.  To be honest, I'm probably most concerned about the middle school classes.  I've been teaching 10-12 for the past three years and it's going to be a big adjustment for me to shift down to the level of 7th and 8th graders.  I have three levels of external tests to be preparing kids for and it's just something that is going to take a lot of organisation from me to keep straight.  I'll just do my best to make it so that I am not having to go over the same concepts each year. 

Gosh, I'm already starting to sound like I'm a lifer.

Moving on...

This week is Eid, the end of Ramadan.  Ramadan is the month-long fast that Muslims undergo to learn about spirituality, humility and the like.  In Turkey everything basically shuts down (well, not everything but quite a bit) and they call it Şeker Bayramı.  The funny S is pronounced "sh-" (Digraphs?! We don't need no stinkin' digraphs! (Though an interrobang would be nice.)).  Also not that the 'i' at the end is dotless.  It is also another letter and from what my limited understanding of the Turkish language tells me it has the sound of a long i.  For example, take the word rakı.  It's not pronounced like the Italian Stallion's breakout role but more like 'rock-a.'

Using that as a delectable little segue into raki (I'm not going to be bothered with the dot/no dot from here on out).  We had a lovely get together  at the ranch of the schools' owner.  We got to wander around a bit and check the place out until dinner after sundown (for Ramadan fasting purposes).  Well, after the sun went down the food and beverage flowed rather liberally.  One of my colleagues brought a bottle of raki back to the table and we began to partake.  This colleague happened to also be in the science department.  He poured his and passed me the bottle.  I pour some into my glass but was immediately dumbfounded.  My raki was clear and colourless!  Now, for those of you who have not had the experience of destroying your liver with such fine pickling substances allow me to explain that raki is a liquor made from the anise seed giving it a distinct licorice flavour.  It is also served milky white.  Imagine my surprise when I poured a glass that looked just like water.  I quickly asked what made his raki so different from mine and he reminded me that one must add water to the raki in order for it turn CC (that's clear and colourless) to an opaque white.  Well, we started discussing it with some other science folks and deduced that what must be happening is that a precipitate is forming when the water is added.  For the non-chemistry friendly folks out there that means that a solid that had been dissolved in the liquid was forming crystals and coming out of solution.  In this case the crystals are small and tend to remain suspended (see this post about supersaturated solutions forming precipitates) giving the appearance of a colour change.  We joked around and said it would be an interesting investigation for my IB-1 class.  Well, I did look it up and we were pretty close.  It is a precipitate that forms.  It is more soluble in alcohol than in water.  So, in pure raki it is dissolved and all is well, but as soon as the water is added you start to change the chemical make up of what's in the glass and the molecules that were once soluble cannot stay in solution any longer and start to come out as little clumps of crystals. 

Pretty cool, eh?

OK, no more nerding out.  For now.

We've had this week off and it was quite a good thing.  On Friday I played football (soccer) with some other teachers and in an aggressive fight for the ball I managed to land on the side rather than bottom of my foot and heard a loud *POP* *POP*  I was down.  It didn't really hurt but I knew that something had moved around down there.  Whether it was tendons or bones I cannot say.  Luckily, I was just down the hill from home and was able to walk pretty much after it happened.  My friends took care of me.  They brought me brufenCis Kofte, basically spiced raw meat balls).  I've kept off of it for most of this week.  There's very little swelling and no discolouration and very little pain if any.  I count myself lucky for how well it's been healing thus far.  And of course this had to happen the night before my birthday.  I did manage to still go out and have fun.  I met some friends at an Irish pub for dinner and drinks and then we wandered around until we found a karaoke bar.  There was a guy that obviously spent too much time there and showed us all up but as one of my friends put it the guy had a great voice and awesome range (he could sing Mika) but had no outward presence.  It was a great way to spend a birthday.

The ankle did put a damper on plans to wander around and check out some more of the area but I did manage to make quite the excursion today down to old Istanbul.  We went to the site of the old hippodrome.  The building doesn't really exist anymore except for a few remnants.  We were more interested in going to the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia.  We went to the Blue Mosque first but didn't realise it because the signs all called it by its proper name, "Sultan Ahmed Mosque," and we didn't get to see the spectacular blue interiors that one hears about.  I think it's just because it is still tourist season and since it is an active mosque we got shuffled to a side area to check out.  Perhaps when dad and Cindy come in the winter we'll be able to see the real deal.

The Hagia Sophia was next.  I honestly started having my own version of Nam flashbacks.  We got in the gate and then realised we needed tickets first.  Back out we find the ticket line as it snakes its way out and around the corner.  Luckily it moves quickly and I am just a few metres from getting my ticket when someone tries bumping in line.  Now, if you clicked the link above you'll see where this might be headed.  I was just behind the area where it starts to get roped off so I quickly jut my hand out and grab on to keep the guy (let's be honest, it was a kid no older than 16 and his family of like 10) from getting in front of me.  My friends are behind me but aren't paying as close of attention and he sneaks in between us.  We exchange glances of WTF? as the kid tries snaking his was past me.  I'm having none of it and stick my foot out to tie my shoe.  I stand back up with my hands on my hips to block him on either side.  Once we get to the ticket lines I get in one and he promptly walks up to the front of another and buts in.  One guy says something to him but he ignores him and takes his tickets.  Nothing but a little punk in my eyes.  It was relatively short and painless.  Maybe twenty minutes in line and TL20 later we had tickets and were through security.  Then I saw it.  The line to actually get IN.  Not another one...  It was so long too and snaked back and forth.  We looked at each other and my friend was about to get in line when I spied the most glorious sign next to these people,

"Headset Tours Only
<--- Entrance"

I was elated.  These fools got guided tours (well, honestly most of them didn't have headsets and were just queueing b/c that's where most others were).  We went left and walked right in.  I've been to the Taj Mahal a couple of times and even when the experience wasn't painful I was never struck with awe like one would assume they should experience when seeing it.  Walking into the Hagia Sophia, however, I just felt immediately enveloped in awe and a sense of deep history.  It was gorgeous even in its partially refurbished state.  Elements of Islam and Christianity sat side-by-side with Islamic scripts nary a hand's breadth from a mosaic of Christ.  I was able to imagine this church/mosque in all of its exquisite detail as a brand new building.  Mosaic tiles lining the ceilings.  Light pouring in from the huge dome on top.  Gilded pieces of worship scattered about and men in robes scuttling about to light this candelabrum or deliver this message.  It was a much more fulfilling experience for me.

Now what you really came here for--pictures:

 The obelisks in the centre of the hippodrome.  The one in the foreground is Egyptian and pretty cool to look at.  The other has had its outer shell removed a long time ago and honestly looks like a bunch of LEGO.  It's too bad this is really all that remains of the structure.  It would have been really cool to see it.

 Inside the Blue Mosque (though I didn't know it at the time).

 

First view of the Hagia Sophia.

 That fountain turned on just for me.  I'm a magician.

 Inside, looking up.

 Straight up at the central dome.

 Mosaics covered the upstairs.

 A view of the Blue Mosque from upstairs in the Hagia Sophia.

 More mosaics.

 Four seraphim adorned the sides of the interior (another is seen above) but this is the only one where the face had not been covered.  I'm not sure why.

 The Blue Mosque as seen from in front of the Hagia Sophia.

Don't mock the man-bag.  Embrace it.  LOVE IT.

At this point a year ago I was in pretty dire straits.  Emotionally, I was a wreck and had a lot to deal with.  I look at where I am now and hardly believe it.  I made it through the year, put all or at least the majority of that behind me and am starting fresh.  I used to wake up in India and think sometimes, "My god, what have I done?!" (just like the Talking Heads) but here it's more like, "Awesome.  Bodacious!" (kinda like the ninja turtles).  All in all Istanbul is shaping up to be a good fit for me.  I feel like the school and the city and the people and everything else will end up being a great fit for me.

That is if I can learn the language.  What I need is a private tutor.  Can we say, "Turkish girlfriend?"


--Gobble Gobble