FOOD! :D

This topic is one of my favorites and I am very excited to talk about it.

Turkish food is DELICIOUS! It's very similar to Greek food and other Mediterranean cuisine, but there are a few things that just make it amazing - like all the fun Turkish names!

The great thing about Turkey is that some places are famous for a certain kind of food. Like a Philly Cheese Steak, a good Southern BBQ, a Maryland crab, or a Boston clam chowder, some things are best eaten in "their" city.

Konya - where I've been staying for the past few days - is famous for Etliekmek. I heard great things about it from several of my friends, but I couldn't believe the hype - even when my sister was the one telling me how delicious it was.

Etliekmek is made from very long, very thin slices of bread. It's kind of like a really thin pizza dough. On top of that is added a sprinkling of specially seasoned ground meat and some herbs. All of this is then placed in a big wood oven and cooked until it is warm. The etliekmek is served on long wooden boards and everyone rips off pieces. You can sprinkle lemon juice on top, eat it with tomatoes, or just eat it right out of the oven. No matter what, it's delicious!

Now, another delicious and well-known Turkish dish is döner. In America, we know this as a gyro. It's usually made of lamb meat and it's cooked by spinning huge cones of compacted meat next to a flame. As it is spun, slices are cut off and then placed in the pita or bread. Usually there are tomatoes, some lettuce, and maybe onions. Depending on the type of döner, you can add yogurt (originally from the Mediterranean!) and other toppings. There are lots of "fast food" döner restaurants all over Turkey and you can even find them in places like Germany!

Another famous Turkish meal is kebab. There are tons of variations on this but the one that seems to be the most common (and the one that I've tasted) is Adana Kebap. It's made by mixing ground meat with seasonings and then forming it around a flat metal stick. This is then cooked over a flame until it's ready. Then you can add it to bread and tomatoes and onions...whatever you like - kind of like doner but with different seasonings entirely!

There are tons of other foods to discuss - like what makes Turkish breakfast special and what do "real" Turkish people usually eat for dinner. I love the food here and everything tastes very fresh and full of flavor. It's not like you're eating tons of preservatives here. It's wonderful. And, like I said, this is just the beginning of Turkish cuisine!

For now, I'll leave you with this first taste of what it's like to be in Turkey!

Etliekmek photo: http://www.informatik.uni-bremen.de/~net/images/cappadocia/konya/img_0102.jpg

doner photo: http://www.gumushane.gen.tr/hr/odatdole.jpg

Fınally Arrıved!

The long journey to Turkey has finally concluded. After a long night of driving and tire blowing, I finally received my visa. The thing I both love and hate about Turkey is the paper work. There are millions of things you have to apply for with a million pages to the applications. Of course, you have to pay for every application and then, it seems, as soon as you turn in the papers, you're cleared. Now, it is possible that my untrained eye simply cannot detect the efforts of the Turkish government, but it's equally possible that they really just like paper trails. But even then, I have to wonder. When I submitted my student visa application I was given a receipt in the form of a carnival ticket. One was given to me and one was taped to my passport. And, I was instructed that, as long as the person had the corresponding ticket, they could pick up the passport. Really great security practices, right? At the same time, it truly reflects Turkey. There, everything is difficult until it is easy...everyone has to submit the same papers and do the same thing, life is hard, university entrance procedures are terrible, the job market isn't great, but as soon as you finish the last necessary thing, everything falls into place.

So, after the embassy trip (and its tire fiasco) and weeks of pretending to prepare, the day of departure arrived. I packed my bags in earnest and then repacked the night before because all of my friends told me I only need one small bag. I never got everything into such a small space - partly because every time I took something out my mom added another and partly because I don't plan on buying a whole new wardrobe just because "it's from Turkey." They have all the same brands anyway.

After two vacations, I'm finally here for some serious business. School. At Middle East Technical University which, as I have recently learned, is considered the best university in Turkey. We'll see how it stands up to UVA standards. And still I know there will be lots of paperwork to face. I’ve been looking on the university’s website and it seems there are endless lists of required papers. I’m not excited about the paperwork, but I realize that as soon as it’s completed, I’ll be in. And, that’s the truly exciting part. Studying in another country, learning another language…it’ll be great. I hope. Or, as most Turks would say, “InshAllah.” (It’s a phrase from Islam that people say all the time here. Kind of like “God willing.”) So far, I’ve been managing ok with Turkish –mostly because Mustafa, my boyfriend, has kindly corrected my every mistake. When I start at the university will be the real test. Even though classes are in English,I have a feeling that doesn’t mean quite as much English as I would like. But what’s the point of studying abroad if you don’t throw yourself completely into the unknown?

And that’s exactly where I am at the moment. Spending two weeks waiting for school to start with Mustafa and his family. Finally enjoying the summer. Even though it's crazy hot here (imagine first year dorms with even more heat and no fans), it's going to be great. Even if I have to fill out six billion applications before the first week is up.