Thoughts on a German Train Ride

I'm on my way home from Kulmbach now, and being stuck on a German train for 5 hours has given me some time to think. I guess this is one of those flowery posts you save for the grandkids about life at large, so if you want to skip this one I won't hold it against you.

Sometimes you get this feeling that you know something in your life is missing, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. I think I’ve come to realize that you sometimes get this feeling when whatever you’re missing has been right in front you the whole time. This semester something’s felt a little off, and I couldn’t quite figure out why. Having been to Europe many times before, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t homesickness, and the culture shock wasn’t really that strong. I’ve just felt like I was trying to get something out of the experience, and I think I’ve finally found it. It’s really dumb, actually, but it was the ability to say goodbye.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a weird fascination with Europe. Same with German – even in 7^th grade when we had to take that foreign language course, I somehow knew I wanted to spend more time on the German part. I didn’t have any super skills or anything, it just kind of clicked. Then came high school. Somehow or another I figured out a way to make 4 years of German work with 3 years of coursework, and what’s more, I landed a trip to Germany out of it. God, I still don’t think I’m over that summer – all of the people, the friends, family, trips, school, everything – here I am studying in Vienna, and after 4 months of living there, I still get all giddy when I travel to Kulmbach for just a week. I know there’s no way to recreate what happened before, but I still just simply cannot imagine what my life would be like without this experience. Since then, I think I’ve spent about a third of my life abroad, and I am absolutely loving it. If there’s nothing else I’ve learned from my study abroad experience so far, it’s that your dreams are not nearly as far away as you think they are. What seemed like a pipe dream just 5 years ago has more than become a reality – I’m LIVING in Europe. Every major capital city I read about in European history is just a stone’s throw away. It’s all in my home turf now. I’ve been traveling around to different countries and continents looking for what was missing, not knowing that I wasn’t really missing anything at all, I just wasn’t looking at it. I think at this point what’s lacking is an enumerated plan of what I’m going to do for the rest of my life. And I think there’s a good reason that’s lacking – I don’t want to know that any one time I do something is without a doubt the last time I’ll have that experience. As stupid as it sounds, I’m thinking it might all go back to the first time I was in Kulmbach – leaving on the last day was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but right before I left, my host brother told me “It’s just goodbye, that doesn’t mean we won’t see each other again, duh!” Simple words with a profound meaning, if you ask me.

As I sit in a train watching the Bavarian landscape go by, I think I’ve finally come to realize that saying goodbye is just a natural part of life’s happenings. It doesn’t mean see you soon, see you later, or even see you at all. It just means the end of an experience, nothing more, nothing less. No one (not even me) can tell whether or not something is going to happen later in life, and I’ve finally come to realize how great that really is.

The Trip Home/Final Thoughts

Well, it's official. It's time to go home, and my time in Turkey is finally over. I'm on the plane from Munich to Chicago right now, and since nothing monumental really happened today, I figured I'd take some time to put my final thoughts down on paper.

Turkey was a far different experience from what I thought it would be. Having lived in Europe, international travel is not something that is weird for me. However, being in Turkey definitely made me experience a culture shock that was far greater than anything I had ever felt before.

I guess I'm what you'd call a "westerner." All of my life experience has been in either the United States or western Europe. I never really considered myself culturally insensitive, but I don't think it would be a stretch to say I was culturally ignorant to a degree when it comes to eastern countries, especially Islamic ones. Quite frankly, growing up in Naperville and the US, I didn't really need to be that knowledgable. If there is one thing this trip changed for me, t is exactly that mentality.

When we first arrived in Istanbul, I felt honestly very uncomfortable. People were pushy, the city was confusing, and all the food looked weird. And that's even without the language barrier - I was totally lost. But unfortunately for me, not adapting wasn't really an option. We were in Turkey whether I liked it or not. So, after a few rough meals that were ordered using broken Turkish, English, and everything in between, I couldn't believe it, but I was starting to get used to it. Having a shopkeeper bombard me with questions over apple tea started to become a normality. Hearing the call to prayer at even intervals became as natural as the incessant honking of anything that had a horn. And you know what? I was actually starting to enjoy it.

I always said I loved Europe and Germany because I felt more at home there than I ever did in the US. One thing this trip taught me was that is is indeed possible to enjoy a place even if it is different that what you're used to. Outside of offhand references in history books, I really had no idea this country of such a rich and unique heritage existed. Having been there, I really wonder why it was never higher on my travel list. I may never live in Turkey, or even visit again, but I definitely feel like I have a new appreciation for the eastern culture and its place in the world.

This trip has helped me grow both personally and professionally far more than I ever thought I would. Istanbul may not be Constantinople, but I have learned that it is so much more than a song or any words can describe.

Ephesus

Our joys of no wakeup time were short-lived. We left for Ephesus just after 8 a.m. this morning. Our first stop was at the House of the Virgin Mary, which apparently is a pilgrimmage point for many Christians (I'm Catholic, so that was pretty cool). Next, we drove to the third city of Ephesus, which included many ruins from Greek and Roman times. It was really neat to see how their society functioned, and it was even cooler to see how they figured out all that they know today. After many group shots, we made a quick stop at the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

After coming back to the hotel, we napped and then went out for dinner for the last time. It's definitely going to be weird not seeing all these people for a while - I'm going to miss this place. I'll write more on the plane.

Selçuk

Today was our first day without an assigned wakeup time - çok güzel! After a hearty mid-morning breakfast, we headed to the beach on the Aegean Sea. It was BEAUTIFUL. Sand, water, warm sun, mountains, and no corn - pretty much the anti-Illinois. We went in the water, laid out in the sun, typical beach stuff. I think I got burned, but it was definitely worth it. After the beach, we showered, ate, and got ready to watch the final game of the Champions League, which was Manchester United vs. Chelsea. I was rooting for Chelsea, since Michael Ballack of Germany plays for them, but unfortunately they lost :[. You can't have everything, I guess. It was still a great last night in Turkey.

I'm going to miss this place a lot more than I thought.

Government Presentations

Man, today was busy. We started off by heading to the Ministry of the Treasury to hear presentations on everything from the Turkish economy to accounting methods to risk management strategies. I don't know too much about the government side of finance (even in the USA), so these presentations were definitely very informative; it was kind of difficult to process all of the information at times, though.

After the four presentations, we had a break for tea, and we reconvened to hear a representative from the Ministry of Defense speak about Turkish diplomacy, specifically with regards to Turkish-American relations. We learned all about the history of our strategic alliance, but it was definitely interesting to hear a Turkish perspective on the war in Iraq - although the resolution to allow US troops in Turkey did not pass, it sounds like both countries are starting to understand each other's mutual interests and are taking steps to restore good diplomatic relations. When Brent asked about the AKP, however, the representative declined to comment on the issue; politics is politics, I guess.

After the governmental speakers, we went to lunch at Middle East Technical University, which is where Sibel goes to school. We saw a big of the campus and then went to a "Science Park," which is what Turkey calls its research parks. There were a few corporate presentations, including the administrative copmany and its governmental partner organization, and two technical firms that have rooms in the building. It is interesting to see that a common trend in Turkish business is maintaining a competitive edge, especially through emphasis on research and development. Many of the technical firms also do a lot of work for the government, which is also a bit different from the United States.

Once we ate dinner, it was back to the government building for our meeting with the Minister of Foreign Trade. I was surprised to learn that he was actually an alumnus of the University of Illinois, and that Professor Leblebici had taught him. He offered some interesting insights into Turkey's future as both a European and Asian trade partner. I was surprised to learn how much more Turkey exports than many present member states of the European Union, and that seems to be a big plus for the country.

After all this, we still had a flight to catch! Go figure. At 11:40 p.m., we left Ankara for Izmir, and then drove by bus to Selçuk. After an eighteen-hour day, we were exhausted, and immediately after arriving at our hotel, I was out like a light.

Atatürk Youth & Sports Day

Day one in Ankara! Today was a huge rush of Turkish culture - it was Atatürk Youth and Sports Day. We went to a soccer stadium where we saw everything from marching bands to volleyball players. For about three hours, tons of little kids and teenagers danced and played sports on the field. There was also a card-holding section that put Block I to shame, frankly. I found it interesting that Atatürk created this holiday not to commemorate his start of the war for independence, but rather the future of the country. All over the city there were pictures of Atatürk and Turkish flags - it was like a more intense 4th of July.

Speaking of Atatürk, we went to visit his Mausoleum after the celebrations - it's very apparent that he is extremely important to the people of Turkey. Since it was Youth and Sports Day, there were tons of people there, as well as a really cool display of flowers in the form of a Turkish flag.

For lunch, we went to a little shop on the street that sold Döner Tavuk, and it was dirt cheap, so we were happy. After a quick catnap, we went to dinner at a place called Vitamin, and then walked around a little more. At night, we went back to the same bar as the night before to celebrate Brock's birthday at midnight, which was really fun. We got home before it got too late, though, because we knew we had a very big day ahead of us.

Travel Day to Ankara

Today was also pretty low-key. After a seven-hour bus ride from Istanbul to Ankara, we met up with Sibel, Professor Leblebici's and Yontz's daughter. We all went to a great Turkish restaurant right around the corner from our hotel (which was very nice, by the way). Then she took us to a cool bar in the city where we met a few of her friends, including a guy who is originally from Germany. We talked a bit about college life in Europe/Asia, and found that there are definitely more similarities than differences. So far, Ankara doesn't seem quite as busy as Istanbul, but we'll see - it could still be promising.