more turkish time

Time in Minnesota: 12:48 PM
Time in Turkey: 8:48 PM

More Turkish disaster today. Our professor is so energetic and genuinely funny, but she gets really confused by our questions. Often. And might possibly be deaf, because she talks over us a lot. All in all, learning Turkish was an interesting experience. And I'm sure I'll still rely on sign language when talking to the people in Istanbul. Almost all of them know English anyway.

Speaking of knowing English...
After exploring the Blue Mosque, Katie (a group mate) and I stopped to put on our shoes, with the result that the rest of our group surged ahead of us. As we were walking towards the group, a Middle Eastern man asked Katie to take a picture of him and his friend. After the picture was taken, he asked if Katie and I would be in a picture with him and his friend. We talked a bit, and found out that he was a tourist from Iran. Our conversation wasn't significant, but it was still amazing to take a picture with a man from Iran who was genuinely interested that we were from America. Even if that was the only reason he wanted a picture of us. Here in Turkey I am finding that every day old stereotypes are questioned and even broken.

The month of September is Ramadan for the Muslims, who are not allowed to eat from sunrise to sunset. Breaking the fast at sunset is called iftar, and is a celebration in its own right. A few of us decided to do iftar with the crowds at sundown, which meant that we had to stake out a spot in a park and battle crowds that would rival the Minnesota State Fair. Everyone was laughing and smiling. People were taking pictures. A band was playing traditional music in a bandstand. A man on stilts came walking by and they were selling cotton candy. It was amazing to see how much joy the people had. Personally I'd be incredibly grumpy if I hadn't eaten in many, many hours...
When the call to prayer finally came around 8, everyone in the park became reverently silent. After the prayer, the Muslims ate with a quite sort of solemnity. The mood in the park visibly changed; the people as a collective seemed to understand and respect the significance of the ceremony. It was truly an experience to be part of.

So you all know that I'm usually much less dry than I seem to be in these posts. Know that I still have a sense of humor.

Wishing you all the best!