Wednesday, October 27th, 2004

I think it would be good to clarify a bit about Ankara. It’s more modern than any other city in Turkey because it’s a new city! Before Atatürk came to power the government was based in Istanbul. He started his revolution from what was a very small village, and turned it into the capital of Turkey after he was successful. So, there really isn’t anything old here, except for one castle on a hill that I will visit soon! The buildings are approximately 70 years old, and most much newer. Everything was done in emulation of the west, so it really is much different than other Turkish places.

I’ve met some very interesting students here over the past few days. Unfortunately, I have serious problems remembering their names! I need to start carrying a pen and paper with me, to make notes of who people are. Otherwise, I’m going to start offending people. It’s so hard here, and some people do give me a bad time for forgetting names. I met some guy the other day named “Mehmetularin” or something like that. I couldn’t remember it, and he got kind of annoyed. I told him that Turkish names and words are very different for me, and difficult to remember. “That’s no excuse!” he bellowed. Heh. What a jerk. But still… if I ever want to have a job in International Relations, I’ll have to figure out a way to remember names.

There are many Kurdish students here, and it’s been good to learn about their experiences here in Turkey. Last night I met a guy who is really into Cuba. We had a lot of things to speak about; he was amazed and so happy to find out that I had been there! He is a health systems student who has a great interest in the Cuban system of preventative medicine. It was so nice to speak with him. One thing that’s very interesting: the Ankara University students are SO different to the Çankiri technical students. They’ve all, for the most part, very intellectual, thoughtful, articulate, and passionate students. I’ve only really met male students, but I think it applies to everyone. In Çankiri, the male students were more or less immature idiots! All I was asked about was football and sex! What a difference. I guess it comes from the fact that university entrance exams are very rigorous. Only the brightest actually get into the four-year universities. Anyway, what a refreshing change!

There have also been opportunities to speak with political science students, and it has been a good experience to compare what we are taught and what we read in the news. I’m impressed with the way students keep informed of current issues; it’s much better than the way we do in the states. Perhaps it comes from living in a developing country… I don’t know. Anyway, it’s been great relating with these guys. I’m thinking more and more about getting my master’s degree in International Relations… maybe at George Washington University? They have a top program and a specialization in Europe/Eurasia. That would be perfect for me! Plus, I have many friends and old classmates in the D.C. area… and Philly is close by too.

I’ve started work on my little research paper about Turkey. It will talk about culture, economics and politics. I’ve been gathering a lot of research over the past few weeks, so hopefully it will be decent. Maybe I’ll post it here once it’s completed. But don’t hold your breath… it’ll be a while.

I can’t stop thinking about the importance of communication while I’m here. Every problem and every success that I have is firmly based on whether I can communicate effectively or not. They’re not cultural problems, which is what I anticipated before coming. It’s all about if we can describe what we need or hope for to each other in a way that the other understands. This is such an important lesson for me, and it’s showing me the areas in my life that are lacking in this kind of effective communication. It’s one of the things I need to work on most. Wow, Pat McFarlane was right in Oral Comm. all those years ago!