Istanbul and Ankara

The past three days have been the favorite part of my trip so far. Eight of us enjoyed a quick adventure in Helsinki where we took a cab for a short tour. After a small misunderstanding about when our flight departed, we made a mad dash down the escalator in the airport and made it on right before the gates closed.

We got in to Istanbul around 8 and after our first adventurous bus ride of the trip a group of us explored the small market area around the hostel we were staying at. After an authentic Turkish watermelon slushie and a chicken doner kabob our group became acquainted with the owner of the bufe. He served us apple tea and gave us a few cds of his sister's music. At this point Turkey was everything I was expecting it to be...nice people, cobblestone streets, and cats creeping around the dark alleys.

The next morning I was able to observe why many people see Istanbul as the greatest city in the world. I fell in love with the Mediterranean climate after a month of cold weather. Minarets from historic mosques give the city's skyline an unprecedented uniqueness while the houses on hills and fisherman on long bridges reminded me a bit of San Fransisco.

Our first stop of the day was the Basilica Cistern, the 1500-year-old underground water system for the city. I felt as if I was in an Indiana Jones movie as I walked in awe through the massive aqueduct.

 
We then headed to Aya Sofya, the crowned jewel of Istanbul. For those who dont know the history behind this building it can be classified as a great Christian cathedral being held prisoner by a mosque. Mosaics of Jesus have been slightly altered to look like other people.

I was able to haggle with merchant at the Grand Bizarre, a market that is so massive that individuals can easily become lost in it, and I came away with a Hedo Turkoglu Turkish national team basketball jersey. This quickly became a great conversation starter after I put it on, as the US team had just defeated Turkey in the FIBA championships held in Istanbul just two days earlier. The vendors were all over me, with many of them seeing it as a gesture of respect for their country. I don't think I have met an angry Turk yet.

The next day we embarked on an 8-hour bus journey to Ankara, the capitol of Turkey. We are staying at an office for the Concordia University system, which has just started an English Learning project here in Turkey. We headed to Ankara's greatest mosque on Thursday, and by chance were able to run into the head imam. Kadir, a successful Turkish rug tycoon and guide for our trip, had never met him and only recognized him from TV. He was enamored by our groups interest in listening to what he had to say and in the end began to cry because he was so thankful to have met us. What originally was a somewhat eerie experience quickly turned into a great learning opportunity and an elimination of some stereotypes held towards Muslims in America. While we were not in agreement on several levels, we each left the situation with a different view of each other.

After a short lecture on Turkish carpets, Kadir treated us to a massive feast at his house for lunch. This man is a celebrity of sorts in the area, as the likes of George Bush and Dick Cheney have bought rugs from him in the past. We had a very interesting conversation regarding Turkish and Muslim culture after lunch before heading out to see Ataturk's tomb after. This leader is held in great regard in Turkey as he is responsible for secularizing the country and forming the Republic. Kadir was moved to tears when he was telling us about him.

The bus ride was perhaps the most interesting event of the day. While many of us thought the traffic in Argentina was appauling, we had no idea what was about to hit us here. Our driver found himself in a tough situation as he had to go down the wrong side of a narrow one-way street at the beginning of the day. We managed to bend a stop sign and the n completely back into a parked van, tilting it over shattering a window and scratching the side door. All of us were ready for the driver to stop, but he simply sped away as people around the car ran after the bus. Our guided tried to communicate to the driver what was happening but he simply decided to ignore them and leave the scene as quickly as possible. After we returned from lunch, the driver had already painted over some scratches on the rear bumper.

Things got more interesting on our way home as we managed to knock the mirror off of a car riding alongside us. The driver got out and ran after the bus, but the driver once again sped away. There was nothing any of us could do except watch in awe. I never would have thought I would be a part of two hit-and-runs in a matter of 3 hours, but welcome to the highways of Turkey. Tomorrow may bring more stories as the same driver is taking us to Capaddocia (the scenery of Tatooine from the Star Wars films), that is if he still has his job.
 

A Weekend in Moscow

Our group's time in Vladimir was great. We were able to form relationships with many of the people at Emanuel Church, including most of the men who were staying there as a part of the rehabilitation program. One of them insisted on putting a massive collection of psychedelic trance music (some form of techno) on to my computer. I have noticed that this type of music is quite popular in the East, as it can be heard echoing from headphones on almost any bus ride.

We had another great week doing work for Mercy ministries. I got to user a jackhammer to do work with drainage pipes at the "Big House," a three-story complex being used to house orphans. I made a special connection with a young boy named Dima, an orphan who has been living at the house for only two weeks. We watched Shrek together in Russian and ever since he has loved to interact with me. We also had the privilege of working for a local orphanage for children aged from newborn to three years old in on Thursday.  

We said goodbye to our friends in Vladimir and headed out to Moscow early Saturday morning. Chills went down my spine as I walked through Red Square. I was able to see Lenin's real body, which has been preserved since his death. It looked very similar to a wax sculpture, but the experience was still quite memorable. I enjoyed touring St. Basil's Cathedral, but really did not become aware of its true beauty until I returned on Sunday night. A tour of the Kremlin was also incredible, as I saw the largest cannon never fired and the biggest bell never rung. We stayed at a hotel that housed many of the Olympians during the 1980- Summer Games in Moscow.

After a great worship service with our group on Sunday morning, I headed out to the largest flea market in all of Russia, and perhaps Europe, for some serious shopping. While some of the information regarding what I purchased is classified (Xmas gifts), I did manage to buy a replica 1982 Soviet hockey jersey. As stated earlier, I headed out to Red Square to see how it looked at night and was thoroughly pleased.

I have really enjoyed my time in Russia, especially Moscow. One interesting concept that I have yet to figure out is the citizen's view of Lenin and Stalin. There are sculptures and murals of these leaders everywhere where I wasn't really expecting there to be. I even saw two Stalin and Lenin look-a-likes at a market on Saturday. I'm not sure if these glorification are for tourist or if they are the genuine views of the Russian people. I have noticed that Lenin is glorified more for ending Tsardom and Stalin is revered by fewer people.

While I truly wish that I could spend more time in Moscow, my excitement for Turkey continues to grow. We will we staying in Istanbul and Ankara during our time there over the next two weeks.

Day Trip to Suzdal and More Manual Labor

I've been getting some much needed rest today after another busy week of activities. Friday involved going to a three story house built by Mercy Ministries, the organization we are working with. An older couple has taken six orphans into their home with the newest one arriving two weeks ago. Manual labor continues to be an ongoing Russian theme as our group painted lacquer on some wooden shelves. Meanwhile the girls cooked a nice meal for the family.

Unfortunately I am one of the few people in our group who continues to be confronted by locals who have questions due to my slight Russian resemblance. I dont even know how to say sorry, so I simply respond with an awkward "spaceba," meaning thank you. There has been a very noticeable hostile demeanor coming from some of the locals. I am not sure if it comes from past history or jealousy, but the locals have not been nearly as friendly as the Argentinians.

On the other hand, all of the people at the church we have be staying at have been very kind to us, with some being almost too friendly. I spent about a half hour trying to explain the rules of American football to some of the men who live at the church, but they said it was just too confusing. I told them that I used to play and they asked if I was a professional player. I have now acquired the nickname of Andrei Kirilenko: the only Russian NBA player. 

We took a trip to Suzdal yesterday, a city about an hour away from Vladimir which also serves as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. We had lunch at a resort and signed up for a tour where we shot arrows and threw some spears. I about scared the guide out of his shoes when I threw the spear as I took a three step drop like a quarterback before releasing. The unorthodox technique proved to be successful however, as I hit the target head on.

We observed a good number of churches, including taking a tour through a monastery. The typical architecture consists of one large onion-domed spire, with with four smaller ones surrounding it. The large one symbolizes God as the head of the church and the smaller domes represent the four gospels. Church was interesting this morning, but a 50-minute sermon in Russian did prove to be rather brutal. We will be spending the first part of the week in Vladimir before taking a train to Moscow for the weekend on Friday.

Potato Farming and Awesome Worship

The activities are now completely underway here in Vladimir. Yesterday consisted of a little exploring to a local farmers market in the rain. We walked through rows and rows of meat vendors selling anything from fish that were still flopping around to cow tongues. There was an extensive variety of dried and fresh fruit available also. The members of the church have been cooking fantastic meals, as there is always a new coarse on the way.

After class this morning we headed out to a boarding school for orphans and special needs children in the country. The facility bears some resemblance to a farm, as nearly all of the food is harvested right on site. Today I worked with a good portion of the group digging up potatoes, which proved to be quite the workout after over two hours of shoveling.

We have been sharing the facilities with about eight Russian men who are going through a rehabilitation program with the church. Part of their duty involves cleaning the bathroom, a task that they work on collectively throughout the day. Up until tonight we were somewhat concerned that they were angry with us for making the floor dirty as some of them continually spoke sentences to us that we couldn't even come close to understanding. The floor is almost always wet as they mop several times a day.  This was really the only time we had any interaction with most of the men.

We invited them to our group worship tonight, but they declined due to the fact that they had their own devotional scheduled. Near the latter part of our service their entire group came out and began to sing with us. We sang "Blessed Be You Name" and "God of this City" in Russian and English simultaneously before coming together as a group and praying for each other. Our group first prayed for them in English and they followed by praying for us in Russian. It was quite an amazing experience. We couldn't hold a conversation past "hello" and "thank you" yet we were able to worship together in two different languages.

A few of us talked with some of the men over coffee after the service, but still took a good 5 minutes just for one of the men to explain to us what he did for a living. Google translator proved to be a fairly useful tool. These men were previously alcoholics and thieves but have overcome their problems and now hold devotions together every night. 

Arrival In Russia

After a total of 22 hours in airplanes including layovers in Santiago, New York, and Helsinki we landed in Moscow shortly after noon local time today. Six members of their team never received their luggage so our wait at the airport was held up for an extra hour and a half. Almost everyone managed to fall asleep on the tile floor after getting through customs.

We stopped for a quick snack and some groceries at a local mall which was quite comparable to anything you would see in America, except I didn't have a clue about what anything said. Argentina was easy as I could slowly translate most phrases and figure out what something meant. Here I am completely lost as p's mean r's and other letters are randomly thrown into the alphabet. Other than food and drink, the only word I know is "Dah." Thankfully our two guides, Paul and Sergei, know what they are doing.

We are staying at a church in Vladimir where we will be working with Mercy Ministries, specifically focusing on orphans. The building has four levels, with the sanctuary being on the second floor. There is a kitchen in the basement where we will be cooking most of our meals. Tomorrow is more of an exploring day, with a chance to hopefully knock off a majority of the jet lag. We will be attending a service at the church in the evening.

Fine Dining

It's been another busy week of class and work with LIFE in Buenos Aires. We have been working with a group of kids in one of the poorest slums in the city. There is a massive building in the area that was going to be a hospital that was never finished and many of the people from the area are living there.

After another long day of work we went to Tenadore Libre, an all-you-can-eat buffet on par with any five-star restaurant in America. It was most definitely the greatest meal that I have ever had, all for the equivalent of $10 US dollars. I would go back, but I know that I cant control myself in that place:

We enjoyed the day off today and the guys decided to cook a nice dinner for the ladies in the group. It was a great 3-course meal including salad, spaghetti, and ice cream for dessert. Two more days in Argentina before heading off to Moscow after a short stop in NYC on Monday.

Class in a Graveyard and the Zoo

On Friday we had class in the famous Recoleta cemetary, about a fifteen minute walk from our hostel. The graveyard is filled with family crypts dating back to the early history of the Argentinian nation. The graves of the first president and the famous Evita Peron (former first lady) are there.

In the afternoon we headed out to a neighborhood consisting manly of Paraguayan immigrants for our work with LIFE. The activities were similar to Wednesday's work, as we helped children color, played soccer in the street, and tossed some paper airplanes around.

We worked with LIFE again on Saturday as we took a group of some of the same students we had been working with to the zoo. Each volunteer was responsible for two children. Everyone was quite worn out by the time the 6 hours spent there were up. We returned to the hostel and had class from 6-8.

I teamed up with two of the other guys for dinner as we dismantled a restaurant's empanada menu by ordering one of each of the 12 specialties and splitting them up amongst ourselves. The four cheese was considerably better than the rest of the crowd, with the chopped veil bringing up the rear.

Today was another long day, as we took the train to an English church about a half hour away. After worship we continued on to El Tigre, a top vacation location. We about an hour boat ride along the river there, which was quite polluted as an uncountable number of dead fish were washed up on the banks.

We got off the river and took the train back downtown where we headed to a street fair like I've never seen. Vendors stretched for miles as the horizon was inundated with people. The powerful force of groups of drummers only added to the chaotic, yet enjoyable experience.

The cat has been causing my allergies to flare up, so I went with a few others to a corner convenience store for something to help my throat. We have become acquainted with a young Dominican man that works there as we typically pass him a few times a day.

He was friendly enough to give all of us his employee discount and also gave each of us an apple that he had brought along in his lunch. We talked for about a half hour about his homeland and baseball and after a few pictures he showed us a Santa Biblia that he had been reading while working. He attends the Catholic Church right down the street. We have now become friends with this once perceived mischievous character.