Wednesday, July 30, 2008

33 YTL

If you were wondering how much it cost me for the Emergency Room visit, then that would be your answer. Yes, I know I was astounded too. I really want to go on a rant about how America's health care system is horrible, but I will refrain.

I finally found out what they gave me. One of the medications is Flagyl or generically called Metronidazol. Well after looking it up on WebMD, it seems that a lot of people are having a crappy time on it as I am having. Basically the cause of my symptoms from the other night are now being caused by the cure. Well, thankfully I have only one more day on it. The other is called Reflor or generically called Saccharomyces boulardii which is a yeast used to fight diarrhea.

It looks like this weekend I'll be going to Sofranbolu with Yoshino. More details to follow...

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Just when I started to yearn for home...

After getting what I think is gardia, I started to become really home sick. With none of the food here sounding remotely palatable let alone good, I really started to miss all the little things from home. Good beer, Mexican food, hamburgers, tap water, cucumbers only in select dishes, and many other things. Well at this point, I decided that I need to go to the mall and eat something from McDonalds. I figured that eating something synonymous with home would hopefully do the trick. Well, I was right. I went to the mall just off of campus called CEPA (pronounced jepa). It is one of the newest in the area, so it is really nice inside. I took the Dolmus out to the gate, and walked along the highway to get there (Yes, it's normal). I walked around a little before heading to the top floor where all the restaurants are located. I got in line and tried placing my order in Turkish, but saying I would like a number 4 is a little hard when you don't know what order the words are supposed to go in. Well, the girl spoke English, so it worked out just fine. Apparently Quarter Pounder is the same in Turkish as it is in English.



My food took a little while to prepare, but when I got it I noticed one significant difference. The burger is inside a styrofoam container. Remember how that used to be the case in the US? I took a taste of the french fries and they tasted exactly like at home. The crunchy oily goodness that are McDonalds fries. I am pretty sure any American could pick them out in a blind tasting test. The Quarter Pounder was equally as delicious. The burger tasted just like it always does. The bun was soft and packed with preservatives. The cheese is the fake American cheese that we have all come to associate with American fast food. And the meat is the unseasoned ground beef that we eat in the US. Now, those might not seem like weird comments to make about something that has caused me such joy, but considering that all meat here is heavily seasoned, the bread here super fresh, and the cheese here vastly different from what we have the US, it is really comforting to eat something with those attributes.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Carbon Black

I don't know if any of you noticed, but I haven't posted once about the research that I am doing. I have been thinking about it for a while, but there was always something far more fun to post about. So, I figure that it's about time to at least mention what I'm doing. As most, if not all, of you know, I work with carbon and glass fiber composite structures. More specifically, I use various methods (ultrasonic waves, electrical resistance, etc) to detect damage to these structures. My work here involves using electrical resistance to detect damage caused by objects impacting a composite panel. Previous attempts have just used the conductivity of the carbon fiber to detect this damage, but I decided to also incorporate the abilities of the group here at METU to also make the plastic matrix (the part that holds the fiber weave together) conductive to increase the resolution and resistivity change before and after impact. Also, making the plastic resistivity will also cause it to be around the percolation threshold, which means that the plastic is just barely conductive, making the resistivity very sensitive to any stretching of the plastic. Measuring this resistivity change, one can determine how much a airplane wing is experiencing during flight.

Right now there are two methods that involve carbon to make plastics conductive. The first being Carbon Black which is basically soot. Carbon Black is created by a variety of means, one of which is scraping the soot out of particular furnaces. The other method uses Carbon Nanotubes. These little guys have been hot stuff for the past 10 years or so. They were supposed to be the answer to creating the space elevator and a few other extravagant ideas.

Well, I started making Carbon Black (CB) and Polypropylene blends and measuring their conductivity. Well, working with CB is very messy as it sticks to everything. They have used surgical masks in the past to keep from breathing it in, but I found out that they don't work. (See picture...) After creating the blends, I was told that the CB I was using was of a far lesser quality than the one they used in their journal paper a few years ago. So, I will be starting with Carbon Nanotubes this next week. The ultimate goal is to train an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) how to determine the size and location of impact damage only using a series to resistivity measurements inside a sample. An ANN works on the principle of how we and other animals learn which is based on neuron transport and so forth. If anyone is interested you can read about it at Wikipedia. With any luck, I'll be able to create a conductive polymer carbon fiber composite by the end of the summer that is able to be used to detect damage with in it.



One great benefit is that the conductive matrix also makes the composite conductive enough that it should act as a Faraday cage. This is how aircraft (and cars) are protected at the moment from lightning strikes. When the lightning strikes, the electrons within the material move to cancel out the change in voltage causing the electric field within the structure to be zero, protecting the electrical instruments, aircraft structures, and the passengers inside. Present carbon and glass fiber structures in aircraft have copper meshes incorporated in them to act as the Faraday cage. This mesh would be replaced, save precious weight on the aircraft.

By conducting this summer research, it will be give me some new techniques to use on my thesis research. This work has also given me a clearer path on which thesis topic to pick. So far, it has been a good research experience.

Özcan's Bday



Özcan(pronounced Er-z-jon roughly =) ) just earned his PhD and will be leaving our group this next week. Thankfully, he was still here for us to celebrate his birthday. We had bought a cake for him on his actual birthday, but the janitor locked the break room before we could take the cake out of the refrigerator. To celebrate, we ended up going to Drunk for dinner. Sertan's wife and Damla's boyfriend, Emre, were able to join us. After a few pints, we all went home.



The next day, we were determined to celebrate with the cake. Actually, everyone else was worried the cake would go bad because they weren't sure how long the cake had been in the refrigerator at the store. So we all gathered in Damla's lab, and at my urging sang happy birthday to Özcan. The funny thing is that their version is somewhat inverted. They sing"

Happy Birthday Özcan,
Happy Birthday Özcan,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to Özcan

Afterwards, we at the Banana-Chocolate cake and drank tea. It was a blast!

Communications Abroad

Since I don't really want to venture far from my room at this point, I thought I would post on a bunch of topics that I think might be of interest to others on international travel.

One of the most under used technologies associated with the internet is the internet phone, most prominently associated with Skype. It took me no more than 10 minutes to get up and running on Skype and to purchase 3 months of "unlimited" calls for about $10 to any number in the US. I put that in quotes because I read the fine print and it says that you have 10,000 minutes under their fair share rules. I don't know about you, but there is no way I can spend 10,000 minutes on the phone. I am able to call my family or friends without having to worry about getting over charged by some random phone company. In fact, the main telephone service provider is Turk Telekom, which is partially owned by the government.



Cellphone usage is wide spread here. In fact, most people have more than one for some reason. I have read on a few tourism websites on Turkey that cell phones are hard to get or register here. In fact, I had no trouble getting a cell phone through Turkcell, the biggest cell phone company in Turkey. I registered my sim card under Sertan's name, but if I had brought in my passport there would have been no troubles either. If you bring a cell phone from the States, make sure it is unlocked. I believe that it is a simple password that your service provider gives you to input into your phone. All cell phones and sim cards are registered with the Turkish government to prevent the use of cell phones for terrorist purposes.

Internet is everywhere here. Most coffee shops and a lot of restaurants have a wireless connection that's available to customers. Here at METU, the internet is relatively fast. In fact, METU is the organization which is responsible for registering all Turkish websites. With internet access, you can use AIM, Yahoo, MSN, or Gtalk to communicate with friends back home. In fact, it is the one thing that I probably couldn't live without here.

Ankara Ataturk Hospital

Just like the previous posting regarding when I got traveler's diarrhea, I would like to preface this post with the warning that it is graphic in nature. The sole reason of the in depth description is that it will hopefully aid others on foreign travel in the same situation. I hope that it will be of some comfort to another NSF IREE student who unfortunately ends up in this situation.



I know I haven't posted in a while. I meant to on Thursday night, but I'll explain why that didn't happen. Thursday afternoon, my intestines started to get uneasy. I don't know if any of you know what I'm talking about, but you can tell you about to have an onset of diarrhea. Unfortunately, this is beginning to become a somewhat unpleasantly familiar feeling. Anywho, I went to dinner with this feeling, but then came back to my room. Well over the next few hours, I couldn't retain fluids or food. It all ran right through me. When it started, I started to drink lots of water and took some Imodium. I would like to mention at this point, that other than the diarrhea, I felt completely fine. After a while of not being able to retain water due to diarrhea, I called the UC Davis medical center via Skype. The advice nurse asked me a bunch of questions, then I realized that she was using a computer to determine what I had. She finally arrived at Cholera. She said that I should go to an emergency room soon, because she said that I would start vomiting and my legs would cramp up. Now, I don't know about you, but I started to freak out a little. She told me she hoped I would feel better, and I got off the phone with her.

Now, I was freaking out a little, but I knew that my physical condition was alright at the moment, but with it being 11pm, I didn't really want to wait to get checked out. I was afraid of it being 3am with my condition worsening and no one to get a hold of. Thankfully, Damla was online. I imed her and told her about what was going on. She called the METU health center, and they told her to bring me in. She came and picked me up, and we headed to the health center. When we got there, they were in the middle of a more serious situation. A guy who was apparently allergic to bee stings had in fact been stung, and he was having a reaction. Thankfully for him, his reaction wasn't too serious and they were ready to take him to the hospital. The medic said since I didn't have a fever and wasn't vomiting, there was little he could do for me but offered to allow us to go to the hospital with him. Afraid that it might cost a lot of money but knowing that I would probably be better off going, we hoped in the ambulance.

When we arrived, I was a little taken a back by the scene. Having never been to an ER before, it looked somewhat like a medical center in a war or disaster zone. People were standing around crying, with blank looks on their faces, looking confused, bloody, and/or tired. We approached the front desk, and Damla explained my situation to the head doctor. We filled out a few forms, and were shown inside. While they were looking for bed to put me in, I asked about the location of a bathroom. They pointed the way, but when I got their, it was one of those floor toilets and it was filthy. Knowing full well that there was no way I could use that in my state without getting covered... (I think I'll leave out the rest of that sentence.) I went back, and Damla asked if there was another bathroom with a pedestal toilet. The steward shook his head no and tried to convince me that going that way was better for me anyways. (Now I have read this is true, but that's only if you are perfectly fine...) I think he saw the scared look on my face, and he took me upstairs to the in-patient ward, and found me a toilet. I was so grateful. Coming back the ER, they found me a bed next to another woman who seemed to be in the same predicament as me. At American hospitals, everything is close to spotless. This hospital was a little too dirty for my taste, but I wasn't really in a position to be picky. There was blood on the floor, but I saw a man going around and cleaning the bed surfaces, so I'm not worried about infections. I laid down, and a nurse came by to hook me up to an IV of saline and sugar and take a blood sample. Considering my statement about the cleanliness, all of the syringes and what not came out of sterile packaging, and she made sure that my arm was clean before injecting me. I laid there for about two hours while the IV rehydrated my body.

By this time, Emre, Damla's boyfriend, arrived at the hospital. Because I could only have one person with me, he patiently waited in the car. Damla was kind enough to wait with me in the ER room even though she hates hospitals. I know it's the Turkish way to be hospitable, but I think that's going above and beyond the call of duty. She translated everything the doctor's said. The doctor was very kind, and I was proud of myself that I could answer him when he asked how I was doing. He prescribed two medications for me which I needed to get filled the next morning. They don't have pharmacies at hospitals, because they are so prevalent and cheaper elsewhere. I found out through reading up the medications that he prescribed a medication for diarrhea (obviously), and one for intestinal parasites, mainly Gardia. As soon as I read that, I realized that I had drank water out of a pitcher at lunch. Thinking that is was bottled water, I hadn't really thought much about it. Well it wasn't. In fact, Ankara just switched to using a different river as its water source that was more polluted than the last. Apparently the river has high levels of sulphates in addition to not being filtered for viruses and the like. (This information courtesy of Mert) The medications actually make me feel more sick than the actual original symptoms. I am trying to eat light/bland foods but these aren't as effective at shielding me against the side effects of the medications.

I got back to my dorm room at about 2:30am, and I called my mom to tell her what happened and to let her know I was alright. I ended up sleeping until around 7, at which point I stayed in bed until around 9. I went to the pharmacy to get the prescriptions. Not only did the pharmacist speak English, but the prescriptions cost a total of 10YTL. I really couldn't believe it. I am hoping that the medications takes care of whatever I have. Being under the weather away from home really sucks. It really makes you yearn for home.

Now, I didn't mention anything about paying. Well that's because I have to return in 10 days to find out what I owe. It looks like I might be able to get a transfer from the METU health center and get a significant discount. If not, I have travel health insurance from the University of California. If anyone else from any UC campus is reading this, if you are on university travel you just have to fill out a short online form and can print out an insurance card which covers up to $100,000. This isn't a whole lot when you consider the price of a significant surgery, but most people should be expatriated back to the US if this happens. And the insurance covers that. So, we'll see how payment works out! I'll keep you posted...

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Anatolian Civilization Museum and the Ankara Citadel

Yoshino and I met around 9am at the Dolmus Otogar to take the dolmus to Ulus. Our plan for the day was to visit the Anatolian Civilization Museum and the Ankara Citadel. We arrived in Ulus at about 9:40am after leaving campus at 9:30. We would have gotten there sooner, but a truck carrying cars had to stop on the freeway because it could not clear an underpass. The truck actually ended up turning around and going backwards up the freeway. The thing I love about this country is, do whatever works the best. He had no where else to go, so he just went slowly up the freeway until he can turn around and get off.



We started to walk up the street in the direction of the citadel and museum, when we started coming across about 100 police officers with riot gear and automatic weapons. Considering that I have only seen automatic weapons at Lawrence Livermore, it was a little unnerving up close. As we proceeded up the street, we encountered more police and then military armed guards. What was going on was some sort of honor ceremony at the Ataturk Monument. It is a monument to the contributions Ataturk and the veterans gave to the revolutionary war effort. A military band was present along with many honor guards. It is really sad that such security is needed to have such a demonstration. I actually called Damla to make sure we were not walking into a potential riot.



We continued on up the hill where we had to bust out my guidebook to find the museum. We finally made it and paid the admission of 10 YTL. This is pretty pricey compared to the other museums in Ankara which only charge 2 YTL, but I think it was worth it over all. All of the signs are in English which is always appreciated. Entering the grounds, one of the first things you notice is that there are a lot of large stone pots around. According to my Lonely Planet guidebook, the museum is built in a 15th century bedesten (market vault) which comprises the center most room.



Most of the museums collection is housed on a series of rooms that wrap around the central room which houses large stone carvings from various areas of Anatolia. I guess now is as good a time as any to say that Anatolia is the high plains region on which Ankara sits. It was inhabited and conquered by many different races throughout the centuries because of its centralized location for trade routes. The museum itself it really well laid out and organized. Looking at the pictures that I have posted is probably the best way to get a sense of the history portrayed here. Most of the pictures of artifacts come with a picture of the sign describing it, either before or after the picture of the artifact. The one things I can say about this museum is that it was organized well, and it seemed to be kept up rather well. They are very proud of the fact that they were voted the best European Museum in 1997. I think I'll let the pictures speak for the museum, and people can ask questions about more specifics. See, I want interaction...



After spending about two and half hours at the museum, we finally headed up the hill behind the museum to find the Citadel. Because the citadel is a fortified city, the entrance is just a small hole in the wall. We entered through the southern entrance which is overlooked by a clock tower. Walking in, there is a shop on either side of the entrance. Beyond the entrance is a small courtyard. There are a few restaurants located here. The first is the Kale Washington, which is listed in the guidebook as being slightly upscale and that Hillary Clinton was supposed to have eaten here. I don't know if that's true or not, but the restaurant was not physically fancy by western standards but the wait staff was dressed in black and white. The other restaurant is the Zenger Pasa Konagi which is where we ate at because it was supposedly cheaper. The restaurant is three stories, all of which are dimly lit if at all. It really felt like we were going back in time, or at least thousands of miles away from campus or Kizilay. We ended up sitting on the outside deck on the second floor because it was cooler. Upon reaching the second floor, you can see a woman making bread in a small wood burning fireplace.



I think word has gotten out that their restaurant is in a guidebook, because the food here is not cheap and the portions not large. The two redeeeming factors about this place was that the view was utterly amazing, looking out across most of Ankara, and the chicken that was cooked in a tomato sauce in a ceramic dish was fantastic. It came with a few loaves of the freshly baked bread as well. Yoshino got an eggplant salad because it was the only thing she could find that was light on the menu. She asked for about 4 different salads but was told they were out of all of them. There was also a man and woman who were definitely Americans. We ended up talking to them afterwards and found out that they were working at the American Embassy on short term projects. We ended up deciding to find the first fortification with them. Walking through the streets, you could tell that the people who lived here were by no means wealthy. Most of the roofs were in need of repair, the streets were uneven, and a lot of the houses were crumbling and vacant. We finally found our way, and got to cruise around the fortification. You can see the ports were archers would be stationed. Unlike in the US, there were no guard railings, no security, and definitely no one to tell you that you couldn't play as much as you liked. In fact, as I as climbing around on the top level, I noticed that the drop was about 100 feet at least. In California, that would be a law suit waiting to happen...



We had seen an additional fortification in the distance, and decided to go check it out. Although it was a really hot day, it was a good excuse to explore the streets some more. Although the streets are somewhat like a maze, they are easy to navigate using just intuition. We finally got to the second fortification and found out it was fenced off with barbed wire. Taking the hint that there was no trespassing allowed, we headed back to Ulus to take the bus back to Kizilay.



There are three types of buses in Ankara. First is the Dolmus (which I'll blog about soon enough), city buses that can only be ridden if you have pre-bought tickets, or buses that have a man in the back who takes YTLs. The cost for all these modes of transportation is 1.5YTL per trip. We took a bus which took money back to Kizilay where we hoped on a Dolmus for the ride back to campus. Since it had been a really long day, I took a shower and updated this blog a bit. It was a really fun day...


The Weekend

A lot of little things happened this last weekend which then ended with a big trip to the Anatolian Museum and Ankara Citadel.

Friday night, Damla and I had nothing to do, so we decided to go to Drunk (Yes, that's the name of the bar/restaurant) for a few drinks and dinner. She invited her friend to come along, as he had nothing better to do as well. As skeptical as I was about a placed called Drunk, it was actually quite nice. The place was packed which meant there were no seats in the really cool garden. The garden seating consisted of coffee table style tables that are surrounded by large pillow like chairs. We ended up getting a table just outside of the garden. Damla's friend recommended a chicken dish specific to this restaurant, so I decided to give it a try. It was grilled chicken with a demi glace and frech fries. It was yummy. In addition to the 1.5L of beer I drank, I was one happy camper. It was really great sitting and talking with them. After dinner, her friend's friend arrived, and we all chatted until I was ready to fall asleep around 10pm.



With Valeria leaving on the Monday, we wanted to get together one last time to see some part of Ankara. They hadn't seen any of the malls yet, so we took the Dolmus to the METU gate, and walked to the CEPA mall. This mall is newer and bigger than ARMADA, as well as being within walking distance. Valeria wanted to eat Iskender Kebop, which I described in my posting about my dinner with Duygu. We found a restaurant that served it and had a nice lunch. After lunch, we decided to split up as Valeria had to change Zev (her 6 month old son). Yoshino and I roamed the mall. I had been wanting a pair of blue jeans since I got here, so I walked into the coolest looking store I could find. This ended up being Mavi, which is like the Turkish version of American Eagle. With the help of the salesmen who spoke passable English, I was able to get a nice pair of jeans. Apparently, I have lost enough weight on this trip to have dropped a whole pant size. To my surprise, they also were selling 1stanbul shirts. Yes, the first letter is a number one. According to the tag:

"This t-shirt has been exclusively designed in support of Istanbul's bid to be the European Capital of Culture in 2010. The European Capital of Culture program, launched in 1999 bu the EU Council and Parliament, will ensure Istanbul's integration with Europe's most conprehensive cultural event. "

The tag also mentions that the shirt was designed by Ulas Eryavuz. Well, in my excitement, I didn't know that I was looking through women's shirts, so the salesman had to come up and ask show me where the men's shirts were. We definitely got a good laugh out of that one. I was also able to buy another shirt. The pants ended up costing 80YTL and the shirts cost 25YTL a piece. If you are doing the math, that's about $112. I didn't think that was too bad considering that Levi's go for $175 a pair here.



We met back up with Valeria, Zev, and her husband Vincent for dessert and coffee. I got two scoops of ice cream, one of caramel and the other contained candied fruit. Upon finishing, we each went to get a cup of turkish coffee. Trying to use my phrasebook as much as possible, I used the phrase for Turkish coffee without sugar. Well, apparently what it means is coffee without sugar, so instead of getting Turkish coffee, I got filtered coffee.



We chatted for a while before returning back to campus. Back at her guesthouse, we discussed our research projects before leaving them to pack. Yoshino and I decided to meet the next morning at 9am to head towards Ulus to see the museum and citadel.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Water

I have always known that I drink a little more water than other people. I generally have at least 2 gallons a day or about 6 of my 1L Nalgenes. Well, this has never been a problem back home, but here in Turkey where the tap water is not safe for foreigners to drink, it becomes a concern. Before I left, I bought a water filtration water bottle from Katadyn with an extra set of filters. I thought that this would easily see me through the summer, but I quickly found out how tiresome it is to drink from it all the time. You have to pull water through 3 separate filters by either squeezing the bottle, suction, or both. Enter, the ever present bottled water. Unlike in the States, bottled water here is very common, very cheap, and very clean. I think by now everyone has heard that bottled water in the US is a joke. Some companies are bottling tap water or worse. Here, the label on the side tell you what has been filtered out and to what concentration. You won't find labels in the US stating that they have filtered out Fekal Streptecoc (which I assume is Fecal Streptococcus) or Koliform Bak (Coliform Bacteria). Now bottled water in .5L or 1.5L bottles is relatively cheap, at maybe 1.5YTL(~$1.25) for 1.5L, but the cheapest and more convenient option is getting 5 gallon jugs of water delivered. There must be at least 10 different companies servicing the campus. All you have to do is catch the delivery man, and give him either 5YTL for a jug or 15YTL for the jug and pump (pompa in Turkish). My water comes from the Saka company but there is also Aqua Turka and many others to choose from.



Now, why do so many people drink bottled water here when it's only really unsafe for foreigners? Well, Ankara's water is heavily chlorinated. In fact, so much so it has caused my hands to peel (Thank god for Nivea hand lotion)! Apparently the taste is awful, but atleast it is safe for them to drink. Now, why is it unsafe for foreigners? Well the reasoning is along the same lines as Traveler's diarrhea, we just aren't accustomed to the strains of bacteria present and developed a resistance to them. If I was going to be here more than 3 months, I might attempt to become accustomed to save some money, but I want to be healthy for when I get home. So, if you're traveling abroad, I would definitely bring a water filtration system but look for a safe alternative source as soon as you arrive, especially if you'll be staying awhile.

Chinese Food in Altin Park

Sorry about not updating for a while, but things have been really busy. My advisor visited for about a week, so between meeting with her and arranging experiments it has been nuts here. I have been able to sneak out and see some new things though. Hopefully in an hour, I will be able to write about them all...



Last Wednesday, Mert and I went up to Ulus to get some electronics components that I needed. It was a good thing he came along, because there was no way I was going to get by with hand signals and my phrasebook. Well, Canan and Damla met us at the Kizilay. We caught a bus and headed towards Altinpark, although only Mert knew where we were going. He wanted to take us to one of the very few Chinese restaurants in the city. We got off in the middle of what seemed to be a random neighborhood, so I thought we were going to come hole in the wall. Well upon walking down the street, we came to the entrance to a very large park (Google Map). On the way, he had told me that he hoped this place was still open. When we got there, it looked like it was indeed closed permanently. We arrived at 7pm, and the door was locked. From the photo below, you can also see there was nothing in the display case. Well after trying the door, we started to walk out of the coury yard, and a man appeared in the window. They had apparently closed the door because it was cold. I have never heard of needing to lock a door to keep warm, but to each his own apparently.



We were seated on the back deck which overlooked a large man-made pond. There were several fountains around with an covered roller-skating rink on across the pond. We decided to get the meal for 4, as well as beer.



They first brought out the best Hot and Sour soup I have ever had in my life. One of the reasons it was so good was that it was actually loaded full of the solid ingredients. Because pork is not commonly available in Turkey, lamb was used. It was at this point that Mert explained that a few years ago, Ankara participated in a cultural exchange with a city in China. The arrangement was for a few people from each city to move to the other and setup a restaurants. The purpose of this exchange was to not only broaden the culinary horizons of the city, but to train local cooks in international cuisine. Well, I am very happy they did...





Next, wantons and egg roll were brought out. The wantons were served with a soy sauce infused with garlic. It was really good. Afterward, the main courses were brought out. Everything was so good, that we finished off everything. I really enjoyed the chicken in the chili sauce. The sun was setting by this time, and several of the fountains were lit with colored lights. After the dinner dishes were cleared away, fried banana balls were brought out. Chunks of bananas were dipped in a batter and deep fried. They were then coated with honey mixed with sugar which created a hard sugary shell around each one. To finish off the meal, the best tasting Jasmine tea was brought out. The tea looked almost completely clear, but at the most distinctive Jasmine taste I have ever encountered.







After dinner, we decided to take a stroll through the park. The sun had completely set by this time which caused the coolness of the night set in. Because we were so full, we took out time walking across what turned out to be an enormous park. Halfway through, we came upon a roasted corn and ice cream stand. Damla decided that she wanted some ice cream. So, her and I both got ice cream sandwiches. What seemed to be a father, son, and daughter were delighted to find out I was an American and even happier to find out I was Californian. The father started to make movie-making hand gestures. He told Damla that they should move to California to sell corn and ice cream. I think they would make a killing back home...





Anyways, back to the ice cream sandwiches. The "bread" part was made out of the same stuff that our cheaper ice creams cones are made of. I think everyone knows what I'm talking about. I decided on caramel and chocolate ice cream. Now, Turkish ice cream is made partially from water buffalo milk, so it is very elasticy but really good. We caught a bus heading back to Kizilay, and ended up going to a really awesome bar near Tunali street. There were several very low tables that were surrounded by large fluffy pillows. The red lighting was really low, giving the place a very mellow and romantic feel. It made me wish someone was here....

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Ankara Ethnography and Sculpture/Portrait Museums

Last Saturday, I decided to venture out on my own to find two museums that were supposed to me enjoyable near the border of Kizilay and Ulus (new and old Ankara respectfully). I left my dorm and took the dolmus to Kizilay and decided to walk the half a mile to the museums. Well that was at 10am. Thinking that I could get there by 10:30, I knew I would have plenty of time for when the museums closed at 12:30, to see one of them, and see the other after lunch. Well, I was wrong, I didn't get to the museums until 12:45. That's because I couldn't find the museums because none of the streets in Ankara are marked, and Ankara is a very 3-d city. By that I mean, there are lots of streets that have been dug out of hills with other streets crossing over head that look like train tracks. So, needless to say, it took me a while to find them.



When I got there, I found out both museums open at 1:30 instead of one opening at 1 and the other opening at 1:30. I ended up sitting in front of the museums which gave me a gorgeous view of Western Ankara. I could see Atakule (Ankara's version of the space needle),



Ataturk's Mausaleum,



and Ulus.



So at 1:30, I went inside the Ethnography Museum. First off, both museum buildings are from the Ottoman era. They have gorgeous stone work on the outside and equally gorgeous plaster and wood work on the inside. My guide book had noted that the automatic lighting would drive me mad. Well, it was right. Each room has a motion sensor for the main lighting, but each display case has its own motion sensor for its internal lighting. So, if you don't sway in front of a display case, the light will go off. This got old really fast. Other than that, this museum was interesting. It mostly described the different technical arts in Turkish history: Rug making, metal work, caligraphy, coffee making, wood working, tile making, and a few others.


I think most interesting part of the museum was the main hall. On the walls, were pictures of Ataturk's funeral precession to his mausoleum. In American history, I think the only person that remotely comes close to the respect and awe that the Turkish people have for him would be George Washington. If you would like to know more about Kemal Ataturk, you should look him up on Wikipedia. In the center, is a memorial to him. In fact, in front there is a large statue of him riding one of his horses.




The painting and sculpture museum was lots of fun. I somehow got in for free. The security guard at the door was the same one that I tried talking to at the gate. She led me inside and pointed upstairs. There was a group of school children here as well. They milled about and snapped photos with their cell phones. It was a very normal museum as far as art goes. The organization was a little lacking as well as signage but it wasn't too big of a deal. One room in this museum was left how it was when these museum buildings were originally built. The detailing around the room is quite amazing. The room was filled with a few dining room sets as well as a couch and chairs. It was probably the best display from both museums.


In reference to what I was saying about the rooms earlier, each room was sheetrocked and waiting with white paint to mimic a lot of other museums. I wish they had left the rooms alone, and just hung the paintings on the wood paneled walls that probably still exist behind the sheetrock. There was one painting in particular within this museum that really caught my attention. It is of three women with two children. It is a simple painting without much detail, but the lighting and warmth of the scene is really great. I don't particularly have "sophisticated" taste in art, so I normally just go with what I like or moves me.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Dinner and Mojitos

Duygu and I met up again on Thursday night in Kizilay with the express purpose of getting mojitos. First we went to dinner, where I got Iskender Kebop and she's got _____. Before the main dishes came, they brought is a type of Muslim puff bread, the salsa like stuff I have talked about, a yogurt soup with barley and chick peas, and a standard salad. I always look forward to this part of the meal because it is a fresh way of starting out before a normally heavy main course.



After a while our food arrived. Her dish was kofte like meat that is wrapped in phyllo and baked. Once it is crispy, a tomato sauce is drizzled over it, and it is served with yogurt. My dish is kebop meet that is spread on top of a bread that is fried until crispy and then smothered in a tomato sauce. It is served with roasted tomatoes and peppers and a side of yogurt.



For dessert, we got a really interesting type of dessert. I can't find the name, so I'll have to Duygu tomorrow when I see her. But it is like chinese noodles that have been pressed around a layer of cheese and then fried quickly to make it crispy, then it is smothered in honey. To top it off, a scoop of kaymak is put on top. Kaymak is really thick Turkish creme. It has been explained to me as the creme that is at the very top of the container when the creme completely separates from the milk. Duygu was really disappointed in this dessert because the cheese was actually put on the top or bottom of the noodles. Also it was served with Turkish ice cream instead of kaymak. Not knowing the difference, I enjoyed it. I'm excited about trying different types of ice cream however. There are lots of vendors in Kizilay. I am also looking forward to tasting kaymak soon.



After dinner, we started walking around looking for a place that served mojitos. Duygu bashfully told me that she didn't know of a place in Ankara that served good mojitos. She explained if we were in Istanbul, London, or Portugal then she could take me to a place she knows is good. We tried to go to Corvus Pub which is the middle level of a three level building with a different bar/restaurant on each level. They didn't have any seating outside or that was quiet, so we walked across the street to Twister. We grabbed a seat outside and asked for two mojitos. After about 20 minutes they finally arrived. Unfortunately, they weren't very good. The mojitos were really weak, and it tasted like they may have used vodka instead of rum.



After a while, I decided that beer was a good idea so we each ordered .7L of Efes. We talked over the beers for a good two hours. They kept refilling our little bowl of popcorn. It really funny how much Duygu can eat for being so thin. The most surprising part of the evening was the bill for the drinks. For really bad mojitos, we paid 14YTL a piece! That's about $12! I couldn't believe it, but I had been warned by Damla and Canan that hard alcohol was very expensive here. I guess I am just spoiled with Havana in Walnut Creek. I think I can live with just beer during this trip. I happen to know that I'll be getting my fill of harder stuff when I get home... At about 9pm, Duygu got a call from her father saying that she needed to be home in about an hour. We talked for a bit more and then she walked me back to the Dolmus station or Dolmus otogar. It was a great night!

Lunch at Armada



Canan (the blond one and yes there are two) needed a laser printer to print her thesis a few times, so we decided to get lunch at Armada. Everyone suggest that I should get Doner Kebop, because I had not tried it before. So if you don't know anything about Doner Kebap, it can be found across Europe and parts of the Middle East from small little carts to sit-down restaurants. Doner Kebop is sliced meat that s stacked on a vertical rotisserie. You can either get it as Tavuk (chicken) or as straight Kebop (layers of lamb and sometimes beef). My sandwich was very good, and it had lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and some red pepper flakes on it.



I just happened to look at the menu of the McDonalds behind me, and I saw the most atrocious thing. They now have a Mega Mac. I don't know if these are available in the US, but that is just ridiculous. Remember when everyone complained when McDonalds was made to provide the nutrition details of the Big Mac, and people were aghast at how bad it is for you? Well, this just blows me away. That things must be something like 1500 calories. Bleh...

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Uptown

METU is a dry campus, except for the graduate student and faculty pub. Apparently owned and operated by a Brit, Uptown has typical American pub food. Sertan and I got a steak wrap that came with those funny corn chips called Bugles. Damla ordered Mini-Chimichangas. And of course, we all ordered Efes. They all came out in one litre glasses. It was really great, until I realized there was hardly any alcohol in it. I drank 1.5 litres and was hardly buzzed at all. I wasn't looking to get drunk or anything but it was really sad. Well, it is a great after work hang out without undergrads around. =) The beer was cold, so that's really all that matters...