Fulbright Year Part 2

Last week I spent four days in Ankara for my second Fulbright orientation.  Although it was my second orientation, I was just as excited the second time as I was the first time.  As refreshing as it was to be the voice of experience for the newcomers, it was even more interesting to listen to the presentations with the insight that a year in Turkey has provided.  The presentations about the Selcuk period in Turkey had greater meaning for me after having spent the last year of my life walking through eras and empires.  Konya, which was the center of the Selcuk empire, still has daily reminders of her historic past and everyday on my walk to work I see mosques with the short, ornate minarets which are characteristic of that period.  The beautiful blue-green tiles, the two headed eagle, and the medreses which used to educate the religious minds of the time, all create an atmosphere of reverence.  Even when I hear new Turkish rap music blaring on the pedestrian walk in front of the McDonald’s that is located beside Inci Minare Medrese, I can imagine a time before the minarets had speakers and when the muezzin would climb the narrow steps of the minarets to call the faithful to prayer. 

 

Although orientation was fun and informative and I enjoyed seeing the newcomers with excitement lighting their eyes, in the back of my mind I couldn’t shake the feeling that it had all passed too soon.  It was at orientation last year that the hope of an extended stay in Turkey was conceived so I left my first Fulbright orientation full of expectations.  Now, I am trying to remember what it feels like to walk down streets with all of the modern trappings that people associate with America after a year of walking passed buildings that are older than my home country.  I have heard that the real culture shock will occur when I return to America and maybe this is true but home is still home.