It is my birthday (22), but this event is shadowed by the events of Iraq and Madeoff- Shelby read me the Turkish news and American forces have left the urban cities of Iraq, one more step forward to getting our combat boots unstuck out of the bog of cyclical violence, then Bernnie Madeoff was sentenced to 150 years in a maximum security prison and both his and his wife's money and assets (preliminary confiscation) were taken totaling 250 million dollars.
it is absolutley beautiful here and it has been great to make some friends, about 4 days in i had to release the idea of making turkish friends because it was just not happening, but as of today we have made several turkish friends, met an iranian family and made a friend that is iranian-american that lives in san francisco- releasing expectations of the future brings more than your original expectations could imagine. Release, release, release is so hard with a human brain, but the rewards are so reinforcing it is a path i will continue to follow.
time to start the day, with a cold shower, and then out to the sun.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
June 29th, 730pm- Anders
Shelby, as all other foreign women, gets too much attention here from men (the attention is really just harmless stares and some comments, not much different than the average street vendor here trying to lure you into their shop). the first couple of days i wanted to say something, but what?, and to what effect? Also, is it really different back home? In Bellingham outside of "the shoe" (the oldest bar/diner in Bellingham) it is no different, except for the drugs- Americans, meth faced, crack laced, alky breath and offerings of marijuana, "do you wanna?"
Here, in tourist town Turkey drugs are no where to be seen, even the homeless scene has no team of down and out society drop outs, the far off slums are different of course.
So we have met some jerks, but we have met angels as well.
Metin is the operator of the guesthouse we are staying at and in just 5 days he has become a friend, at first i thought "he is nice, but he already has our money," now i know though; Metin has the same soul as- helpful, thoughtful, caring and at times i bet erring, but when i look at him i see a mirror.
When wandering around looking for a memory chip for shelby's camera we walk into a small inner building mall, we look around, we look confused, close by a man with a rug shop asks as what we are looking for, we tell and he spells out the situation- first off it is sunday and most shops are closed, second only small shops are close by. Our Turkish interactor asks our nationality and when he hears seattle he says "wait, help me with something," he leafs through a couple dozen papers and i stand near by leaning away from his door, he takes a minute and i close the 3 meter gap between us by a couple of steps, "ah, here it is," he says and shows me an order slip "what part of seattle is this?" The address is 1014 E. Newton St. and i had no clue to its location so i said "i cant help you." We continue talking and "Emrullah" is revealed as his name, more talking and Emrullah tells us of his Seattle friends he met selling rugs here in Istanbul, he has visited Vancouver BC, Canada and will again in November, also he wants to open a Turkish rug shop in Seattle and become a resident because "people in the NW are very nice and smiling people," he says. I tell Emrullah that Bellevue (a city close to Seattle) is where a lot of the rich people live and that targetting them would probably be good for business, i write down the city name for him and he says "see, this is why i like Seattle, you are not cold peopl, you are very hot and friendly- good people." We smile at eachother and a bond is formed.
Earlier Emrullah was asking us what we are shopping for in the Grand Bazaar, maybe rugs?, he could sell us one, "no" i say, textiles are what we seek, he tells us that if we come back with a map he will mark on it where Turkish people buy their cloth, we had already bought 4 meters of material that are unfound US shops, and if it is it would be 4-8 times the price, but we want more, lost more. Shelby and i will go back to Emrullah's shop, partly for the textile tip, partly for his smiling style.
5 days in Istanbul and we have met people, some worth trusting and some worth keeping an eye on until they are out of our lives. It is differnt here, but it is not as you think.
(it is now June 30th and today we went back to Emrullah's shop, it was quite an experience and i will write about it soon)
Here, in tourist town Turkey drugs are no where to be seen, even the homeless scene has no team of down and out society drop outs, the far off slums are different of course.
So we have met some jerks, but we have met angels as well.
Metin is the operator of the guesthouse we are staying at and in just 5 days he has become a friend, at first i thought "he is nice, but he already has our money," now i know though; Metin has the same soul as- helpful, thoughtful, caring and at times i bet erring, but when i look at him i see a mirror.
When wandering around looking for a memory chip for shelby's camera we walk into a small inner building mall, we look around, we look confused, close by a man with a rug shop asks as what we are looking for, we tell and he spells out the situation- first off it is sunday and most shops are closed, second only small shops are close by. Our Turkish interactor asks our nationality and when he hears seattle he says "wait, help me with something," he leafs through a couple dozen papers and i stand near by leaning away from his door, he takes a minute and i close the 3 meter gap between us by a couple of steps, "ah, here it is," he says and shows me an order slip "what part of seattle is this?" The address is 1014 E. Newton St. and i had no clue to its location so i said "i cant help you." We continue talking and "Emrullah" is revealed as his name, more talking and Emrullah tells us of his Seattle friends he met selling rugs here in Istanbul, he has visited Vancouver BC, Canada and will again in November, also he wants to open a Turkish rug shop in Seattle and become a resident because "people in the NW are very nice and smiling people," he says. I tell Emrullah that Bellevue (a city close to Seattle) is where a lot of the rich people live and that targetting them would probably be good for business, i write down the city name for him and he says "see, this is why i like Seattle, you are not cold peopl, you are very hot and friendly- good people." We smile at eachother and a bond is formed.
Earlier Emrullah was asking us what we are shopping for in the Grand Bazaar, maybe rugs?, he could sell us one, "no" i say, textiles are what we seek, he tells us that if we come back with a map he will mark on it where Turkish people buy their cloth, we had already bought 4 meters of material that are unfound US shops, and if it is it would be 4-8 times the price, but we want more, lost more. Shelby and i will go back to Emrullah's shop, partly for the textile tip, partly for his smiling style.
5 days in Istanbul and we have met people, some worth trusting and some worth keeping an eye on until they are out of our lives. It is differnt here, but it is not as you think.
(it is now June 30th and today we went back to Emrullah's shop, it was quite an experience and i will write about it soon)
Monday, June 29, 2009
Shelby
Hello family and friends -
Just finished breakfast, and I'm sitting in the common area of our hostel, drinking tea and watching boats travel up the bosporus straight, and we just saw the stragest thing - a huge tanker boat is shooting water like a firetruck from either side of the hull, making it look like it has wings, like a bird or a bug or something. Very strange.
By the magic of time travel, I'm celebrating my Mom's birthday before she is - I will call her tonight and it will be her birthday morning. Happy birthyday Mom!
Today we are going to the blue mosque, and to the grand bazaar to by more cloth and textiles. Then to the post office to mail our treasures home, as there is no room to carry them on our backs. So family, when a box comes don't open it because there are turkish surprises inside, or dare I say, Turkish Delight? Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
Yesterday we took the tram and found our way to a ferry that we rode to the Princess Islands. The beach down the hill from us in Istanbul is a male only beach - more by habit than by rule, as the men would make a bathing suit clad woman feel so alienated that she couldn't get her clothes back on fast enough. But the islands are different and much more western in Mindset, so I had no problems at all swimmingin the Marmara sea - it was wonderful as yesterday was a very hot day.
I've come down with some sort of cold - probably from a number of reasons. Notably, the dairy I've been consuming, lack of square meals, sleep, and just going full strength. So, we're taking it easy today which will be nice. I'm going to find a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice vendors sell everywhere here... mmmm....
Having a wonderful time, and love you all.
Just finished breakfast, and I'm sitting in the common area of our hostel, drinking tea and watching boats travel up the bosporus straight, and we just saw the stragest thing - a huge tanker boat is shooting water like a firetruck from either side of the hull, making it look like it has wings, like a bird or a bug or something. Very strange.
By the magic of time travel, I'm celebrating my Mom's birthday before she is - I will call her tonight and it will be her birthday morning. Happy birthyday Mom!
Today we are going to the blue mosque, and to the grand bazaar to by more cloth and textiles. Then to the post office to mail our treasures home, as there is no room to carry them on our backs. So family, when a box comes don't open it because there are turkish surprises inside, or dare I say, Turkish Delight? Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
Yesterday we took the tram and found our way to a ferry that we rode to the Princess Islands. The beach down the hill from us in Istanbul is a male only beach - more by habit than by rule, as the men would make a bathing suit clad woman feel so alienated that she couldn't get her clothes back on fast enough. But the islands are different and much more western in Mindset, so I had no problems at all swimmingin the Marmara sea - it was wonderful as yesterday was a very hot day.
I've come down with some sort of cold - probably from a number of reasons. Notably, the dairy I've been consuming, lack of square meals, sleep, and just going full strength. So, we're taking it easy today which will be nice. I'm going to find a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice vendors sell everywhere here... mmmm....
Having a wonderful time, and love you all.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Hag ia Sophia Continued, June 28th 10pm- Anders
Inside Sophia all humans are dwarfed, after a shallow entryway of about 15 steps you enter a giant circular room with chandeleers hanging from metal rods descending all the way from the cieling. the main chandaleer is currently down and the middle of the main room is taken up by scaffolding that reaches to the cieling so it can be repainted in the style of the original tile work.
As i walked across the floor every sight stopped my thoughts and left me in blank amazement- the colors, the forms of worship of others, hundreds of years of lives of lovers.
We follow the established unmarked path of visitation without unsure hesitiation, in the middle of the floor lay circular stones, roped off, yet a child wanders under, unaware of the lines she crosses and the social rules she tosses aside, a guard calmly calls her back to the boundaries of history, leaving these stones to not be touched for another who knows how long. Arranged in an almost astrological depiction, ovals surround a central mother piece, this focal oval is the place where many sultans have recieved their royal adornments- outward displays of an intangible power that never ceases to be fungible due to the constant need of tangible reaffirmation of domination.
Moving on from these stones that hold more history than i can comprehend i come to a structure built for the man who makes the calls to worship you now here all throughout Istanbul every 5 hours or so, beyond this are stairs that lead to heaven, apparently heaven is only about 20 steps away and begins with a doorway that holds no door. Back at the ground floor i move on to see the christian depiction of Jesus surrounded by Mary and Gabriel, created by human hands (as is all.. ignore this parenthesis, it is a note for me). Beyond this is an arch that was tiled blue at the time when Columbus "discovered" a new world, Sophia records a culture developed before mine began. I may have ancestors like all others but i have none of their knowledge, and so my culture began with the "founding" of the Americas.
Circling back around to the left a hallway wider than some houses leads back to the entrance of Sophia, before the entrance is reached all visitors are drawn to a crowd collected around a stone pillar, at chest height is a thumb print pressed inches deep past stone and metal, around the imprint the pillar has been washed gray as far as fingers can reach when the thumb is placed in this creeping forming hole, this display is the result of hundreds of years of prayerful people placing their thumb central and their fingers towards the ground, then the hand is rotated 360 degrees while holding a prayer in mind. I watch muslims and nons commit the act, thinking of prayers, or not. I prepair my own prayer, at first it is "(this part is taken out, i will share my full writing later)," what a fool i am- making prayers for others, as i step up to take my turn i change my prayer and as i turn my hand i think one word "release."
Moving on, just steps away is an inscription on the mosque wall, a plaque explains the marking- 9th Century Viking Grafitti.
Past the rude crude Viking symbol is a switch back ramp leading to the upper floor that creates a ringed overview of the scene below, while on this floor pangs of hunger hit, in travelling sometimes neccessary routines are forgotten, but Sophia is too beautiful to rush through, so the body is pushed aside for the needs of the mind.
On this floor is a depiction of judgement day- Mary, Jesus and John the Baptist are in line with Jesus on a throne, the depiction is chipped away and a full picture is only known by a small recreation posted close by. John is shown to be sad with a brow frowed leaving me to wonder what it is he knowed. (another part taken out, this is just for my note for later)
Walking away from John the sad baptist christian activist I have a booger to pick, i do so and pause before the flick, in a place this holy how can i leave my sticky mark, i place it in my pocket instead.
As Shelby and i descend down another winding rock paved path we come upon a hole in the wall wide enough for my arm, i dare Shelby to stick hers into the darkness and she says "no, you," and i do, while my fingers are in but before my forearm is Shelby grabs, jerks and heaves a sound that stops my heart, pulls out my arm and from my mouth comes a slur of profanities that hold a crudeness that suprises my beloved attacker, we laugh and grab eachother elated at the moment we created. We walk out of Sophia and into the rest of our day.
As i walked across the floor every sight stopped my thoughts and left me in blank amazement- the colors, the forms of worship of others, hundreds of years of lives of lovers.
We follow the established unmarked path of visitation without unsure hesitiation, in the middle of the floor lay circular stones, roped off, yet a child wanders under, unaware of the lines she crosses and the social rules she tosses aside, a guard calmly calls her back to the boundaries of history, leaving these stones to not be touched for another who knows how long. Arranged in an almost astrological depiction, ovals surround a central mother piece, this focal oval is the place where many sultans have recieved their royal adornments- outward displays of an intangible power that never ceases to be fungible due to the constant need of tangible reaffirmation of domination.
Moving on from these stones that hold more history than i can comprehend i come to a structure built for the man who makes the calls to worship you now here all throughout Istanbul every 5 hours or so, beyond this are stairs that lead to heaven, apparently heaven is only about 20 steps away and begins with a doorway that holds no door. Back at the ground floor i move on to see the christian depiction of Jesus surrounded by Mary and Gabriel, created by human hands (as is all.. ignore this parenthesis, it is a note for me). Beyond this is an arch that was tiled blue at the time when Columbus "discovered" a new world, Sophia records a culture developed before mine began. I may have ancestors like all others but i have none of their knowledge, and so my culture began with the "founding" of the Americas.
Circling back around to the left a hallway wider than some houses leads back to the entrance of Sophia, before the entrance is reached all visitors are drawn to a crowd collected around a stone pillar, at chest height is a thumb print pressed inches deep past stone and metal, around the imprint the pillar has been washed gray as far as fingers can reach when the thumb is placed in this creeping forming hole, this display is the result of hundreds of years of prayerful people placing their thumb central and their fingers towards the ground, then the hand is rotated 360 degrees while holding a prayer in mind. I watch muslims and nons commit the act, thinking of prayers, or not. I prepair my own prayer, at first it is "(this part is taken out, i will share my full writing later)," what a fool i am- making prayers for others, as i step up to take my turn i change my prayer and as i turn my hand i think one word "release."
Moving on, just steps away is an inscription on the mosque wall, a plaque explains the marking- 9th Century Viking Grafitti.
Past the rude crude Viking symbol is a switch back ramp leading to the upper floor that creates a ringed overview of the scene below, while on this floor pangs of hunger hit, in travelling sometimes neccessary routines are forgotten, but Sophia is too beautiful to rush through, so the body is pushed aside for the needs of the mind.
On this floor is a depiction of judgement day- Mary, Jesus and John the Baptist are in line with Jesus on a throne, the depiction is chipped away and a full picture is only known by a small recreation posted close by. John is shown to be sad with a brow frowed leaving me to wonder what it is he knowed. (another part taken out, this is just for my note for later)
Walking away from John the sad baptist christian activist I have a booger to pick, i do so and pause before the flick, in a place this holy how can i leave my sticky mark, i place it in my pocket instead.
As Shelby and i descend down another winding rock paved path we come upon a hole in the wall wide enough for my arm, i dare Shelby to stick hers into the darkness and she says "no, you," and i do, while my fingers are in but before my forearm is Shelby grabs, jerks and heaves a sound that stops my heart, pulls out my arm and from my mouth comes a slur of profanities that hold a crudeness that suprises my beloved attacker, we laugh and grab eachother elated at the moment we created. We walk out of Sophia and into the rest of our day.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Hag ia Sophia, June 27th, 7am- Anders
Hag ia Sophia, a mosque without a loud speaker, a quiet giant of transformation among many mosques that blare a call to worhip 5 times a day, now a museum, grand yet silent among a city of singing centers of worship.
Sophia- First a christian church, burned in the "Nika" revolt of 532 AD, it was rebuilt in just 5 years, but nothing lasts as the roof of the church is now splayed on the ground before the mosque arranged in no arrangement, much of the old church sleeps unforgotten about below the accumulation of 500 years of islamic reign. Some of the old church remains lay 3 meters below the current ground level in rectangular pits, walled and kept exposed, some church remains are at ground level placed neatly in a garden, and then some church remains are left unexcavated out of fear of ruinging ruins.
the 15th century brought muslim conquest to constantinople (check my fact on that one) and 39 years before 1492 when columbus sailed the ocean blue (is that line about columbus too corny?) this grand church was through with christianity and embraced a new prophet wich would change the name of the city to Istanbul and the name of the building from church to mosque. 400 years later after sustained claimed righteousness and control a muslim sultan named Abdulmacid commenced a 22 year facelift that gave full form to the building now known as Hag ia Sophia.
In 1923 the Ottoman empire fell and Turkey was created from the hands of a now mythical general known as Ataturk. While 99% of Turkish citizens are muslim the country is officially secular, yet according to someone i met here only 80% of Turks are practicing, the other 20% refer to themselves as "modern," but dissent is not welcomed here and so the moderns are mainly muted in opinion.
Ataturk and his government, in 1935, declared Sophia as a museum open to all and it is now being restored amongst a constant flow of tourists and turks. As Shelby and i approached Sophia we wondered if it was a good to time to visit her. We did not yet know that Sophia was not a functioning mosque, it was just past 4pm and according to our estimates the call to worship should start in either 20 or 80 minutes, when the call starts the mosques are cleansed of non-believers and one of five daily prayers in practiced to praise Allah and clear the mind and body of the unholy dirtiness developed from several hours of being human.
Shelby asked a uniformed guard standed gated and guarded at the outer wall of his Sophia, "is this a good time to visit?," "Yes, yes," he responds and we step back to locate the appropriate line to walk down, the 3 paths are labeled- "with a ticket," "without a ticket," and "citizens of Turkey," our line held no traffic so we walked past two dozen Turkish citizens waiting to see their lady, we would have felt more comfortable waiting in line with them instead of walking past with our tourist priviledges, i hope they did not have to pay as much as we did to walk amongst their own history.
We walked through security and found a history plaque giving meaning to what we were seeing. This is when we learned of Sophia's retirement from mosquehood and birth of museumhood, later we noticed the absence of speakers on the towering minnerettes, giving clue to the fact that unlike the mosque with a ceiling colored blue, Sophia was obtaining her beauty rest.
to be continued....
Sophia- First a christian church, burned in the "Nika" revolt of 532 AD, it was rebuilt in just 5 years, but nothing lasts as the roof of the church is now splayed on the ground before the mosque arranged in no arrangement, much of the old church sleeps unforgotten about below the accumulation of 500 years of islamic reign. Some of the old church remains lay 3 meters below the current ground level in rectangular pits, walled and kept exposed, some church remains are at ground level placed neatly in a garden, and then some church remains are left unexcavated out of fear of ruinging ruins.
the 15th century brought muslim conquest to constantinople (check my fact on that one) and 39 years before 1492 when columbus sailed the ocean blue (is that line about columbus too corny?) this grand church was through with christianity and embraced a new prophet wich would change the name of the city to Istanbul and the name of the building from church to mosque. 400 years later after sustained claimed righteousness and control a muslim sultan named Abdulmacid commenced a 22 year facelift that gave full form to the building now known as Hag ia Sophia.
In 1923 the Ottoman empire fell and Turkey was created from the hands of a now mythical general known as Ataturk. While 99% of Turkish citizens are muslim the country is officially secular, yet according to someone i met here only 80% of Turks are practicing, the other 20% refer to themselves as "modern," but dissent is not welcomed here and so the moderns are mainly muted in opinion.
Ataturk and his government, in 1935, declared Sophia as a museum open to all and it is now being restored amongst a constant flow of tourists and turks. As Shelby and i approached Sophia we wondered if it was a good to time to visit her. We did not yet know that Sophia was not a functioning mosque, it was just past 4pm and according to our estimates the call to worship should start in either 20 or 80 minutes, when the call starts the mosques are cleansed of non-believers and one of five daily prayers in practiced to praise Allah and clear the mind and body of the unholy dirtiness developed from several hours of being human.
Shelby asked a uniformed guard standed gated and guarded at the outer wall of his Sophia, "is this a good time to visit?," "Yes, yes," he responds and we step back to locate the appropriate line to walk down, the 3 paths are labeled- "with a ticket," "without a ticket," and "citizens of Turkey," our line held no traffic so we walked past two dozen Turkish citizens waiting to see their lady, we would have felt more comfortable waiting in line with them instead of walking past with our tourist priviledges, i hope they did not have to pay as much as we did to walk amongst their own history.
We walked through security and found a history plaque giving meaning to what we were seeing. This is when we learned of Sophia's retirement from mosquehood and birth of museumhood, later we noticed the absence of speakers on the towering minnerettes, giving clue to the fact that unlike the mosque with a ceiling colored blue, Sophia was obtaining her beauty rest.
to be continued....
Istanbul, June 26th, 2:30pm- Anders
Roof top lounge, full band jazz, Turkish apple tea, blazing sun on our umbrella above, birds soaring, flowing ink from my pen giving lasting life to passing moments, a news song comes through the speakers and before i realize the jazz has ended shelby names the new song "Everybody hurts..." (Phil Collins?).
From our seat we see the water of Istanbul, just around the corner to the west lies the Bosforus, a ship passes in front of us carrying enough product to represent the total amount of resources i will use in my lifetime, and i don't mean finished product, i mean raw resources, for every pound of coal i use there is atleast several meters of "over burden" that will be scooped from the ground to uncover the storage of ancient sunlight, turned to sucrose, then body, the decomposed to what we call coal.
This cargo ship is why the greenwashing term "product miles" is complete bullshit (product miles is the concept that just because a product travels many miles from source to use it will have more of an overall environmental impact then a product that came from a closer source), in such volume each product takes cents to travel that dreaed average of 1,500 miles.
Many more ships revealing the great feats of humankind cut through the bath of bonded hydrogen and oxygen laying before me, but none were as big as teh first one i saw stacked high with multiple cargo containers, one on top of another, leaving me amazed at yet another act of engineering i call "modern magic."
From our seat we see the water of Istanbul, just around the corner to the west lies the Bosforus, a ship passes in front of us carrying enough product to represent the total amount of resources i will use in my lifetime, and i don't mean finished product, i mean raw resources, for every pound of coal i use there is atleast several meters of "over burden" that will be scooped from the ground to uncover the storage of ancient sunlight, turned to sucrose, then body, the decomposed to what we call coal.
This cargo ship is why the greenwashing term "product miles" is complete bullshit (product miles is the concept that just because a product travels many miles from source to use it will have more of an overall environmental impact then a product that came from a closer source), in such volume each product takes cents to travel that dreaed average of 1,500 miles.
Many more ships revealing the great feats of humankind cut through the bath of bonded hydrogen and oxygen laying before me, but none were as big as teh first one i saw stacked high with multiple cargo containers, one on top of another, leaving me amazed at yet another act of engineering i call "modern magic."
Greetings from Istanbul!! - Shelby
So here we are 4 days in to our adventure and I'm finally posting on here. It's a lot easier said that done getting online, I'm finding myself valuing this time for sleep, eating, or exploration, but we've decided to stay in and play backgammon tonight, and drink tea in our hostel instead of at a cafe. I'm having such a wonderful time - today we visited the Museum of Islamic Art and History aka the Rug Museum, with the larges collection of Ottoman rugs in the WORLD. It was amazing. They had looms set up showing the techniques, with the oldest rug dating back to 6c AD - pretty amazing when the oldest thing we have at home is McDonalds.
We also spent some more time at the grand bazaar and purchased a few things. As much as I love a bargain, there is something about haggling that makes me a bit anxious - probably something to do with them trying to rip me off, and me knowing in the back of my mind that they are still getting a lot of profit, no matter what I pay them. But I did find some amazing fabrics that were pricey, but I ended up paying 45 Lira for what I would have paid at least $90 at home. I'm planning on making an traditional bellydance costume of the authentic tribal variety - instead of the coin bras and jiggly bits they try to pass off.
Visited the Hagia Sophia museum yesterday, and after many days of our banks thinking that our cards were stolen aka no money, we got our debit cards activated last night. Note to self - arrange travel plans with bank BEFORE leaving next time.
But in general, we are having a great time and will be here until July 1st (Anders' 22nd bday) at 8pm, when we board a bus for an 11hour trip to Antalya.
Love love love,
Shelby
We also spent some more time at the grand bazaar and purchased a few things. As much as I love a bargain, there is something about haggling that makes me a bit anxious - probably something to do with them trying to rip me off, and me knowing in the back of my mind that they are still getting a lot of profit, no matter what I pay them. But I did find some amazing fabrics that were pricey, but I ended up paying 45 Lira for what I would have paid at least $90 at home. I'm planning on making an traditional bellydance costume of the authentic tribal variety - instead of the coin bras and jiggly bits they try to pass off.
Visited the Hagia Sophia museum yesterday, and after many days of our banks thinking that our cards were stolen aka no money, we got our debit cards activated last night. Note to self - arrange travel plans with bank BEFORE leaving next time.
But in general, we are having a great time and will be here until July 1st (Anders' 22nd bday) at 8pm, when we board a bus for an 11hour trip to Antalya.
Love love love,
Shelby
Thursday, June 25, 2009
June 25th- Anders
bench sıttıng ın smoke fılled aır between two grand mosques, sophıa and Blue attractıng worshıppers and tourısts creatıng a lıvely scene of haukers and beggars. the sun has just set and ı have met a world unlıke my own, thıs ıs home to the people descendıng from the most ancıent modern culture that led to our Western world. cıvılızatıon crept out of afrıca, ınto asıa and from what we call the mıddle east came chrıstondome. now converted, ıslam reıgns where chrıst began, a reform took hold to brıng humans back to tradıtıonal ways, they call ıs ıslam- submıssıon, from there ıs no allegıance but allah. ın my land allegıance ıs to the self, government ıs for gaın and only frıng followers of chrıst adhere to ancıent ways.
under the most well known mosques ın ıstanbul lay sellers of cotton candy, of all western ınfluences, why fluffed sugar? the mosques cease my thought wıth roof top call and response worshıp, how to respond to thıs publıc dısplay?, ı do not know but by lookıng around ı see that nothıng ıs demanded of me.
thıs mornıng shelby told me that whıle ı was wrıtıng thıs last nıght a turkısh famıly was observıng me very ıntensely and dıscussıng the nature of my curled up, small-notebook wrıtıng. ı had been observıng them too, they were a father and mother wıth two other females that could have been daughters or frıends, the woman were wrapped as ıs asked of them and the mother had a beautıful, thın face wıth sharp feelıngs of a soft nature, at one poınt she reached over and undıd the top button of her husbands shırt, they were havıng thıer evenıng famıly tıme, sıttıng, lovıng and lıvıng.
under the most well known mosques ın ıstanbul lay sellers of cotton candy, of all western ınfluences, why fluffed sugar? the mosques cease my thought wıth roof top call and response worshıp, how to respond to thıs publıc dısplay?, ı do not know but by lookıng around ı see that nothıng ıs demanded of me.
thıs mornıng shelby told me that whıle ı was wrıtıng thıs last nıght a turkısh famıly was observıng me very ıntensely and dıscussıng the nature of my curled up, small-notebook wrıtıng. ı had been observıng them too, they were a father and mother wıth two other females that could have been daughters or frıends, the woman were wrapped as ıs asked of them and the mother had a beautıful, thın face wıth sharp feelıngs of a soft nature, at one poınt she reached over and undıd the top button of her husbands shırt, they were havıng thıer evenıng famıly tıme, sıttıng, lovıng and lıvıng.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
June 23rd- Anders
I come from the land of clouds, the land of taught skin, of serious faces and passive characters, its almost July and I am looking at white sky- 5 more hours in this US of A.
Waiting to move across an ocean I turned to the tv to watch some hours drip away, my mind is too slow right now to read so I leave my books alone until I have hours of sitting in a chair floating above the ground, i know of the phenomenon called "lift" but sitting in the sky moving at hundreds of miles an hour still makes no sense, and is what i call "modern magic."
The tv is talking to me, painted faces in prepped places- fox news, msnbc, cnn; all large corporations and they all share the same stories; how is it that hundreds of professionals can be paid high salaries and all they can do is babble about some governor going on a hike without telling everyone? I am watching three grown men all talk at the same time and push talking points that are empty and meaningless, who listens to this stuff and takes it seriously?, forming opinions of a governor hundreds of miles away and his decision to go on a hike without maintaining full contact- there are real pressing matters occurring, but according to the largest news corporations in the USA we should be focusing on this governor and his hiking decisions.
I remember when Carl Rove was going on trial for doing a lot of stuff that has not been talked about, news corporations mainly talked about his trial instead of why he was going to trial, during this time Terry Shivo was the talk of the news world and everyone was paused waiting for what would happen to Terry- Terry had been in a coma for a very long time and the parents wanted her to sit like a vegetable for many more years and her husband just wanted to move on. Protesters gathered around her hospital to keep her alive, one man even rushed the guards and tried to make it to Terry to give her a cup of water to drink, Terry Shivo had been in a coma for 15 years and had been taking food and water through a tube for over a decade, the man was going to pour water in Terry's mouth since she had been disconnected from the feeding tubes to allow a natural death, terry had not takıng lıquıd through her mouth for a decade. Karl Rove was on trial but the world was watching Terry Shivo.
Enough of Americans watch the news to keep these companies in businesses, news corporations only do what is profitable and apparently talking about nothing and gossip (just watch Nancy Grace) is what sells. Who are we as a nation and why does our culture appear to be a circus? Newscasters once talked like respectable citizens shedding light on important topics, now they act like clowns trying to distract us like we are bulls in a bullfight- don't see the face of the man that just rode you while he runs off to the safety gates.
This is why i do not watch tv seriously, it is good for education but i refuse to be apart of this part of our culture. It is time for not acting like our parents, their society failed on the whole and the lessons are easy for some to see, but many are unable to see themselves so they continue to plod along whining about the results of their beliefs. Stop watching the fake news, start researching current events.
Waiting to move across an ocean I turned to the tv to watch some hours drip away, my mind is too slow right now to read so I leave my books alone until I have hours of sitting in a chair floating above the ground, i know of the phenomenon called "lift" but sitting in the sky moving at hundreds of miles an hour still makes no sense, and is what i call "modern magic."
The tv is talking to me, painted faces in prepped places- fox news, msnbc, cnn; all large corporations and they all share the same stories; how is it that hundreds of professionals can be paid high salaries and all they can do is babble about some governor going on a hike without telling everyone? I am watching three grown men all talk at the same time and push talking points that are empty and meaningless, who listens to this stuff and takes it seriously?, forming opinions of a governor hundreds of miles away and his decision to go on a hike without maintaining full contact- there are real pressing matters occurring, but according to the largest news corporations in the USA we should be focusing on this governor and his hiking decisions.
I remember when Carl Rove was going on trial for doing a lot of stuff that has not been talked about, news corporations mainly talked about his trial instead of why he was going to trial, during this time Terry Shivo was the talk of the news world and everyone was paused waiting for what would happen to Terry- Terry had been in a coma for a very long time and the parents wanted her to sit like a vegetable for many more years and her husband just wanted to move on. Protesters gathered around her hospital to keep her alive, one man even rushed the guards and tried to make it to Terry to give her a cup of water to drink, Terry Shivo had been in a coma for 15 years and had been taking food and water through a tube for over a decade, the man was going to pour water in Terry's mouth since she had been disconnected from the feeding tubes to allow a natural death, terry had not takıng lıquıd through her mouth for a decade. Karl Rove was on trial but the world was watching Terry Shivo.
Enough of Americans watch the news to keep these companies in businesses, news corporations only do what is profitable and apparently talking about nothing and gossip (just watch Nancy Grace) is what sells. Who are we as a nation and why does our culture appear to be a circus? Newscasters once talked like respectable citizens shedding light on important topics, now they act like clowns trying to distract us like we are bulls in a bullfight- don't see the face of the man that just rode you while he runs off to the safety gates.
This is why i do not watch tv seriously, it is good for education but i refuse to be apart of this part of our culture. It is time for not acting like our parents, their society failed on the whole and the lessons are easy for some to see, but many are unable to see themselves so they continue to plod along whining about the results of their beliefs. Stop watching the fake news, start researching current events.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Olympia, Washington: June 17th- Anders
Sitting in my sister’s guest room, approaching midnight, several hours before the sun rises in a light show I rarely see, I write. A constant analysis flows through me of the day, the thoughts caught long enough to contemplate, the nature of my reactions- I am preparing myself for another day of attempted intentional decision making. I thought about why I use the words attempt and try to convey my spiritual practice, why attempt to do something when life calls us to just be and just do? The conclusion that I am sitting with currently is that in being human there is nothing that I can fully do, with physical restrictions and my inability to form the perfect thought and anticipate future circumstances I am left to building myself tools to deal with the events that I cannot control and the reactions I can only mitigate. I try because I am physical; it is the nature of physicality to not have complete control.
I completed my first traveling experience of this summer that has yet to experience its initiating solstice, I took a Greyhound bus from Seattle straight to Olympia, the obstacles and discomforts are as I remember them- too many bags, uncomfortable seats imperfect for sleeping, uncertain traveling arrangements, staring out windows watching an environment that engulfs yet is fleeting with the whirling of bus wheels.
I have had to arrange and experience many leavings of the people I came to know in Bellingham, some goodbyes were perfect, others hung in the air without materializing, void of the assurance that the relationship was something more than just a relation- every relationship serves a purpose and I allow it to be what it is. There is so much that we only think, but it is the voicing, the holding, the peering through eyes that is the communication that perpetuates our loosely strung together society. I am here for you, not for myself, and to walk away from a relationship as if “it was nice to know you” is hard to do after preparing so much for a whelming life, I want to be creating meaning and tasting the richness in the power behind the words “good bye,” because it should be a good bye.
I built a family, a life, a network in Bellingham and now I walk away with my legs leaving nothing behind in my thoughts. The relationships I had were varied and ever changing, constantly teaching me about who I am and how others will treat me. The greatest thing about youth and episodes is that each segment of life is a new opportunity to do things differently, there is no attempt at regret but instead an effort is made to improve upon what was the past. In the beginning of College I made friends based on convenience mainly, this does not diminish the greatness of any relationship but acknowledges how I created my roots during my College years. As I progressed through my four years in Bellingham friends were selected more based on reciprocity; will this person be conducive to my growth and will this person allow me to change them? The roots that I established initially created a family of people that I relied on for stability, but many of the relationships that brought me and my friend to a place of mutual improvement came from seeking individual relationships that I then integrated into my life. From this I gained insight into the type of relationships I will focus on throughout the rest of my life, for I do not have endless energy to emit, my energy comes from somewhere, leaving me with only so much to give. Writing on this point; a couple of days ago a friend reminded me on the phone that my ability to give energy is not just based on how much people give me, but is based on how much I create. Even with that encouraging piece, I am still to this day limited in how much energy I have to give, and will choose relations based on how much a person gives and receives to those they associate with.
It is strange to maintain relations with dozens of people but to then realize that only about 1/5 of them ever take the time to call and initiate the continuation of a connection. Do they have the same thing happening in their life, or is this particular to me?
Without friends what do I have? Without people to change me how will I see past my own misgivings?
I am grateful for the friends that I found in Bellingham and ready for the friends I will find in Europe.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Bellingham- Anders
My house here is emptying, and my time here is concluding.
So many thoughts are running through my head as I prepare to start a new cycle, philosophy (click here for the dictionary.com deffinition) absorbs me and I am excited to have my thoughts shaped, and any conclusions that i have already not shed challenged. I was reading a book about zen and the first step was to adopt the beginners mind of no conclusions and no possibilities cast out of consideration, if a person loses this state of mind where they "see things as they are" then their conclusions will be faulty. If we rely on our faulty brains to bring us truth we will falter in living truthfully; it is when our concepts of what is falls away when we are left with what is.
I am stepping into this experience with open arms to see what change is and to live without needs imposed on the future. I will meet many people and hope to be changed by them all.
I leave in 9 days.
So many thoughts are running through my head as I prepare to start a new cycle, philosophy (click here for the dictionary.com deffinition) absorbs me and I am excited to have my thoughts shaped, and any conclusions that i have already not shed challenged. I was reading a book about zen and the first step was to adopt the beginners mind of no conclusions and no possibilities cast out of consideration, if a person loses this state of mind where they "see things as they are" then their conclusions will be faulty. If we rely on our faulty brains to bring us truth we will falter in living truthfully; it is when our concepts of what is falls away when we are left with what is.
I am stepping into this experience with open arms to see what change is and to live without needs imposed on the future. I will meet many people and hope to be changed by them all.
I leave in 9 days.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
nu%3D3235)786)6+8)WSNRCG%3D3253688895338nu0mrj.jpg)
