Wow it's finally Winter

Wow I am writing with a full week of returning from Turkey. Getting back into the swing of things in my Parisian life makes that trip seem like a dream. Although, I felt that dream was very educational because it completes my studies on the European Union being that Turkey is thinking about joining the EU. Just a few days ago, the EU said that Turkey will forever stay out of the union as long as they have their repressive laws on free speech in that they throw people in jail for speaking out against “Turkishness.” Turkey vowed to change the law, but I have a feeling that it will be a watered-down version that slips under the door. I hope they truly do away with the law, but I feel that some of the other brainwashing needs to go as well if the want to be accepted…Enough on that.

It is about getting that time during my stay in Europe that I realize that it is coming to an end relatively soon. I know I have over another month to live here but still considering holidays are coming up, my sister is visiting me and I have to write a 8pg and 25 pg paper, there will not be much more time left. It is like I am missing Paris, but I am still here which is odd because I am missing home as well. Well at least for one thing, I had my last major midterm yesterday which went well considering at the beginning of the quarter I knew nothing about economics and had to reason/teach myself throughout the quarter. So I in lieu of all of this I decided to first try and see a late night movie, but that didn’t work so I instead thought I was going to go to sleep early especially with the torrential downpour outside. My mind changed when I got a phone call telling me to get my ass up and come out. So I did and went to Duplex next to the Arc de Triumphe on the Champs Ellysees. I spent a few hours there and they were worth it because the club was a lot smaller and actually had two rooms where one, the main, was techno and the other was more American music (rap and hip hop). Even though I wasn’t a fan, it was just nice to hear American songs although I adore European techno. The best part of the night though and I can’t really decide if I am being sarcastic or not was walking the 1hr 30 min marathon across Paris back to my apartment. It was a nice night with the stars showing, but it took forever. Maybe that was because I took the scenic route: down the Champs Ellysees to the Tour Eiffel and then to Montparnasse. I had to wake up early so I went to bed early 3:30AM for my day trip today.

Aujourd’hui, we went to the Chateau de Malmasion, which is a funny ironic name for the house of Josephine, Napoleon’s first wife. The chateau itself looks like a mansion from the East Coast with gardens that are made up of color changed trees. The visit was interesting and the inside of the house was a lot less ornate than say Versailles or the palace I visited in Turkey. One thing that I thought was interesting that when Napoleon was still married with Josephine, his rooms were made to look like military tents with big golden eagle emblems. I guess that guy was just obsessed. Well not with Josephine because he divorced her after she couldn’t provide for him in the means of children. Even though she was divorced, she was still technically the Empress of France claiming some sort of right to royalty. Her descendants now include: the King of Belgium, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the Queen and Princess of Denmark, and the kings of Norway and Sweden. Not bad considering before she married Napoleon, she came from a family in the West Indies.

Today also included a visit to the La Defence section of the outskirts of Paris where most of the economic and financial centers of France are. With the Arch and surrounding building and squares, it looks like one huge Millennium Park. The buildings will still be modern in 2100. La Defence also boasts a large shopping mall, which I have to say I visited and will be back because the prices are relatively cheap compared to the center of Paris. A perfect place to take my sister. I do have to say I bought a man bag because the strap on mine broke and I got tired of carrying around my computer like a briefcase. I also was beginning to feel too old with a briefcase and taking the metro to work (Sciences Po). Haha, coming up this weekend hopefully and on Monday: movie, PSG soccer game, soccer practice, and Strasburg to see the European Parliament and Council of Ministers.

A week in Constantinople (Istanbul) - part II

The second half our trip started on Tuesday which we decided to try and fit in as many sites as possible. We started with touring the Hagia Sofia which is what Istanbul is obviously most known for. You walk in through an arch with a mosaic of Jesus looking down at you. It was a church under the Latin rule that was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans. It has a beautiful dome that still baffles visitors today. Two things to note about this most important building in the world: it is in bad need of repair for parts of walls are falling off along with the fact that the inside of the doom itself was getting worked on with the help with scaffolding that ruined the effect of the building. Nonetheless when I saw mosaics of Mary, Jesus, and Joseph, I had a respect for this building and for the Muslim religion for it is not much different than Christianity and in many ways is the next step. We moved from the Hagia Sofia to the Basilica Cistern, which is a large underground water deposit that was built in ancient times and kind of looks like a Greek temple with its pillars and sculpted heads of Medusa. This visit was short and we moved on to the Turkish Archeological museum.

There we saw artifacts and stone from civilizations in Turkey going back to 15th century BC. Along with that we could see the transformations in the style of sculpture from the Hellenistic period to before and after the Byzantine Empire. Not only was it interesting to brush up on my history of Turkey, but also I found it hilarious to read some of the translated scripts on rocks dating back to BC centuries in the teens, whether they are love contracts, peace agreements, or ways to solve male impotency. We actually stayed there for 2-3 hours and by the end of it we were wiped which seemed to becoming a commonplace. We ate that night at hostel café where it was relatively cheap and a great atmosphere as in there were people there that weren’t geriatric. More cards and chicken Casserole which I have to say was one of the most satisfying meals I had, but mainly I was just happy that it wasn’t kebob. I think that it will take weeks before I will be able to eat that again for Monica actually got sick eating the lamb in her casserole. We went to bed fairly early that night because the next morning we had our tour to brush up on everything we missed. Before I go on, I know this is random but the city is infested with stray cats and dogs. Some areas would be dominated by dogs and they would walk around with you and other areas would be infested with cats who beg every living moment, expect to be pet, and then have the audacity to climb up you. I have to say though by the end of trip, my hatred of cats had gone away...

The van came to pick us up at 830 and of course being with three girls we were late especially since we grabbed some breakfast before left. We were the youngest people in the tour with the average age probably being somewhere in the 60s or 70s but that was ok. Our first stop of the day was the Spice Market which is pretty much a miniature of the Grand Bazaar except for the majority of the goods was spices and teas. We didn’t buy anything until we were sold on Lemon tea from this guy who charmed us with his French. He totally called us out for not being from Paris because of our rougher accents. He knew that because he was dating a Frenchie, hence we said we were from French Canada. We had to hurry back because our free time was running out and on the way out we passed a lot of butchers which is where I saw the grossest thing of trip: skinned goat head. But no Dad there weren’t snakes or mangled animals at the bazaars, I must have laughed for 20 minutes when I saw that question…The tour bus drove us to the dock where we all boarded a large boat that would sail us up the Bosporus. As we moved out of Istanbul and into the smaller suburbs, one could see that many of the buildings needed work and that there wasn’t really beautiful strait-front property. Now the houses overlooking the water on the Asian side were nicer, probably mansions from rich Turks who lived farther East. Of course on the way we saw Ataturk’s yacht that resembled somewhat of a small Titanic.

The best part of the sail was seeing the Rumeli Hisari which is the citadel protecting the entrance of the strait. It’s not your typical square fortress and is kind of lopsided along this hill but towers were strategically placed so that ships coming down would have to submit or be caught in a strong cross-fire. Too bad we didn’t have time to walk the ramparts, but I have a feeling that I will back to Turkey someday. Our sail ended and we boarded buses to then go back in to our hood where we ate more kebobs, but the meal was interesting because we were able to talk to a British couple. They expressed their views over maintaining a strong relationship with the US and allowing it to take its place at the top of the table which is hard for a lot of the old countries of Europe (France). He also explained to me what I already knew about how the Brits don’t want to join the Euro because of the Pound being strong and that if Turkey joined it would be hard to limit immigration to Britain. Since there was a Turkish guy sitting next to us, he later said that by taking in Turkey it would be a good place strategically and could be a bridge into the crescent lands. As that might be true along with Turkey bringing in a large population and developing economy, it also has problems that I will address in the conclusion of the trip.

We finished our meal and rousing conversations that made us actually experience real people having the views that it taught to us in our political science classes. The four of us had asked the tour company to not go along with the rest of the group for the last stop and rather take us to the Dolmabahce Palace. This was a palace construed in the 1800s and was the center of Ottoman administrative affairs. It is about the closest thing there is to a French Versailles, which I have to say I have not visited yet in France. I will get around to that one of these das. Inside it holds many vast ornate rooms including one that houses the largest Bohemian crystal chandelier, a present by Queen Victoria. Other perks in the palace included presents from the German Kaiser Wilhelm during WWI and bear skins from a Russian czar. This palace was clearly built to be a façade on the power of the Ottoman Empire. As the empire was falling apart it was used by the Ottomans to impress their European counterparts. It’s kind of like the Saudi palaces where they are so rich and ornate and yet they have people starving and massive human rights problems. It was not to that degree in the Ottoman Empire or so I hope, it’s just I felt that they were trying too hard to be acknowledged by the West in building this palace. Ataturk spent his last days there so it’s even more a national monument.

I have to admit by the end of the trip I was falling in love with Ataturk. Not the insane degree as the Turkish people, but at least I can understand why they loved him so much. He ended the Sultanship of the Ottoman Empire and formed the Republic of Turkey of which he was the first president. He also brought social and economic reforms to get Turkey on the fast track to becoming more Western. Personally he looks like Dracula in some sort of way and his face is somewhat hypnotizing in some pictures but nonetheless he is the national hero of Turkey. The only downside is that if you speak out against him, it is a crime and you can be put in jail. I could even get some harsh remarks from Turkish friends for this post, but this is my commentary. I feel like if something or somebody is that great than it can withstand criticism, by creating laws that make speaking out against him or the idea of “Turkishness” is somewhat oppressive to the free speech part of their so-called secular democracy. More on that later.

As we left the palace tour, I noticed that across the street the soccer stadium was starting to attract large amounts of people. A Turk next to me told me that there was a match today, so I walked across 8 lanes of traffic to inquire about the prices which turned out to be 15 Turkish Lira. Only up until 2005, did Turkey get rid of 6 zeros of the currency to appreciate their currency into something that is almost one to one with the dollar today. Regardless this was cheap for a match so I decided to go leaving my things with the girls. The girls would have gone had it not said in the guide books that you could count the girls at the soccer matches on one hand. And if I was somewhat timid to go then the girls would be as well. The club’s name was Beskitas and actually beat Liverpool a week before, so I decided to give them a look. After buying a ticket, I must have asked 10 different policemen how to get to my seat and then finally when I got to the open admission section, I sat next to the police. I did this only because I saw police in full riot gear and games in Turkey sometimes have a tendency to get out of hand. The stadium wasn’t really full so the game went pretty smoothly. Beskitas ended up losing this Turkish Cup game 1-2, which proved to be very disappointing because the opposing team was near the bottom of the league table. My life insurance was buying a scarf so that people wouldn’t ask me questions considering I did kind of stand out a bit. After the game ended, I walked back for awhile and grabbed a Starbucks which for those 5 minutes put me back in the States.

Our last day of the trip proved to be my day of shopping and revival. By this point I had not bought anything except a Turkey soccer shirt (go figure), and I felt that I needed to get presents/buy a carpet. I originally was going to go to a Turkish bath but after I realized that I was going to be scrubbed down by a hairy Turkish guy, I decided not to considering I just had taken a shower. Instead I must have hit up 15 stores on my way and back to the Grand Bazaar. Let me tell you, carpet shopping is a hell of an experience because at the beginning I knew nothing and by the end I was able to get a beautiful carpet for an amazing price with a story to go along with. It was hilarious how many times people tried to cheat me and sell me crappy/holey rugs that were not even worth a fraction of the price they wanted. The best part is that they would pressure me into buying because of my age and thought that I would succumb. Once I started I pretty much got into this craze that made me sift through their bullshit and find out what was really going on. They would be say things like oh this is our first sale so I’m giving you a good price or I am good friends with Bill Clinton so buy my shitty carpet. Men or “guides” would stop me on the street and bring me into the back warehouse and try and impress me with their French and almost sit there as a “friend” telling me that I am getting a good deal. They are all actually part of the game and get a commission for bringing you in. Most of the time it was the carpets that turned me off, but sneaky sale’s tactics and harassment were others that led me to believe they were charging me double what a good price was.

I finally walked into this little whole in the wall shop where I basically said I have been around, I know what I am looking for and what are good prices, don’t screw with me because I know your bullshit. The guy who was about a foot shorter proceeded to tell me that he was Kurdish after I rejected the first few. When he called me out on being American, I proceeded to ask him many questions about the current affairs. He told me that he used to sell carpets in Eastern Turkey but then moved once the Gulf War started because of the death of tourism in that region. He also proceeded to tell me that he wants his own country someday (Kurdistan) which he could call a home and become prosperous for the regions in northern Iraq and Eastern Turkey are somewhat rich in natural resources (Oil). I then asked him what he felt about the Turkish border forces and their attacks on PKK’s strongholds in Iraq. He proceeded to tell me that it is doing nothing except for killing women and children in the villages surrounding the mountains. He told me that he wasn’t getting discriminated against in Turkey but rather that Turks were very rigid in their beliefs not open to any opposing side. They certainly would never solve the Kurdish problem by giving up some of their land. After rejecting a bunch of carpets, the owner went in the back and pulled out one from his village which looked totally different than the rest and ended up being the colors that I wanted. There were crosses on this Kurdish carpet which he told me were for the Christians in the Kurdish society, but I read on the internet that the symbol is for good luck. He gave me a price a little more than the others because it was hand spoon wool, but I was able to haggle it down to 110$. Out of all of the stores I had been to, this carpet was by far the best I got for that price. When I went to bazaar later on that day, the guy who I bought my gifts from told me that he probably paid anywhere near 85$ for it and it would probably sell in the 200s. And in the States it would sell for much more. It was the best deal I got and I really liked the carpet so I sucked it up and bought it after I brought Monica to look at it and make sure I wasn’t buying something ugly. Oh also that day I picked up a leather wallet that happened to say Gucci on it. One of the best things I will take away from Turkey will be the haggling skillz that I developed. Too bad it doesn’t work in Paris because I could really use some price reductions here haha. After my successful day which actually lasted a few hours, I went back to the hotel to find out that we wouldn’t have a room that night because it wasn’t worth it with our shuttle coming at 3AM to take us to the Ataturk Airport for a 5AM flight. We ended up just shacking up in the hotel lobby until that time which was a site to see but an experience that you only do when you are in your 20s.

On the flight back in my sleep-deprived state I was thinking about what to write in my final commentary on Turkey. I already addressed how I felt about Ataturk. On the Kurdish problem, I feel that they need their own country, which is why the guy called Americans “best friends.” Although I feel its contradictory for the US to stop Turkey in going after terrorists in other countries because the US did exactly that and one democratic presidential candidate (OBAMA) not a republican might I add, said that if necessary as in they found out where Al Qaeda was in Pakistan they would attack them without the government’s support. I guess since Iraq is an American colony it’s a little different. People have said John don’t call Iraq a colony, but I mean come on we go in topple government, reinstate an ineffective puppet government whose country’s infrastructure is built in relation to the occupying countries needs. Anyway back to Turkey, the Kurdish problem along with the Armenian and Cyprus’s are reasons within themselves that Turkey will never join the EU. This along with some somewhat anti-democratic laws like I referred to above in terms of speaking out against the government are other reasons. The Armenian problem is the fact that they deny that genocide occurred during WWI. They can call it what they like it still doesn’t change the fact what happened. I mean I wasn’t there but the way they handle/oppress opposition shows they are hiding something. Germany acknowledges the Holocaust and America knows it killed a lot of Native Americans so can Turkey. Salosi in the House of Representatives just recently tried to put through legislation confirming that it is in fact a genocide which is morally right I feel but not good in terms of diplomacy especially with a fellow member of NATO. The last and final major issue is the Cyprus occupation, which Turkey again has a law throwing people who criticize it in jail. Turkey invaded the northern part of Cyprus and has established a republic that the UN doesn’t even recognize. Being that Greece and Turkey have always fought over Cyprus, I don’t see how Turkey could join the Union with Cyprus and Greece in it without first allowing Cyprus to unite the whole island. It’s hard for Turkey to be in NATO and not be accepted into the EU. They could profit greatly from the membership, but countries like France would never allow a Muslim country join that is so drastically different. I personally think that they should wait and allow Turkey to go ahead with so more of its reforms that it has promised while being a candidate state and also fix some of these diplomatic ties before entering the newly constructed Europe that is championing democracy and secular modernism. Good bye Turkey for now, hopefully when I come back it will be a lot more open and I will be able to actually read this blog out loud in public and not get shot like Armenian journalists have in the past…

A week in Constantinople (Istanbul) - part I

Yes I am alive and doing well in Istanbul and I haven’t gotten mugged or beaten up. I am actually staying in one of the best parts of the old city in between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia. I am traveling with three girls from my program of which 2 are from the Chicago area. Our story starts here:

The first day we decided that since our flight was so early in the morning that we would sleep over at the airport because that would be only a 7 Euro train ride rather than a 80 Euro cab. Charles De Gaulle is quite far for all of us so Monica, Maggie, and I took the RER to Charles de Gaul on the last train at 1AM. Since there was nobody around, we walked on and off the train for free by sneaking through the machines. The airport was barren but we found a row of benches and set up shop. All the lights were on and there were cleaning people so it was very hard to “sleep.” The time passed slowly and actually we ran into other people at the airport from our program, but by now we have gotten use to that because it happens all the time in Paris. I will randomly turn corners and run into the same people. Anyway we walked onto our Lufthansa flight to Munich running only on fumes with only a croissant for energy. The flight lasted only an hour and ten minutes and what made it go faster was the thought of beer and food in Germany. When we got there we immediately started to walk around the airport that was the complete opposite of Charles de Gaulle, beautiful and easy to find things. We ended up doing what I was joking about to everyone in the States. We had German pints at 10:30 in the morning right before our plane to Istanbul and the beer for 2.10 Euros was very good and made the 2.5 hour flight from Munich to Istanbul a little shorter.

We got off and our first impression of Turkey was that of any other European country. The airport was pretty modern but it was the Turkish language that started to make us think we were in a different part of the world. They made us buy a 90 day visa for 20 USD on the way off the plane which took months in France. We got our bags and experienced the onslaught of venders when we looked for a way to get to our hotel. These guys tried to get us to take a shuttle to our hotel for 65 Euros, Dollars, or Liras I don’t remember because all trip my wallet had three different currencies in it. We told them that we would find our own way. Only if we knew that would be a theme of the trip: people trying to cheat us because of people not knowing what currencies are worth or how much things should cost. We took our long taxi ride to our hotel and on the way experienced our first views of Istanbul. The city is situated on the Marmara Sea and Bosporus Strait with the touristy part being in Europe and the more residential in Asia. Our hotel which was more of a hostel than a hotel put us in a small room with 4 beds that were damp and had ceiling shavings on it. The worst part is that our hotel manager told us that the reservation was in Euros instead of Dollars liked we discussed in emails. So we decided to stick it out for a day, look around at other hotels. One of them, we met a hotel owner in the street and he showed us to his shack where he offered us rooms. If it hadn’t looked like a scene out of Hostel the movie, we would have considered it. Speaking of Hostel, that day we went to a tour agency and while waiting for the attendant watched scenes from Hostel 3 which were so grotesque that even the owner’s car made faces. After getting information on what to do Istanbul we ate across the way at a cafe that had music and whirling dervishes. Now at these cafes, they serve food along with different Turkish teas and Nescafe. They don’t like to brew real coffee; rather they love instant unless it’s Starbucks which just boggles my mind. That night we visited the Blue Mosque which is one of over 2000 mosques in Istanbul and was beautiful to say the least. Upon entering the mosque, we had to remove our shoes and the two girls had to cover their hair in the traditional way. The inside was picturesque with blue tiles and domes that were intricately inscribed in Arabic. Of course in the Islam religion, it is forbidden to depict any of the prophets or Allah in pictures so there are no mosaics or stained glass portrays of important religious figures. The Hagia Sofia is different is different in that respect but that comes later.

The second thing we did that day before retiring to our hole in the wall was to visit the Grand Bazaar. This is Turkey’s largest market where people are selling all kinds of things from souvenirs to rugs to fake bags and other brand name items. The best part about it which actually makes it really fun is haggling. Since the vendors know that tourists are either stupid or have researched the tricks of the bazaar, they bump up the prices at least 25% higher than a reasonable price. And over the week I developed some bargaining skillz with some sample purchases that I wish to use on my last day in Turkey. That will be in the second installment coming later. Getting back to the café and Hostel; two things more things I wanted to note about it which tie into Turkish culture dating back to the Ottoman Empire. 1) Dervish dance is a religious dance where the dancer spins in a circle 99 times reciting all 99 names for Allah (God) and has both hands out with one up and one down wearing a traditional costume. 2) At the cafes close to the mosque, they do not serve beer rather they have hookah machines and board games like backgammon and chess. Backgammon is the game of choice in Turkey and can be found in many cafes, we tried to learn it but the only rules were on Wikipedia because our servers could not explain it to us in broken English.

We spent the night in the bad hotel and got woken up in the middle of the night by Clarissa who had a late night flight. We woke up in the morning and decided to move hotels especially after we discovered that the shower stall incorporated the toilet. The breakfast was cheese, bread, coffee/tea and jam with a great view of the Sea, but not good enough to try and haggle for another hotel room. We checked out of the hotel after haggling with a nearby hotel that was actually across from the Four Seasons, nicer/bigger room, clean large bathroom and best of all for the same price per night for the remaining four nights. That day we revisited the Blue Mosque for Clarissa and then went to the Istanbul Art Museum where we saw a wide range of Ottoman art and Turkish carpets dating back hundreds of years. The displays were very well down except for the part where you could touch most everything because protective plastic cases are probably too expensive. After this thrilling museum we were tired and decided to take a tea break at a café which seemed to happen a lot on the trip because walking would prove to be too hard on our young legs. While we were drinking our tea overlooking the Blue Mosque, the horns erupted in Muslim prayer not only from the mosque en face but also mosques all around Istanbul. It was time to pray and through the horns the sheikhs would sing prayers that vibrated our table. I was able to get some of it on tape so people back home can experience it like they show in the movies.

Our last stop of the day was Takim Square which we walked to, across the bridge or something called the Golden Horn separating Europe. That may be confusing but after crossing that bridge you can cross another to get into Asia. Along this bridge were fisherman of all shapes and sizes who cast long poles into the water in hopes of catching their dinner or salaries. Either way they weren’t very big and it was weird because I don’t remember seeing any hooks. I wonder if they just tangle fish in their long lines like ocean fishers do with dolphins. Regardless they put their catch in a Styrofoam container filled with water which is funny because I couldn’t find the purpose in that because the fish will die anyway once they use up the oxygen in that small container of water. While crossing one would notice the large Turkish flags that were flying over the city. Monday was the day of Independence and the city decked itself out in red and white flags along with pictures of the national hero, Ataturk. Originally, we thought that they were being flown in solidarity over the PKK attacks on Turkish troops, which actually got us a little scared because an invasion of Iraq would definitely bring consequences in terms of the Turko-American relationship. Thus on this trip we have rarely said that we were from America, which worked for most people except British who knew our accent and other French speakers who called us out on not having Parisian accents. Looking back on the last few days, it seems silly but we are half way cross the world with only probably two hours by air between us and the border of Iraq. Takim square is one of the more popular sights of Istanbul with good bars, great clubs to go to, and a nice street lined with stores and bakeries. This was where many of the Turks went to do their shopping rather than the touristy grand bazaar. I actually picked up an English book written by a Turkish writer explaining the Armenian controversy in Turkey which I saw as not only fitting but a good buy because it is filled with bias that is opposite to the bias I am used to in the States. I will read the book like it says without prejudice for the book was published without.

Food in Istanbul for at least me has consisted of different kinds of kebobs and other grilled meats. I have had some rice and vegetables but mainly the same thing. There is probably a reason for my consistent stomach ache that won’t go away probably until I get back to Paris. Since we have been here, my group has made an effort to try as many things as possible. This includes Hevla (paste they make pastries out of I think); Turkish delights; Baklava; Turkish lentil soup; corn on the street, grilled walnuts; and best of all this spicy chicken casserole that was probably more American than anything. I guess just eating relatively the same thing all week and having it be foreign just screws with your system especially if you haven’t totally settled into your new surroundings. Although I could get used to our breakfasts at our new hotel because it consisted of cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and bread. Yeah there isn’t protein and you are hungry come lunchtime, but it’s really healthful.

We woke up early the morning of the Turkish Independence Day and decided to go to the Asian side of Istanbul which involved taking a ferry. It was only 1.5 Lira which was cheap meaning that I was a little suspicious because you always hear about ferries capsizing. Due to two names of ports looking exactly a like, we ended up taking an extra ferry trip but nonetheless we made it over to the Asian continent and tried to go to two destinations a mosque and a fortress. The mosque was under renovation and the fortress was actually a government facility guarded by men with machine guns. Hence we went to the shopping mall, which was an experience in itself. You walk into the mall and think you are in the US. Yes everything is in Turkish, but many of the stores are American and European brand names. When you go to the food court, the most popular places are Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Arbys. The worst part about all that is that they are really expensive and the opposite of cheap fast food. They take a long time and are expensive. I decided to go to the Anatolian express which is fast Turkish food. We didn’t buy much due to the inflated prices because of import taxes most likely and were astonished when we found out that the Canadian dollar is now worth more than the American dollar. That in itself could be a blog rant. Another odd thing was that pictures of Ataturk were all over the mall as well along with the Turkish flags. It was just odd to see a Turkish flag in a Ralph Lauren store. We stocked up at the super market with Turkish beer and wine because it’s cheaper to have a late night soiree on our hotel terrace that overlooked all of Istanbul at night. After walking around the Asian side we decided to go back to our hotel, take nap, and then try back at the Grand Bazaar. We were going to stay away from the Independence Day celebrations because of the possibility of a terrorist attack in this troubled time.

The Bazaar was closed but we ended up eating at a really cliché Turkish restaurant where they had music and costumes along with good food. We also saw the fireworks display on the walk back to the hotel. That night we grabbed the cartons of beer and walked up the 4 flights to the roof terrace where we looked at the skyline so to speak of Istanbul at night with ships passing through the sea and horn. We hung out in the cold, playing a drinking game between both the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque at night. Good times especially when Monica was dared into yelling out to the Bellman of the Four Seasons along with the people eating at the restaurant terrace on the next building. We began to call our hotel the Three Seasons after this point because not only was our accommodation nice, we had a better view of the city that was once Byzantium on this terrace than anyone in the Four Seasons right across the street.

I was on French National TV: Canal's "Le Grand Journal"

The day after I got back from the Pyrenees I remembered that at night I had signed up to be in the audience of a TV show called, “le grand journal” or the big newspaper. I showed up 15 minutes early for the meeting time before going into the tv station and I was the only there out of 20 students. The French professors were probably thinking damn Americans never listen and just stroll in whenever they please…well its true, but you can’t fault for culture haha. Anyway once everyone arrived they let us into the entrance where they took some form of ID that they would keep until we left. We had to check our coats with cell phones and cameras which I was bummed because I wanted to take pictures.

Since we were the last group of students to arrive, they made us wait a bit before taking us in the multi-colored studio that had table and chairs in the center with the audience sitting around it. Before anyone was allowed to sit down, the staff told individual people to sit in certain places so that their colors of their clothes wouldn’t contrast and that there would be a balance of guys and girls. It kind of felt like middle school sports where people choose teams. I of course was last and being one of the only guys put in the middle of a bunch of girls sitting right behind the table in the front row. I thought I would be on TV but the way people were sitting once the show got started I didn’t see myself. Although I never saw a tape of the program, so I wouldn’t know. Just like expected, there was a guy in the audience who prompted us to clap, scream, and be silent.

This show consisted of some political debate at the beginning with news, popular culture, music, sports and weather. So it was a conglomerate of everything going on in the world. The most interesting part was that each guest would sit down with the three people (the moderator pictured above in glasses: http://www.canalplus.fr/) on the show and it would be somewhat of a cross-table debate. And it would be interesting because with the last batch of quests there was an actor with sports figures talking about different issues. The first quest was former prime minister of France, Jean-Pierre Raffarin (pictured above without glasses: http://www.wikipedia.org/), who served under Jacques Chirac from 2002-2005. He actually resigned his position after France rejected the new EU constitution and now is currently a leader in the conservative party UMP in France (a branch of this party is King Sarko’s). He was on the show promoting his book that dealt with 10 questions about decentralization of the government in France. As many know the French state is very strong, and some people feel that as France moves into the future the power should be handed to regional and municipal governments like in the US. He also commented on Sarkozy’s letter reading to kids, which told the story of children in the resistance during WWII. The former Prime Minister made a point of saying that it is important for the youth of the country to remember all of those who died in order so that they could have the liberty they enjoy today. It is a touchy subject because of course with the unification of Europe these historical conflicts seem to be foreign to younger generations.

What the most interesting part of the interview was when they brought a man who was in charge of NGO that dealt with housing in Paris for homeless people who fall out of the welfare state (SDFs in France). This NGO guy made a point that there is housing in Paris for these people who mostly are refugees but it is not adequate and that it would only take a little work and money from the budget to get these people out of the cold. The former Prime Minister defended against allocations that he did nothing to fix this problem and that you can’t just say lets take this extra money and build more housing. The NGO started to get angry and kind of put on a show which the prime minister called him out on. France probably needs more housing for their homeless but so do most countries in the world. Also remember that a lot of people seeking asylum from African end up in France because of the former colonies so they have I think a bigger problem than others.

The second batch of quests consisted of Marc Lavoine, a popular singer and actor in France who has a movie coming out “Les Cœurs des Hommes 2.” It looks like a movie about middle-aged men who all have family problems and then come together in friendship and work through them. With regards to his singing capabilities I can’t find a comparison to a singer in the US but maybe a male Celine Deon? Anyway with him were four players from France National Rugby team who just lost the 3rd place game. Two notables were Rapheal Ibanez (captain) and Frédéric Michalak (best player). Of course all of the girls went crazy when they came on the show because these guys before the coup modeled for a nude calendar. I have actually thought about buying a few for some people back home but then again that wouldn’t be appropriate in conservative America. One comment about the rugby men, they are not as huge as they look on TV except for one who looked like a brick wall.

The best parts of the show were the advertisements and the weather lady. The advertisements and commercials were hilarious for the station (CANAL) mocked TFR the other major French station in a puppet show that satirized their news staffs. Favorite line was “TFR – the news station for the dying.” They showed puppet medical crews electric shocking the anchor’s heart during every commercial. The puppets were so lifelike that is was disturbing while funny au meme temps. The second major attraction of the night literally was the blond babe who was brought out to read off the weather report for the day. She was of course like a stick wearing white boots and fury hat, top, and pants. Her attractive and aesthetic appearance didn’t translate into intelligence for she stumbled over the words on the prompt many times. Isn’t it terrible when people fall directly under discriminatory stereotypes? But hey wasn’t complaining and neither was the Prime Minister who must have had the most sinister smile on his face as he looked her up and down 5 times. If just one of the cameras had caught the man who looked like he was in 70s creepily checking out this 25-year-old woman it would be a field day for the French muckrakers. Some things don’t change across borders, including nasty old politicians putting their eyes on the grand prize.

Remedy for the Midterm Epidemic: Weekend in the Pyrenees Mountains

Having to work with the strike, I discovered that a train left Montparnasse station on Friday morning at 7:25. Because of the strike, I just jumped onto the train that morning and never had to show a ticket. Once I was on the train, the stress finally passed because I had been worried the last week that I would not get to go on my vacation. The 8 hr trip was bearable with the fact that I nearly finished the one leisure book I brought for this 4-month Euro-trip. I would have brought more it’s just there wasn’t space. Anyway my first stop was Lourdes a small town close to the middle part of the Pyrenees Mountains that is famous for being a holy city because of a saint being buried there. This Saint Bernadette supposedly saw Mary in revelations and when she died her body didn’t compose over 50 years. I got off the train a little tired but ready to make my pilgrimage so to speak because I am technically still Catholic. And as hard as this is for me to admit it, I actually was interested and curious about the whole thing and it wasn’t just a photo-op for the parents. On the way to the entrance of Jesusland, I passed about 20 stores that sold religious items all made in China, so I was skeptical to really buy anything. I did buy small vials for the holy water that comes out of the rock that she is buried in. I entered the area called La Grotte and on the way passed a tour bus full of Asians probably Koreans and also the nuns who I sat next to on the train and almost stold their seat. I didn’t have an actual ticket for the train because of the strike, so I kind of felt like a stowaway trying to find empty seats.

The Basilica that is built on top of this grave is situated next to a river fed by water from the nearby mountains. The whole area was colorful because being autumn, the leaves had all changed colors making me feel that I was back in Kent with bigger mountains in the background. There was such an essence of beauty and piety that actually did captivate me to believe a little more than I already do. Anyway I toured the outside of the basilica for the inside was under construction. On the side there were water fountains/spouts for the water that people filled up their bottles, trinkets, and kegs. The latter was made up but then again it would be awesome to have a kegger party with holy water. I tried a little bit of the water and judging by its mineral taste, I concluded that it came from the river. But considering that it is a sacred place and it has supposedly cured others in the past of their maladies, I respected it. There were tons of people there, mostly the elderly and sick, which left me probably the youngest by a few decades, but nonetheless it was a religious experience. I don’t know if I have found my religion once again, but it certainly adds another plank to the rail. Last note, on the way out I saw the bunker church that could probably hold services for 10 thousand people underground in a cement amphitheatre that would make the Romans proud.

I had to hurry back to the train station because there Jean-Louis was waiting for me to take me to Bagneres-de-Bigorres the town that I was staying in. Jean-Louis is a friend of my host-mom Charlotte, who I met in September when they came to visit Paris. Jean-Louis in my view is your classical Southern Frenchman. He has a strong accent that has mix of not only the local region but that of Germany where he lived for many years as well. The French language of the Pyrenees or at least the part I was in that is far from the Basque country is that of the difference between northern and southern dialects in the US. Unlike Parisian French, the silent syllables are pronounced mostly the e’s which also get added on the end of words. At first it was hard to understand but once my brain downloaded the translation guide I was good. (I will give the person who knows what movie I am vaguely referencing, a French bottle of wine) Getting back to Jean-Louis, the coolest part about him was his handlebar mustache and the fact that he was in an Airborne Division in the French army for many years. Apparently up until many years ago, French military service was mandatory for all able-bodied males. When asked at the dinner table about me having to serve, I said that I thought about it but I felt that it could do a lot of kids good in the US. Jean-Louis brought me back to his home in Bagneres-de-Bigorres where I met his wife and was set up in the largest room I’ve seen in France above their garage with my very own TV and standup shower. That night we had dinner with Jacqueline the other friend of Charlotte that I was traveling around with. She is a small-business entrepreneur who is constantly active. After dinner she dragged me kicking and screaming to Tarbes where she was taking a class in Classical Irish dance.

Now as everyone knows I need to be in a certain state of mind in order to dance and the wine that I drank at dinner was not really condusive to the spin-friendly dance moves of this class. But being my first time, I did not shame myself as in I didn’t taste the floor. I was so good in fact that the instructor gave me a whole packet explaining everything that I had to do. Now the instructions were in English and most of the names in the class were as well but it still was impossible to clearly instruct me due to my not dance-friendly legs. Let’s just say the workout was enough for me to sleep very well that night. The next day was filled with breakfast where Jean-Louis’ wife stuffed me with food, but hey I wasn’t going to complain. The next morning, Jean-Louis took me into the town to experience a country market where I was able to try the different cheeses of the Pyrenees which I have to say were very strong considering they came from female sheep. I also tried Armagnac which is like Cognac but only distilled once. Tasted just like Whiskey Bourbon for me; I was able to get a small glass of it because not only did my host explain that I was American, but also I bought a small bottle of Floc Gascogne. This is a very sweet white wine aperitif that I actually really enjoyed the night before. That afternoon, Jacqueline had a business meeting in Pau a nearby town which is beautiful and well-known. So we took the long way and ended up driving over a few mountains and driving parallel with clouds. A friend of hers, Jean-Pierre accompanied us to Pau and the drive through the mountains which I have to say was a little frightful considering her speed on the roads that didn’t have side barriers.

Being in Pau felt like I was in US or at least the really nice part did aside from the big chateau. There was a part of the city that looked very French with the chateau in the middle and then there was the newer part that was American. This newer part consisted of a center square that was just recently built along with enough chain apartment stores to make any American woman or man feel satisfied with the size of things here. Jacqueline was here to look at a piece of property that she was turning into a teahouse and so I actually accompanied her and talked through the planning. All my ideas required too much work and effort, oh well…at least I tried to be innovative or maybe I just wanted to show some of the vision that America has to offer the world. Haha, I got to see the sunset over a large chain of the Pyrenees which I would actually hike a bit the following day. That night and every night of the three days I stayed there, I had regional foods including: everything-in-the-fridge tart, mushrooms picked from the mountains a few days before I came, confit du conard (Duck), a pork sausage made from blood, many different strong cheeses, and a local soup. Don’t even get me started on soup; it’s been one of the things I have lacked since being in France especially with winter setting in. I tried everything even though I have a history of being picky, for one I loved the mushrooms which comes as a revelation because for 20 years they have been boycotted by my brain.

The last day of my trip consisted of waking up really early in the morning (10AM) and going with Jean-Louis, Jean-Pierre, Jean-Christophe (me) and Jacqueline on a trip into the mountains. It was a beautiful day and I was able to take pictures like the ones posted above. We ended up eating lunch in a part of the national park of the Pyrenees at the foot of the chain. This ‘picnic’ consisted of 4 courses with silverware and wine. Not a bad thing living in a civilized country. I even got to try bacon that was from a black pig. The climate was very dry which was ironic because on top of the mountains there were chains of lakes and several waterfalls. Also the temperature would fluctuate ten degrees in a span of 15 minutes depending on the movement of the sun. I know that’s obvious but still weird to experience being 10 degrees colder in an area where only 5 feet in front of you it’s warmer. After packing up, we drove to Gavernie which is a very popular tourist site. From there you could take trails into the mountains that in 5 hours of walking would get you into Spain. I wanted badly to do that but judging that I was leaving for Paris in 5 hours I couldn’t. Instead the four of us hiked to the base of a very large waterfall or water-trickle as it was. The mountain air made it hard to breath at first but as you started walking and running up the first stage of the mountain it felt really good. As I was told a week in the mountains is a good remedy for just about anything: clean air and mountain spring water. We eventually had to turn back because of the time and ended the hike with a stop at closing brasserie for some ‘vin chauds’ or hot wines. Honest to god, this was a hot drink that consisted of hot red wine with herbs and sliced apples inside. Considering that DUI in this country doesn’t translate because of the lack of policemen; (probably on strike that they can only have time for one round of doughnuts and not two) we jumped in the car and headed home. What was very amusing for me was that we had about 4 hours to spare before I had to leave for my train and the others were getting worried that there wouldn’t be enough time to eat dinner and for me to pack. The latter took only 5 minutes so we had more time, which was ample enough to eat our food let alone digest it.

I said my goodbyes and got addresses for letters that will be written in the coming months. I know this is long but they were some of the nicest people I have met in a long time considering I was a stranger to them and was accepted once I was able to establish my ‘esprit’ or the fact I wasn’t a dumb American and actually cared about their culture. The best analogy for the Pyrenees and the surrounding towns is an amalgam of the northeast with Denver and a slice of Florida if you can imagine that. Palm trees/lizards, pine trees, and the yellow and orange colors of fall leaves in a background of relatively large mountains. I definitely want to come back one day, which will add an even longer, I know it’s hard to imagine, volume to this story. Getting back to Montparnasse at 6AM on Monday with a French test at 10 was stressful but turned out well in the end. I guess it was just continuing the theme of the trip.

Redemption for France over the Strike, Sarko's sacrifice, and my new favorite beer

Ok so there is hope for the French yet. My ticket which was set for me to leave tonight will be good tomorrow when I show up at the Montparnasse station and demand a spot on the next train to the Deep South of France. It will be a lot different there than in the city, a much needed change of scenery. Side note about the French media: The day of the large national transit strike, King Sarkozy declares that he is separating his wife. Donc, all of the headlines are focused on that rather than the fact that everyone had to walk, bike, or roller to work today. The worst part about the strike is that many metro lines were working but 1 train for every 3, so the wait time was 30 mins instead of 2. And yes I did have to walk the 40 minutes to school, was a pain although it was a very nice day. Miraclely I was only 5 minutes late for French class. After the strike and the hectic week I decided along with my drinking buddy to go to an Irish pub on the trek back. There I tried this beer (it is a goal to try as many different kinds as I can so that I know what imports to buy in the states) that is a French beer with malt scotch inside from the Scottish Highlands. I mean can it get any better? Was one of the best tasting, sweetest, light that camouflages itself as a dark beer. Who knew that when I went to the train station to barder for my ticket exchange I was able to speak fluent French? I was talking to other people about this in that I guess you feel more confident in the language with a few so it just flows more…Sorry no pictures of the strike because honestly I did not see that many people. I hid during rush hour, but here is a picture from http://www.bbc.com/ one of the best new sites on the planet, it won't be posted until Monday when my internet can handle uploading pictures...lame

Interesting Class Discussion for Once - Beware its obviously about politics given my program

I just wanted to pass along a discussion we had in class today because I think it’s really important. It may be political but it dips into the differences/similarities between France and America’s view of equality. So a few years ago, the French government banned girls from wearing headscarves in public school until either 16 or 18, doesn’t matter. Our teacher told us this and then told us to debate. In defense of the French gov, it was said that by doing this it protects children under a certain age from certain discriminations, like them being forced to wear them out of modesty both culturally and religiously. By doing this they are maintaining the rights of the girl and the rights of others. For the rights of the girls, it had been drawn to the attention of the French government/media that girls were being forced to wear them by their fathers and brothers and if they didn’t they were subject to ridicule and humiliation. This was especially the case in the banlieaus or the French suburbs which everyone knows are interesting places. For the rights of the others, it was brought up that the French state has the responsibility to provide a public place free of outside influences where everyone is the same in equality. Religious wear whether it be clothes or crosses or stars for Jews and Christians are not allowed so why not Muslim as well?

The French state recognizes diversity and has the freedom of religion in its constitution but doesn’t allow it to be shown in public schools or agents of the state. For example in France Muslim police women are not allowed to wear the scarves either because they are representatives of the state. They can in their private lives which the state has nothing against. The main theme is what is more important in a moral hierarchy: the state or the culture? Well I think its pretty simple you live in the state, you abide by their rules and nobody will cater to you because everyone is supposed to get equal treatment, although we all know in most democracies, some are more equal than others. Culturally for Mormons, polygamy is considered correct but is not allowed by the American government. I am not saying that Muslim women do not choose voluntarily to wear them; I would hope that everyone does. It’s just the mentality of coming to a nation and expecting to be catered to that I dislike. What shocked me the most is that most of the American students said that this would never fly in the United States because we champion diversity and religion and that the state doesn’t have the right to intervene and override your parents authority. My response to that: 1) France champions diversity a lot more than we do even though they are probably more openly racist 2) Our public schools now are too getting rid of religious symbols and what kids can wear to class promoting their religion. 3) The state has every right to intervene on behalf of the child’s welfare because not every family is as perfect and rich and functional as the very opinionated students in my class. Parallel-thing in America, the state steps in and gives children of Jehovah’s Witnesses blood transfusions even though it’s against their religion and they will be chastised. I think the main difference between France and America is that in America we find a better way to combine diversity and a public identity. Bottomline logic of the argument: You choose culture/beliefs and you also choose where you live; and if you are a citizen of a country, you have to abide by the same standards as everyone else. Saying this, maybe France is more democratic than the US because of its cohesion of diversity in the public sphere…but then again is that morally right?