Bulgaria? Bulgaria!

Smuggling cigarettes over the Turkish Bulgarian Border. Boa Godaria!

Stay tuned for a video report coming soon to this blog documenting an escape from Turkey into Bulgaria. Learn why we went, what happened when we did and how we accomplished it all on a Monday night, making it back in time for classes Tuesday morning. As a bonus feature, there will also be an explanation as to why the above picture is of me above smuggling cigarettes for a Gypsy woman. Stay tuned…

Watching the Forex

Economy Down, Dollar Up!

Well, guess not all is bad when the US economy goes down the chute- the Dollar has risen nicely over the past few days! We’re now at 1.3 Turkish Lira to 1 USD. This is pretty good news because it means my money is worth more.  Before coming I had a serious fear that due to the Dollar’s steady decline over the past few years I’d have very little buying power. Well, it’s not the best right now but I’ll take it. Just to put things in perspective- if the Dollar hits parity with the Lira things will get very expensive and I’ll really be in a pinch when it comes to money. But, if the pattern continues and we reach, say, 1.5 lira to the dollar then I’m going to be in really good shape. Bottom line- 1.3 Lira to the Dollar is pretty good, let’s hope this keeps up!

Ending the Bayram, Your comments…

Happy Bayram

Today marks the last day of our break for Seker Bayram- a week long stop in action to celebrate the end of Ramadan. So, this means that tomorrow begins the real haul- classes will finally gain momentum and the fun and games will end. Thank goodness for that, I’m ready to get going and hit the books already (hopefully not too hard though). All said, I will be periodically posting here on the journeys that have taken place so far over the breaks- expect the first installation sometime later this week.

As promised, I now post my Cornell Sun column about the headscarf crisis at Bogazici and invite your comments. Did I make the right call? Do you think the headscarves should be allowed or forbidden? Please, your comments below:

Empty Seats

ISTANBUL — As a university student coming to Turkey, I knew there was a chance of encountering today’s incarnation of the brutal and bloody struggle for this country’s soul. While I had that knowledge, I never thought I would actually see it. When I saw it, it took me a few hours to comprehend what actually took place. Here I will relay to you what I saw, what I think it means and why it is important. This is not simple subject matter to write about and I do not claim to be an expert in any way on the topic. I can only record and observe. The following is just that.

Monday marked the first day of classes and started as you would expect. I woke up, checked where I was going, grabbed a notebook and headed down to campus. As I approached, I saw a large gathering next to the entrance and wondered if I was going to have to wait on line to get in. Already late, I blew by the crowd, nodded at security and started down to class. About 10 seconds later, the crowd went up in an angry chant and began clapping their hands at a vehicle entering campus.

It was early in the morning and I was low on sleep from the night before but it didn’t take much to register that I had just crossed a picket line. Things started to hit me quickly but I still needed to get to class — so off I went, forgetting the whole thing.

Didn’t take long for the issue to be placed front and center once again. After handing out the syllabus, one of my professors looked out at the class and said “Some people, some of you, were not allowed into campus today.” As a tense quiet came over the room she explained that the University was not letting in women with headscarves anymore. If the policy continued, she said, she was going to move the class outside the gate. Visibly disturbed, she went on to outline the semester and then dismissed us.

Bogazici University, which I attend, has always been known for its progressive policies and inclusiveness. I spoke to a shaken girl on the way home from classes who told me that in her four years at the school she had never had this happen to her. But this summer was a turbulent one and the issue of the headscarf was at the fore.

It all started this past February where the ruling AK party, a conservative group whose leadership comes from now defunct Islamic parties, proposed to lift a longstanding ban on headscarves in universities. The policy was deemed to interfere with the secular nature of the state and was overruled by the courts in early June.

Lifting the ban on headscarves was seen as a serious offense by the secular establishment (which operates through the powerful military and the court system) and charges were brought against the AK party seeking to ban them from Turkish politics completely.

This showdown meant everything for Turkey. If the party was banned, it would mean that Turkey was still not ready to entrust its civilian government with the power to rule and, after much progress, would revert back to its 1980 form. Back then, power was seized by the army and a new restricting constitution drawn up in response to a shaky political situation. If the party was not banned, however, it would mean Turkey had taken a tremendous step in the way of democratization and would now be one step closer towards EU membership and normalcy as a nation.

In the end, the AK party did win the case and still controls parliament but not without feeling the effects of a judicial bullet sailing right past its head. They likely will not try to legislate on issues similar to the headscarf one for quite some time.

This summer was also an interesting one here at Bogazici. The Rector went up for election and, perhaps due to student protests the semester before, was replaced by a new Kemalist (secularist) candidate.

All this ended up on my doorstep Monday as I watched scores of young women wrapped in their scarves recoil at the fact that they were not being granted entry to their own school. The summer’s events had sent a sharp message to the people of Turkey that the country was not going to let its secular character be picked apart without a fight. When it came down to it, Bogazici got the message too and went along with the law.

Many on campus here feel that the move was a correct one. This is the Turkish Republic, they say, and Turkey is unique because of its secularism — that should not be compromised. Also, many have claimed that in a region such as this, Islamization can happen rapidly and that barriers must be put up to ensure against it.

While these arguments may be valid, I cannot agree with them. To exclude people from education due to religious practice is something I find personally hard to stomach, much harder when those excluded belong sitting next to me in class. And so, while I will continue to walk the grounds of this fantastic university and take part in her lectures, I will be looking at those empty seats wondering if one day this country will be strong enough to make the right decision.

Crisis at Bogazici- The Press Coverage!

Crisis at Bogazici (Zaman Photo)

So, we’ve been all over the Turkish news this week- here are a few articles if you’re interested in getting a better look at the craziness taking place. Note- most are from the more religiously inclined Zaman, always good to understand your media biases beforehand! (Click the titles to get to the actual article)

Another strong bastion of educational freedom falls

Zaman

One of Turkey’s most distinguished universities, Boğaziçi University, famous for the freedom it extends its students — unlike most universities in the country — is about to lose its most striking feature: freedom…

Yet another bastion of freedom falls

Zaman

Perhaps it is still too early to make a final judgment. In such undesirable situations, one always seeks to preserve the hope that there might be a misunderstanding and that things have happened because of this misunderstanding…

‘Headscarf ban’ tension reduced at Boğaziçi University

Turkish Daily News

Students have been allowed to enter Boğaziçi University if they have a hat covering their headscarf, easing tension that has arisen since the headscarf ban at the school came into effect for the first time Monday, with beginning of the school term…

Reaction reminds rector of Boğaziçi ethical principles

Zaman

A new rule allowing students to wear hats over their headscarves partially counters the controversial headscarf ban at Boğaziçi University in response to pressure from society, the students of Boğaziçi University and two student representatives who discussed the issue with the rector on Tuesday…

NOTE: As you can see here, things are pretty heated around Bogazici these days, tension can be felt when mentioning the subject and there is a constant media presence on and around the grounds. I write about the situation today in my Cornell Sun column located HERE. Early next week I will post it and ask for feedback. Enjoy your weekends!

Crisis at Bogazici

Students denied entrance to Bogazici on Monday

This week, the fight for the soul of this country came to my University’s doorstep as our new rector decided to end Bogazici’s defiance of the country’s ban against headscarves and, from now on, prohibit those who wore headscarves from entering the university. This decision sent shockwaves throughout the country as Bogazici University has long been known as a place where equality and free thinking triumph. There has been a lot of chatter amongst the student body as to whether the rector made the correct move or not- either way, this is a tremendous political development in a country who almost deposed of the ruling party this summer because of their attempts to allot the headscarves to be worn. It is quite a phenomenal place to be as an American student new to this country. Without giving away too much, this struggle is the topic of my Friday article in this week’s edition of my column for the Cornell Sun, stay tuned…

Sun Article #1: Turkish Dawn

I’ll be posting opinion articles I’m writing for the Cornell Daily Sun in this space. Also, pictures will most definitely be included so keep checking back. I’ve written two already, here is the first:

Turkish Dawn

By Alex Kantrowitz

Created Sep 12 2008 – 12:00am

ISTANBUL — The stakes were high, the parties present and the fight about to begin. From the outside, it would look as if the odds were not in my favor. Seven of them. One of me. But, matter it did not — I was about to take them on.

This was my introduction to Turkey. Not ten minutes after I left Atatürk International Airport I heard the words that no foreign traveler ever wants to hear — “Big Problem.” The man telling me this had realized the price quote given at the airport had been off and was trying to convey that I was going to have to pay more to get to my destination. I wasn’t having it.

Next thing I knew I was standing in the middle of a taxi dispatch center with seven Turks attempting to explain their mistake. After both sides aired their grievances in a high decibel face-off, a price was agreed upon and off I went. Destination? The Bosphorus Channel, divider of Asia and Europe and my neighbor for the next four months.

Big Problem!

Not quite Europe, not quite Asia and filled with strong conflicting currents, the Bosphorus epitomizes Turkey in many ways. Since its inception, Turkey has always contained extreme internal contradictions. Given the dramatic nature in which this country was formed, that much could have been expected.

The founding came in 1923 as a humiliated and defeated Ottoman Empire was split up and colonized after allying with Germany in World War 1. Under the leadership of Kemal Atatürk, what remained went through a radical transformation. No longer was Islam the official religion, no longer could the men wear their traditional fez and the women their headscarf. Prayer was to be called out in Turkish, Arabic characters were changed to Latin, suffrage was granted to women and anyone who opposed this radical new direction was crushed.

Around Turkey the monuments and posters in Atatürk’s honor are everywhere. It’s as if the deceased leader still leads this nation and, in many ways, he still does.

When Atatürk came to power, he needed ultimate authority to implement his reforms, and while Turks worship Atatürk for the reforms he brought, much of the power needed to bring that reform stayed in the hands of the state and not the people.

This concept is described by author Stephen Kinzer who pushes the point home with the analysis of a single word — devlet. The word, meaning state, refers to an acceptance that, in Turkey, state comes before everything. Often this means before law, before human rights and before justice. “Develt,” says Kinzer, “is an omnipotent entity that stands above every citizen and every institution … questioning it is considered treason.”

But what is this state? Often the Turkish state can be defined by its secular nature; those who threaten that nature threaten the state and those who threaten the state can be guilty of no greater crime. But, because the state (whose power rests in the hands of the military) has been held in such high regard for so long, the power it wields (and uses) can often be seen as infallible. This has led to a form of ultra-nationalism here, an unapologetic acceptance of the state’s actions as just and its mission righteous.

Where has this power led? Well, in the words of my new Turkish friend, often to “Big Problems.” The problem seen up front is that of Turkey’s candidacy for the European Union. In a world that often thinks Islam vs. the West, many think that Turkey’s main obstacle to membership is it’s Islamic population. Not so. The Union demands democratization and not conversion. While Turkey has made progress, the membership committee watches and waits for the last seeds of supreme power to be given back to the people. Until then, Turkey’s membership application will do nothing but gather dust.

The problem not as prominent in the world’s conscience is that of long and brutal internal and external conflicts here. Be it with the Kurds, Armenians or, until recently, the Greeks, Turkey has always been averse to admitting fault. And, as far as conflicts go, they generally don’t end without at least a little bit of humility on the part of both sides.

Why do I tell you this? Because recently things have shown signs of great change. This summer, the ruling party was put on trial for advancing a non-secular agenda permitting headscarves to be worn in universities. Normally, this would mean doom for those in power. This time, the courts voted to keep them in. Just last week, Turkish President Abdullah Gul accepted an Armenian invitation to watch a Turkish Armenian soccer match. The acceptance was heralded as a brave step towards Turkish Armenian reconciliation. Wednesday, the government announced a bold plan to boost development in Kurdish Turkey, tacit admission of the need to reach out to that community.

This nation is bristling with change and preparing for the next step. More and more of these small but powerful moves are made every day, more and more Turkey advances toward a great new future with limitless potential. Its rise will tremendously impact the west. I’d recommend (without bias, of course) staying tuned.

The Turkish Starbucks Experience

How beautiful are you

Today I again headed over to the Bosphorus to enjoy some coffee with a Turkish friend of mine. After cruising the streets of the Bebek neighborhood we finally came to the most Turkish of all shops- Starbucks. We decided to go in. Now, before we entered I was told that Starbucks in Turkey is not like that in America- that it happened to be a nice sit down experience. I must say, Turkish Starbucks did not let down. I’ve never enjoyed a drink more- look at the beautiful scenery that surrounded us! Holy Smokes!

Week One: a photographic essay

From time to time I’m going to try to put up some photos so you can see this place through my eyes. Today, the first installation.

On the way out

A long journey awaits. This is me between worlds.

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From the terminal

As the sun sets on my summer and life in the States (for now), the wing of my plane begins to rise above, ready to usher me in to my new life.

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getting closer

Istanbul from the air. It’s at this point where it hits me that I’ll actually be living in this place for the next few months. Still very jittery but at least the destination is in sight. No longer is Istanbul the great unknown.

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heat

It’s hot in Istanbul. The next morning the sun glares through my window. I think to myself that I will need a fan. One week later, still hot, still no fan.
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The New Mosque

The city is lined with beautiful Mosques such as this one- they call it new but that may be a bit of a stretch.

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Sultan Mehmet Bride

Taking a boat around the Bosphorus channel is a must-the views are just spectacular!

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In the sunset

Like I just said…

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old and new, east and west

The Ottoman Sultans still leave their mark, this here is their Rumeli Fortress with a Bosphorus bridge in the background.

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In the turrets of the Rumeli

Of course, we had to climb it.

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Sultan Ahmet

Myself and Greek friend Nontas in front of the Blue Mosque.

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Hagia Sophia

Istanbul’s most famous landmark as seen through the gates…

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sunset, once again

Until next time…

Taking on the Germans…

bringing honor to america

Needless to say, while over here I’m experiencing a decent amount of anti-American sentiment. People just don’t seem to like us. Well, last night I passed the threhold and was no longer going to stand idly by. I was on a mission- save America’s reputation and do it with a smile. After taking on a few 9/11 consipiracy theorists (there are many here) the highlight of my night came while chatting w/ a few kind volks from Bavaria. After telling them that a European they mistook for an American wishes that she was American, they replied that probably the last place she’d like to be from was the USA. Well, time to play dirty:

“We’ll take the Marshall Plan back now” I said, extending my hand for payment.
“Da vhat” they replied, astonished.
“Are you telling me you don’t know what the Marshall plan is??”
“OOO ze Marshall Plan hahaha”
“Yup, Pass it over”
“OOO zhat was a long time ago”
“Alright then” (no prisoners alex, no prisoners) “We’ll have it with interest as well!”

Realizing that they had just committed their country to tremendous debt, these Germans smiled and realized that the jig was up and that hey, maybe that America place isn’t so bad after all.

In the end, we bonded pretty well, so many thanks to Mr. Secretary George Marshall for that one. Coming to Turkey to find out the plan is still paying dividends is an interesting discovery but a pleasant one.

Das is gut…

Bad News

Part of the hope of being over here was to help me figure out what I’ll be doing after I graduate in May. After this mornings news, it looks like finance is not going to be in the cards. (I can’t imagine there being much of a career fair when I get back to school in the spring.) What this means is that law school will also be much more difficult to get in to because a ton of the finance kids will be heading in that direction due to a shortage of jobs in their preferred field. So I guess I’m stuck, help me out, what do you think is a good direction to go in next year? Feel free to make use of the comment box…