11/29/13

Happy 100^th day to me and Poland!

I had a good day at school with friends because Antonio and Danny were joking about this one German boy who is intimating but not from his size. The boy can speak fluent English and wears duct tape around his bicep like a Nazi. We joked and laughed while the boy was talking to Bohdan.

In classes I developed a love for the author, Dan Brown. I am reading “Digital Fortress” during class and it is super interesting. After the first line I was hooked. During my 4 math classes which equals 3.5 hours, I read 150 pages of the book. It is hard to put his books down. I plan to read more Dan Brown novels once I receive my kindle. I wish I brought my kindle with me originally.

At home my host father pulled up in his car as I was walking up to the house. We shook hands outside (we never hug which makes me sad because I miss hugging my daddy) and he asks me to follow him. We walk to the backyard and towards a dog food container. Babcia Zenia and Dziadek Edmund circled around the container also. My host father peeled back the lid and we looked inside to see an 8 kilogram turkey! I didn’t expect to see my turkey in a dog food container. My host dad dipped his finger inside the water and stated it was salty. I really hope it tastes good this weekend!

An hour later my host father drove my Babcia Maria over to my house. We sat in the living room discussing my recipes…in polish! Babcia Maria only speaks Polish which makes me extremely nervous. But we managed to communicate perfectly fine and she used her hands a lot. She had to act out the words when I told her I didn’t understand. We cooked together all evening making stuffing for the turkey, green bean casserole, and motzah balls for motzah ball soup. She couldn’t wait to eat the dinner on Sunday. Everything looked super delicious. Thanksgiving dinner couldn’t have been completed without Babcia Maria’s help!

I am 100 days into my exchange and I am learning to communicate mainly in Polish to my host grandmother. It is challenging sometimes but succeeding makes it all worth it. I know my thanksgiving dinner will turn out perfectly because Babcia Maria was a big help. I want to cook more often with Babcia Maria and I want to share more American traditions with my family and friends.

(Babcia Maria and Me)              (My host dad and Me)

It was a successful 100^th day in Poland!

Stephanie Raquel

11/22/13

Today is my real mom’s birthday. I feel weird not bring home to celebrate it. Last year it was just me, my mom, and my dad at home. We had come home from Thanksgiving dinner and I was tired. Grant had quickly fallen asleep in his bed and Gina was out at John’s house. It was just me and my parents who were home. My dad pulled the beautiful white and pink cake out of the box and places candles on the top. Sure it definitely wasn’t loud or crazy but it was nice hearing me and my dad sing together. I knew that day I wouldn’t be home for the next celebration. Even though it wasn’t the whole family singing, my mom seemed very happy.

Last year we celebrated her birthday together, but this year we celebrated it in different countries.

Over the past year when my mom was busy growing older, I had a never ending love-hate relationship with her. We fought a lot and rarely saw eye to eye but exchange has shown me to appreciate the life I have with the people around me. We will fight, cry, scream at each other but I love my mom. As years keep moving by and we all grow old…I am running out of time to be with the ones I love. If I don’t love what I have now, it will be too late when I finally realize how lucky I am.

Also on exchange my relationship with my mom has changed. She transformed from my strict mother into my best friend. I love my mom. I wish I could be home to celebrate her day with her. I hope she can feel my love from Poland.

Stephanie Raquel

11/2/13

The lack of sleeping I have been obtaining is finally catching up to me. I didn’t wake up until 1pm and didn’t hear a noise while I was sleeping. It was a peaceful night.

Today a piece of America followed me to Poland though. For Agata’s birthday, Ula bought her 2 tickets to see Nickelback in concert. Unfortunately none of Agata’s friends were available to go, but fortunately for me that means I got to attend the concert. My dad drove us 3 hours to Warsaw to see the band live. I slept on the ride to and from the concert.

There was a soccer game (football) also playing across from the concert. The traffic was ridiculously crazy! We had to be dropped off on the main highway and walk to the front door. While waiting out front of the building, I told Agata all about my Halloween night before I was in the club with her.

Inside the concert, Agata invited me to visit her in Krakow anytime. We sat on the steps just talking about everything while the band before Nickelback played inside the stadium. We agreed I need to practice my Polish so it can get back for next time we go out.

Once the concert finally started, we stood in the back of the crowd and listened to the songs. Nickelback could only say “thank you” and cheers” in Polish which is just about as much as I can say as well. It was nice listening to the music because it sounded like my Lite Rock 96.9 FM station at home. We swayed in the back and sang along to some of the songs. In Poland they have a Facebook group for each concert. In the group people put up announcements to make sure everyone brings a lighter or sign for during the show. During our show, everyone held up their lighters to one song and also passed a long banner from the front of the stage to the back row. It read, “We Will Always Be Here for You.” This showed me unity in Poland because total strangers worked together as a team. This is a different feelings then the concerts in America. A concert in any country is nice though.

After the lovely concert, the soccer game also finished at the same time so the streets were packed. There were police officers on horses in the middle of the crowds. At bus stops there were SWAT teams making sure there were no riots. Thankfully the soccer team won their match so there were only happy chants.

We were all hungry heading home so we stopped by McDonalds but that was closed. Next we went to KFC but apparently all of Warsaw had the same idea. We ate drive-through KFC on the drive home and told mom and dad about the concert.

It was a relaxing day after our jam packed weekend.

Stephanie Raquel

11/1/13

Today is officially Agata’s 21^st birthday and All Saints Day. It was a jam packed day.

After sleeping for four hours, I had to take a warm shower to wash away the remains of last night. I slept from 5:30 am to 9:30 am. I must not have hit REM sleep because I wasn’t that tired when I woke up.

I dressed up on black stockings, a black skirt, and a floral purple sweater. It felt nice to dress up. At the breakfast table, Agata confessed to still being drunk from last night. My host dad kissed my hand and thanked me for staying with Agata.

We then drove to the church for the special Sunday mass. Agata wore sunglasses in church to block out the light. Everyone wore their best Sunday clothes for this spiritual holiday. A little girl wore pink boots, white stockings with pink flowers, a pink dress, a Hello Kitty pocket book, and a pink hat on her two braided pig tails. There were two little boys wearing sweater vests and bottom down shirts tucked into their pants. I wonder what everyone wears for Christmas.

When church ended at 2 pm, we went home to set up the table for when our family comes over. Our whole family came over to eat dinner around 2:30. I was stuffed after eating pasta, meat, and salads. I love feeling stuffed because during the week I never feel full.

While the adults were chatting at the dinner table; Monika, Ania, Agata, and I watched a movie. The movie was an American movie so under the polish commentator, I could hear the English. It takes a lot of effort to zone in only on the English words.

Ania and Monika left for the church around 4pm and that’s when we left for the commentaries. We walked through 4 commentaries to light candles on the graves of loved friends and family. My family would tell me about each person we honored then pray silently before leaving the grave. One lady was my host mother’s nanny but she was more like an aunt to my mama. One man was killed in a car accident in Italy and used to have close relations with my host parents. This man sent a basket of roses to my parents for their wedding but then shortly died after. Another man was in the process of being a priest but decided to get married to his fiancé instead. The day before his wedding, he passed away. My parents say that people believe that God was not happy with his decision not to be priest so that explains the man’s sudden death. The fiancé wore her wedding dress to the funeral.

In Poland, they honor these people (friends or family) by visiting their graves on this special day every year. People light candles, pray for the souls, and sometimes eat dinner next to the graves in a way to include the dead. It is an emotional day because it brings back memories of each person.

We also visited Majdanek Concentration Camp Memorial to honor the people who died in the concentration damp and in Lublin during World War II. We lit a candle and left it under the Majdanek structure.

After walking for hours looking for graves in the cold weather, our family came back over our house for supper. Agata’s friends came over as well to celebrate her birthday. One guy kept forgetting that Agata’s room is now my room so he walked into the room a couple times and took pictures with my things. I didn’t mind because it technically isn’t my room.

Even though we have this day in America, it was interesting to see how the Polish people honor the soul and saints. It was a day to remember my passed family members and friends. Though they aren’t physically with us every day, they are carried in our hearts. Today just reminded their souls that we never forgot about them.

Stephanie Raquel

10/31/13

Happy Halloween!

I walked into school today wearing my All American Girl outfit again and even brought my flag to school. This is the first year in Poland that kids of all ages are celebrating Halloween. I am pretty lucky to be here this year to witness all the excitement.

At school, most of the kids were dressed up themselves. I saw zombies, pajama girls, Wednesday from the Addams Family, an axe murderer, bloody pirate, and multiple animals. For this being the first year of celebrating Halloween, all the kids looked like experts. The high school resembled an American High School on Halloween.

The student council brought in a fog machine to fill the halls with smoke. It was very eerie and creative. Students also brought in their carved pumpkins to be judged by teachers. I even entered the pumpkin contest with my pumpkins that I carved with my two friends, Alice and Inga. The night before we walked to the store, carried home 2 large pumpkins, and carved them in Alice’s house. It was so much fun hanging out with the girls, doing an American tradition. It almost felt like I was home in America again.

After class I walked with Danny, my best friend from Canada, to the near-by supermarket. Danny is an absolutely great guy and was determined to buy a pumpkin for his girlfriend so she could enjoy an American tradition as well. He is extremely thoughtful and considerate when it comes to his girlfriend. (I hope to find someone who is crazy about me like Danny is for Ada.) It’s all about spreading cultural traditions throughout the world. The only problem with bringing this tradition to Poland is the pumpkins…in Poland the pumpkins that are sold in stores are brown with lots of bruises. The bright orange pumpkins are found in specialty stores for high prices. But we managed to find a pumpkin that only had bruises on one side of the pumpkin.

Back at school I finished reading the book “Summer and the City” and took a picture with Sunny and our flags. A few hours of sitting around with Danny, Antonio, Bohdon, and Sunny was really nice. We talked about Halloween in their countries, what their plans are for tonight, and what their favorite candy is to eat. They are my best friends at school and I’m really close to them.

At home I took a shower and dressed up for my big night on the town with Ania. I wore a cobalt blue top with lace and skinny jeans. I matched my outfit with blue smoky eye make-up and rep lipstick. My outfit made me feel truly sexy. I am single and ready to mingle.

My host father drove me over to Ania’s house and walked me inside. He told Ania to make sure to get me home by 2 am. Inside the house Ania and George (Ania’s boyfriend) were making grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. I straightened my hair in Ania’s bathroom while George grilled the sandwiches and Ania gave me a fashion show. She wasn’t sure which outfit she should wear so I was the judge. We decided on black pants and a maroon V-neck top. Monika sat in the bathroom with us just watching.

After filling our stomachs with sandwiches, we finally left for the night to begin. First we took the bus to a neighborhood were George’s grandmother lives. He ran to the flat to get the key while Ania and I sat on the bus bench talking about accidents. There were ambulances flying through the streets all night tonight. On the bus ride over, we witnessed a collision on the road. When George came back we took the bus to KFC where we met up with Justine. There were so many boys waiting outside of KFC for girls. We walked over to the near-by bar to grab a beer before the club.

At the pub I met a guy named Daniel. He was tall, dark, and handsome. I honestly couldn’t remember his name no matter how many times he told me. While we talked in the hallway, he kept playing with his thick brown hair. I could tell he was nervous by the way he was rambling. We talked about America…well rather he couldn’t stop talking about America and himself. He told me he wants to live in Alaska, become an architect, and hitch hike to England from Poland. I think I learned his entire life story within that hour and the only thing he knows about me is that I am an exchange student from America living in Poland for the year. It was definitely an interesting conversation.

When we left the pub to go to the club, Centrala, Daniel was trying to persuade me not to go with Ania. He kept saying I could go out with him, but I just wanted to have a good time with Ania and her friends. Outside the club there was a long line of people waiting to go inside. At the back of the line, I talked to Ola and Justine. They were at Ania’s Halloween party and they are extremely nice girls. I found out that I have a lot of things in common with Ola and that they are really easy-going girls. George walked to the front of the line to his buddy, the security guard, and got us inside immediately.

Once inside the club, I ran down the stairs and straight to the bathroom. I really had to use the toilet. Ola, Justine, and I fixed our hair in the mirror while 15 year old girls passed a bottle of alcohol around. The girls were falling all over each other and being obnoxiously loud.

On the dance floor the music was techno and electronic so it was hard to dance along. People were bumping into each other and it was a cramped dance floor. After “dancing” for five minutes, we decided to buy a drink. When we finished our 10 zł drink, we hopped right back on the floor to dance. They, thankfully, changed the DJ so better songs were playing. I had so much fun dancing with the girls. Some 16 year old boys came up to Ola and I to dance with us, but when he heard us speaking English he got extremely nervous. We danced with the boys for two minutes when I gracefully announced I would rather just dance with Ola. Ola and I need men instead of boys going through puberty.

While dancing I saw Adam, Ola (my host sister’s best friend), and Andrzej. They came up and hugged me hello. They asked if American clubs are better than Polish clubs and laughed when I confirmed. It was nice to feel like I have real friends that say hello to me even if they aren’t forced.

The club was a dud place so we decided to leave. George took us to the Kebab place because it was good food and the only place open. While eating our sandwiches, Andrzej ended up falling asleep on the table with Kebab in hand. Ania kept screaming throughout the restaurant for him to wake up and go home. This was hilarious for the rest of us watching Andrzej.

It was a good night until my host father called for me to go home and then I realized I didn’t bring my house key. My host parents were now sleeping and I wouldn’t be able to get into the house. So we walked to Shine, the other club for 21 years and up, and met up with Agata and Aga. Agata called our mama to see if I was allowed to stay with her at the club. Mama said it was fine and I walked right into the club without paying a dime. We acted like I was already inside since it was now 2 am and they didn’t care.

I danced the whole night away with Aga and Agata. It was much better then dancing with 16 year old boys and instead 21 year old men. I hope to go to clubs with Agata again because she knows how to have fun. We didn’t arrive home until 5:30am and I was truly exhausted from dancing.

It will be a night that I never forget.

Stephanie Raquel

10/26/13

Halloween is mainly just a USA holiday because in Poland the older folks find this celebration offensive. The kids understand it is all about dressing up as someone completely different or someone more eccentric then yourself. Maybe it’s your evil twin that has always been hiding in the back of your head just waiting to break out. Maybe it’s the cartoon character that you idolized as a child. It is only a time to dress up and receive candy from other people. This is not a celebration surrounding awakening the restless souls and demons.

There are popular American movies that give the impression that Halloween is only about crucifying, witches, demons, angels, wizards, and monsters. People in Poland then believe these movies as being the “normal” American thing to do on Halloween which then causes everyone else in the world to become all mixed up. My generation in Poland is now introducing the new tradition of dressing up on Halloween and celebrating with your friends…Meaning- This gives the 18 year olds another reason to party in Poland.

My host cousins, Ania and Monika, are the most thoughtful and sweet cousins! The girls decorated their house with themed decorations like; construction paper pumpkins hanging from the ceiling, a yearn web in the corner, and a scare crow made of their clothes. It was a very festive home and it made me feel like I was back in America at a Halloween Party. Ania’s friends also brought food that was Halloween themed like brain cupcakes and finger cookies. I tried to taste all the gory looking food. The chips were also shaped as ghosts and spider webs. I couldn’t have felt more at home.

Ania’s friends came over all dressed in costumes. Justine was dressed as a psychiatric maniac, Ola was a French maid, Ania was Pocahontas, George and his friend were crazy clowns, and I was the All American Girl. It was true dedication to see them dress up and act out their characters. I wasn’t expecting so much enthusiasm from these kids.

We drank all night, sang some songs (English and Polish songs), and Ania made a funny game for everyone. I ended up having to attempt to lick my elbow in front of everyone. Another girl had to get a pencil in a beer bottle with only using her hips to swing it in. Justine had to eat a bowl of Jell-O in order to reach the penny at the bottom of the bowl. George’s friend had to cluck and act like a chicken. We all laughed and had a really good time. I bonded with more girls and finally got to know Ania’s boyfriend. It was a very fun night.

I can’t thank Ania and Monika enough for their hard work to make me feel more at home especially when I am missing an American celebration. I will never forget this Halloween Party.

Stephanie Raquel

10/16/13-10/23/13

It is nice to travel the entire country and visit multiple beautiful places, but it is also lovely to station yourself in one city. After traveling 5 hours in a bus to the next city, we finally made it to Antalya where we will be for the next week. Driving along the coast of Turkey was amazing. There were large pirate ships drifting in the sea and people parasailing along the beach. This place reminds me of home, but the beaches and sea water are different. The mountains give the tropical city a different feeling as well. Margate feels like a long tropical place too but there are giant, rundown casinos at the end. Here in Antalya are palm trees, motorbikes, bright sun, clear water, beach clubs, and many water sports. This feels like a vacation city more than the Jersey shore.

Throughout the week I relaxed on the beach, soaked up the sun, and bought many gifts for my family. The hotel offered a beach club that was rundown but still accessible. I laid on the lounge chair for hours and read a book. I brought a book called The Sky is Everywhere from USA and I finished reading it on the beach. I’ve learned to love reading while I am on exchange. There are so many books to read and such little time in life to finish them all. This exchange year is a perfect time to sit down with a few hundred books and read.

At the Bizarre, the men would taunt Sunny and I until we went into their shops. I should better describe them as rats hunting for their next meal. The men would coax us inside and surround us until we made an offer on their items. Sometimes we had a hard time walking out of the shops, but we were not willing to buy things at high prices. It was a “cat and rat” game for us. We would haggle back and forth until we agreed on low prices. Sometimes we couldn’t agree on a price; like for my 360 degree, hardcover suitcase which led me to walking out of one store and finding another store that was willing to dwindle the price down to nothing. I ended up buying a $150 suitcase for $30. If the hagglers were tough like Sunny, Andzrej, or Ania then items came to be dirt cheap. But if you were weak and sensitive like me, well then you needed to stick with one of the big dogs.

Instead of perusing the Bizarre all seven days, we walked to the local mall that was about ten blocks from our hotel. We perused the stores and kept track of all the upcoming sales. Turkey, around the time, is the last week of tourism. We went to the stores on a certain day because all the prices are dirt cheap and the sales people want to sell all their merchandise. The only prices that didn’t drop from tourism was the cost for Milka chocolate bars. Milka is a Swiss brand of chocolate that is sold throughout Europe. Everyone in Poland, on exchange or not, loves Milka. There are other brands in other countries like E. Wedel, the Polish brand, but everyone prefers the Swiss chocolate. In Poland it is cheaper for one Milka chocolate bar then it is in Turkey. Sunny and I found the new Milka flavor which is a layer of white chocolate and Oreos in between the milk chocolate.  Everyone is dying to find the new flavor in Poland, but they haven’t released it in all the stores. In Turkey though, we found it right away except too bad the price is much higher. When it comes to shopping I learned, “you buy some things, and you walk away from some things.”

When I walked down the street during the week, in my American Flag shorts, men would stare and whistle at me. They loved that I was American because not many Americans visit Turkey. The tourists are mainly Russian, Polish, Arabic, and English. Men would honk on their scooters and boys would whistle from patio decks. When I was walking through one shop looking at scarves with Sunny, a young guy about my age grabbed my chin and blew a kiss in the air. When I was walking down the street later with Sunny, a boy sitting outside a restaurant winked at me then said hello. When I said hello back he sat up straight and asked me where I was from. I told him America and then he started singing “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus to me. It made me feel really good about myself. Even though I am gaining major weight from exchange by eating Milka chocolate bars and no guys flirt with me in Poland, the guys in Turkey are showing me major attention.  Maybe Turkey is the country I should have gone on exchange to because I would have had a much sexier time. But I know Poland is where I am meant to be this year.

The city is great, the men are hot, and the weather is wonderful…the only thing that ruined my stay in Antalya was the hotel. The rating for the Millennium Hotel was three stars but it should honestly be one star. First, the food is gross. I ate rubber meat and stale bread for one week. Second, the restaurant is infested. There were cats entering the hotel and sitting under the tables just waiting to be fed. When the waiters were chasing one cat around our table in order to get it out of the hotel, they scared the cat into clawing at Andzrej’s upper thigh. Andzrej screamed with pain and told the waiters that this is a restaurant for people, not cats. Third, the hotel rooms are dirty. Our floor in our room was so dirty that when I walked across the floor after a shower, my feet turned black. In the showers, the drain was clogged with hair from the previous person. The water did not drain because all the hair and dirt was blocking the way. The spout only shot water from certain holes because the rest had mildew blocking them. I felt even dirtier once I stepped out of the shower. From now on, I will only stay at four or five star hotels because three stars obviously mean they are gross.

After all this shopping and relaxing I couldn’t wait to go back to Poland. I can’t wait to get back to my normal routine of going to school, learning Polish, eating sandwiches, and showering in a clean bathroom. It is sweet to have vacationed for two weeks in a great county but Poland is waiting for me. But going to Turkey has been an amazing opportunity. I have never dreamed of going to Turkey in my entire life, but Sunny’s host parents made it happen for me. I have seen another beautiful country in this big world. Another thing to mark off my exchange student Things-To-Do List.

Stephanie Raquel

10/15/13

Today was our last day touring Turkey with our tour group. Our first stop was the city of Pergamon. This city is located at the top of the mountain to have a better view of incoming armies that were going to attack. Our bus parked at the bottom of the mountain because the road was too narrow to maneuver a large bus. A row of taxis veered off the street and into the parking lot next to our bus. Seven taxis had to take our group to the top of the mountain at the beginning of the city.

Before we entered the city gates, there was a small market that sold little goods to the tourists passing to see the city. There is where I bargained hard for my Turkish duffel bag. The man tried to get me to buy the red, gold, and white duffel but my heart was set on the red, white, and blue duffel bag. My patriotic pride is coming out strong while living in Europe.

Inside the city we saw the place where the Great Altar Upper Market once stood. People bought and exchange goods for their families in this building. Now a beautiful tree stands in its place.

The Assembly Hall was perched on the side of hill, like all assembly halls, but in Pergamon the assembly hall was quite steep. We could see the entire city sitting below this mountain. I saw windmills in the distance creating energy from the wind that surged around through this valley. One of the ladies in my group decided to walk down to the bottom of the hall and sing a song. Her voice was lovely and I definitely didn’t expect to witness this lady to sing in public. She wore a purple t-shirt that read Geek across the chest. She wore black glasses and Bermuda shorts.  From my seat at the top, I could hear her sing perfectly. The assembly hall was designed to enable everyone to hear perfectly from any seat. No one was missing out on the lovely music. A group of Koreans (Sunny identified their nationality) appeared from the sides and started cheering the lady to keep singing. My group sat with gapping mouth, listening to the magic.

Then we walked to the temple where people could pray, bath, or relax while looking out into the view of the mountains. There was a dam created next to the mountain to bring fresh water to the city and harvest fish in the water. When the city was being attacked, they had to shut off their suppliers and gates which meant having to supply food and water to themselves. It looked to be a clever city that was protected on all sides.

We stopped at another city called Troja. I-IV. The story behind the name was when a big horse structure was used to break into the city and take full control of it. A group of men designed a tall wooden horse that they would roll up to the city’s gate called Troja. The men inside the city took the horse in through the gates and left it in the main square for all the citizens to see. The city thought it was a gift from a distant city trying to make an alliance. When night fell and the city became quiet, the army sitting inside the horse broke out, opened the city gates to let the rest of the army inside, and completely took over the city. I climbed inside the horse structure and could imagine the men leaning against the wall with their swords in hand. If I was a man in this horse back then, I would be confident our plan was going to work. No one saw this attack coming.

We walked through the city and saw parts that were marked off as either Troja city I-IV. The city kept being rebuilt because it was burned down or destroyed. Over the years they just built on top of the ruins from the Troja before.  There were irrigation canals, city walls, and roads all covered with dirty.

At one point of the trail you were looking over the Asian part of Turkey. The city of Troja was located in the Asian part of Turkey. The country is split into being half European and half Asian. We could see freight boats carrying containers of goods and supplies to the city. I had now been in Asia and Europe. This year was full of first time experiences.

Stephanie Raquel

10/14/13

Religion is a touchy subject whenever people talk about it. I am not a very religious person, but I have to admit that being in Poland has brought me closer to the idea of there being a God. Sometimes I just give up on the discussion of evolution and other peoples’ opinions of God. While being here, I am believing in the idea that he is up above watching over me and protecting me. That there is someone helping me towards a better future, because they have a plan for me. That I was placed on this Earth for a purpose and my purpose is to achieve greatness in this chaotic world. It is hard to believe in something you can’t see but it makes me feel less lonely in this foreign country. God was with me in New Jersey and he followed me to Poland. It is a familiar feeling in my soul no matter where I am. Turkey, Poland, USA, Italy, London, Spain, France, or Belgium; no matter the place he follows me there.

Today we visited the Turkish temples in the city of Bursa. I had to wear jeans and a sweatshirt to cover parts of my body that people felt were disrespectful. We went to the building where the Islamic prophets were encased in tombs. There was a family encased in turquoise tiled boxes decorated with colors of gold and black. People openly come to this building to pay their respects through prayer. I was the only one in my tour group to enter the building without covering my hair with a scarf. My tour guide, Abdullah, said it wasn’t necessary to cover my hair in this building. I felt like I was disrespecting the people but we didn’t stay long.

We then walked through the city to the Islamic Temple with Arabic writing on the walls. Out front of the temple is a fountain where men have a specific routine of cleaning their body to wash away impurities before entering the building. First, wash the right hand up to the wrist (and between the fingers) three times, then similarly for the left hand. Second, rinse the mouth and spit out the water three times and rub the teeth. Third, gently put water into the nostrils with the right hand, pinch the top of the nose with the left hand to exhale the water three times. Fourth, wash the face from the hairline on the forehead and ear to ear. This is to be performed three times. Fifth, wash the entire right arm, including the hand, up to and including the elbow three times; then the left arm three times. Sixth, starting with the right foot, wash both feet from the toes up to and including the ankles thrice. It is a tedious routine that ensures total cleanliness of the body.

Inside the temple women have to pray in the back, behind the men. The men are meant to be closer to their gods. The people cannot wear shoes and women must have their hair covered. A man outside the door handed me a scarf from a box of scarves and I tied it around my hair.

The ceilings had flowers and leaves painted in the corners. The soft green carpet had dark green patterns outlining where the people needed to stand. There was an intricate fountain in the middle of the back room under a long chandelier. There were rooms that branched off at the four corners so more people could attend the prayer times. Abdullah explained that at certain days there were people who read certain prayers. The six prophets had their names painted in Arabic around the room near the ceiling. I would have taken pictures inside but it felt disrespectful to publicize this sacred area of prayer.

Our next place of touring was another temple down the road but Sunny’s host parents wanted to visit the Bizarre instead. On Sundays the Bizarre is not supposed to doing business because it is a sacred day but the tourist season is rapidly coming to a close and the shop owners need to sell their products. Approaching the bizarre it didn’t look big but as soon as we turned the corner…it was big and busy. It was like looking at a movie where men are standing on stools in the middle of a crowd yelling prices and holding up products to sell. People were pushing to reach a certain store, men were reaching out to get the best product, and women were tightly grasping their children so no one would get lost or taken. There were signs hanging from building saying they had the best products. I felt overwhelmed just looking from the outside of the crowd, but once I stepped into the raging crowd, I couldn’t escape. I had to stick my elbows out and push people out of the way. Ania wanted to look at shoes but I was more interested in checking out the Turkish scarves for Gina and my mom. Andzrej, Sunny, and I decided to leave Ania, Ania’s mother, and Ania’s aunt at a shoe store. I ended up buying ten scarves for myself and my family. Andzrej bought his wife two suitcases that were good quality and at a good price. Andzrej is amazing at bargaining. He weaseled his way down $110 for two brand new suitcase. They are hard covered cases meaning they run for $300 each in a normal store.

Bargaining with relentless Turkish men is exhausting! For lunch we stopped at the most popular place in the city to get a traditional Turkish dish. We waited outside for ten minutes to be seated inside. Our food was immediately brought to us as soon as we sat at our table. We each ate a large plate of Kebab meat layered on tomato sauce, pita bread, and sour cream. I ate the entire plate in a matter of minutes. It was amazing! No wonder people from all over wait outside to eat at this place. It is a family owned restaurant and very Turkish. This is the kind of restaurants you see in the movies where people sit in wooden turquoise chairs, speak English with an accent, and have friendly conversation while watching the tourists pass the window. There were awards lining the wall for having the best restaurant in the city. Next time I visit Turkey, I would like to eat here again.

Stephanie Raquel

10/13/13

Yesterday morning, I was in a state of dehydration. All I could think about was being close to the nearest restroom. I ended up calling my parents in a panic because I didn’t know if I had a urinary infection or something less serious. My father calmed me down and said I was probably just dehydrated from being out in the sun all day. This thought had never crossed my mind. I sat in the back of the bus with 5 bottles of water I bought from the drive and chugged all 5 bottles. I really had to use the restroom now, but after I made it to the toilet I had felt so much better. From now on, I need to drink more bottles of water.

Our first official stop, not the gas station restrooms, was the Hierapolis of Phrygia. Walking through the city we started at the commentary. Every city either starts or ends with a commentary of their noble people. This commentary in particular was huge. There were large stone houses that would have held families of people. There were sliding doors to cover the entrances and above the doors were engraved pictures to represent who was buried inside. Inside the houses were wide shelves that held the bodies because the bodies were forbidden to touch the ground.

In the main city were large arches making up the Bibliotecka that once stood there. It is now under reconstruction to assemble the town in its glory days. Next to the street arches (Northern Roman Gate) were stone tools that was used to make olive oil. Lining the main street were fountains that brought water closer to the citizens and enabled them easier access. The fountains also ensure the main fountain was not tainted with dirt from the citizens or animals.

Next we visited my favorite natural park, Pamukkale. The thermal water from Pamukkale can cure cardiovascular diseases, skin diseases, and rheumatic diseases. It is pretty incredible how amazing this place looks and effects the human body. People from all over come to this park to emerge their body into this healthy water.

Water rushes out from between the stones and fills the natural pools. I took my shoes off and walked into the pools of water. The calcium hurt the bottoms of my feet because the stones were rough. When I was walked about 2 feet into the pool, the bottom of my foot hit a sharp rock and caused me to almost fall. Andzrej threw his hand out to me and caught me before I dropped into the water. Ania, Sunny’s host mother, put out her hand and we supported each other with each step. Sunny decided not to go into the water because she didn’t want the sun to make her too dark because in the Taiwanese culture it is pretty to have pale skin. (Go figure that her name is Sunny and she doesn’t like being in the sun for too long.) Once I reached the middle of the pool, the stones were granulated. If you rub your feet along the calcium it is known to peel away the dead skin. Ania and her mother walked around the pool dragging their feet along the bottom. Andzrej continually took pictures of his lovely wife and I just soaked up the sun and calcium water. People around us were striking different poses while taking tons of pictures.

Andzrej, Ania, Ania’s mother, and I decided to explore the mountain and we found a beautiful spot to see the other pools. I sat on the smooth stone and it was surprisingly cool. The sun was warm on my cheeks but the calcium was cool on my legs. I kept reminding myself, “Stephanie, you are in such a beautiful place. Some people never see this country but you are seeing the most beautiful places in Turkey.” I am very blessed to be in this country, on this exchange, and with great people.

After relaxing and taking many pictures on this incredible natural mountain, we stopped at the Aphrodisias Archaeological site. The city is being excavated by New York University from USA. There was a temple down a short street that had two layers of people carved into the marble. The street was lined with short pillars.

Down one street was a wall of faces. The school placed all the pieces of a building that had a face carved into it along this wall. It created an eerie feel like as if I was always being watched. I was scared that by taking a picture with the faces when one would forever haunt me. Of course this is completely silly but sometimes my imagination goes wild.

In the Hadrianic bath room was a half complete statue of a god. His body was sculpted to perfection. The god brought masculinity and beauty into the wash room.

The stadium was the best part of the entire city though. There were lions’ claws at the foot of each seat. The stadium was the biggest I have ever seen in Turkey. It was comparable to a football field. Every seat had an adequate view of the arena and wouldn’t miss any part of the action when people raced and fought. Sitting at the top of the arena, I imagined men wearing white linens around the waist and their wrists covered in gold bands. In the royal section the noble women wore turquoise and gold jewelry to complement their clean white dresses. Fans roared and cheered for their favorite warrior to win the race. Men rolled through the base of the stadium on gold carts pulled by 2 black horses and whipped the horses to run faster. As the games proceeded and the victors were granted their treasures, people just kept piling into the arena to watch history unfold. Everyone in the surrounding cities made their way to this arena.

All these places and beauty are breath taking, but I wish I could share this adventure with my family.

Stephanie Raquel