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
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