Where Are They Now?: Westmont in Istanbul Edition

It has been a long and eventful 6 months since we returned from our incredible journey.

On May 1st at 1AM the Westmont in Istanbul program set out on our last bus ride together.
We piled into the bus a quiet, and groggy, group. We parked outside of Ben Gurion airport and collectively stared up at the Departures board.

As the finality of the morning began to set in, tearful goodbyes were said. We started parting ways as students headed back to the States, the professors journeyed to Egypt for some time with old friends and well-deserved relaxation, and the program assistants stayed on in Israel for a few much needed days on the beach.

After a summer apart filled with growing pains - How is it that one accurately portrays what they've experienced? Is there a good way to answer the question, "What was your favorite part?" Trying to judge just how much to talk about Turkey. Figuring out what it is like to now be Skyping with friends back East...instead of back West - we were reunited upon the hills of Montecito at Jim and Heather's beautiful new home.

Today, Westmont in Istanbul is brought up often, and with it come bright memories of Turkish nights, Bedouin days, and Israeli mornings. Many conversations start with "Oh man, remember that time we..." and end in uproarious laughter. It is not uncommon for you to hear Turkish as you walk through the Westmont Dining Commons (although it's usually something simple like "I could really go for a Tavuk Döner right now" or "I have a test in 10 minutes. Where is some Türk kahvesi when you need it?" or "Look, here's what it comes down to: Fenerbahçe is just better than Galatasaray". [That last one is still up for debate]).

Part of the group now meets on Wednesday nights in a re-entry class as a means of trying to address those growing pains. We are looking at what it means to take those many amazing memories and impart them into our daily Santa Barbaran lives.

We are eagerly looking forward to Westmont in Istanbul 2014:
A whole new generation of Westmonters who are excited about the crossroads of East and West; who have explored the bridge between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East; who have explored the interactions of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity; who have dance the dance of Modernity and Tradition, and who have tried to figure out what it means to bring Westmont to Istanbul, and then Istanbul to Westmont?

Well, that sounds çok güzel to us...

A Much Needed Update...

So, where have we been for the last twenty days? Here's an overview:

April 1-4    Amman, Jordan

• We heard from numerous lecturers who gave us an in-depth and expansive view on what makes Jordan, Jordan. Talks ranged from academics discussing the attitudes of the Arab countries to an artist/activist retelling his incredible life story to a successful young refugee describing his life growing up in a refugee camp.
• We were able to explore Amman a little bit and see its modern, yet distinctly Jordanian, style.
• On our way out, we stopped by the Dead Sea. Yes, we all floated.

Yup, the Mude really was Free! (c) Keaton Hudson

April 5-6    Petra, Jordan

• Arriving at night, we joined a large group and enjoyed Petra by Night. A gorgeous (yet tourist-y) look at the archaeological site by candle- and moon-light. We were serenaded and captivated by Bedouin song and story:

Yeah, it was pretty awesome... (c) Keaton Hudson

• Channeling our inner Indiana Jones, we spent the entire next day exploring the ancient and exhaustive ruins:

The Whole Group! (c) Keaton Hudson

April 7-8    Wadi Rum, Jordan

• After our serenade, we realized that we just weren't ready to leave the Bedouin quite yet, so we decided to camp with them for a few days in the desert of Wadi Rum.

Peter Harman, Joe Bagdanov, and Keaton Hudson doing their best impressions of T.E. Lawrence. ( (c) Kurt Walker)

• We entered the camp by camel caravan. Now, please read that again. That's right, by camel caravan:

Lauren White gazes back from
atop her majestic desert steed.
(c) Kurt Walker

The Caravan (c) Kurt Walker

A View from A Camel...
(c) Kurt Walker

• We spent two nights camping. We ventured all around the Wadi; by jeep, by foot, and by camel. Smiling, and laughing, all the way.

Our whole group + guide, drivers, and security guard. (c) Keaton Hudson

April 9    Madaba, Jordan

• We stopped at:
• Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan: the place of Jesus' baptism
• Mt. Nebo: where Moses was buried
• St. George's Church: where a giant mosaic map of the Middle East displays the 6th Century world.

Pretty cool day, huh?

April 10-15    Bethlehem, Israel/Palestine

• These five days were a welcome change of pace as we entered our last country. We settled into our digs at the Tantour Ecumenical Center, and began looking at the incredible land around us.
• About twice a day, students would pass through Bethlehem checkpoint to enter the city itself. Some of the time was spent looking at the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the marks it has/is still leaving on Bethlehem; and part of the time was spent visiting some of the historical and traditional sites of Christianity. 

Looking at the Church of the Nativity...
(c) Kurt Walker

...And the Conflict. (c) Kurt Walker

•  We snuck into Jerusalem for a remarkable day on Friday, April 13. Eastern Orthodox Good Friday coincided with the last day of Passover this year, and the amazing city of Jerusalem bustled with excitement. We managed to successfully maneuver through the winding streets - and even into the Church of the Holy Sepluchre in the middle of a procession - and come out the other side full of unforgettable stories. 

April 16-17    Galilee, Israel

• We spent an amazing day and a half up in the Galilee. 
• Visiting Campernaum, we were able to walk in the ruins of a synagogue similar to the one that Jesus would have preached in.
• Floating on the Sea of Galilee, we felt winds like those that Jesus' words quelled.
• Upon the Mount of the Beatitudes, we reminisced on the incredible words of the Sermon on the Mount.
• The next day, we were honored to hear from Archbishop Elias Chacour, a Palestinian Christian who preaches a message of reconciliation based around the events of his own astounding life.

April 18-21    Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine

• The past three days have been a blur of site visits (the Western Wall, Garden Tomb, city rooftops, Southern Steps, etc.), street-side interactions, lectures (on topics like Jewish history and sects, Christian Zionism, and the Jewish roots of Christianity), and religious ceremonies (churches and synagogues). 

Heck of a way to end the semester, eh?

Parents, family, and friends - we'll be home in 10 days... Are you ready?

Three Continents; One Day; No Problem

It's official.

Our time in Istanbul (and Turkey in general!) has come to a close!

You may now refer to us as The Program Formerly Known as Westmont in Istanbul.

Today was a very long and eventful day that went incredibly smooth. A big thank you to everyone who prayed and thought of us on our long travel day.

Here is a small timeline of the day:

• 4:00 AM - Throw our stuff in the bus and wave goodbye to our wonderful Turkish friends who were so kind and stayed up/woke up to see us off (much love to all of you arkadaşlar!)
• 4:15 - Cross the Bosporus Bridge from Asia into the European side of Istanbul.
• 6:45 - Sit on our (slightly) delayed flight as birds sit on the runway
• 7:00 - Take off and wave goodbye to a beautiful sight - our home for the past three months shining in the sunrise.
• 8:45 - Land in Cairo, Egypt, Africa.
• 9:45 - Hop on tour bus that crosses the Nile and takes us to see the Great Pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx.
• 10:30-12:00 - Take lots of super cool photos. Try to believe we are where we are. Get caught in a sandstorm of epic proportions. 
• 13:00 - Return to the airport to check-in for our next flight.
• 14:30 - Take off for Amman, Jordan, Middle East, Asia.
• 17:00 - Land in Amman. Drive to our residence for the next four days.

Phew! What a day. We are all extremely tired, but so grateful that today went so well. It was a day that we won't soon forget.

Please continue your prayers as we enter this next phase of our semester - and keep checking back here for more news!

Looking up at the Great Pyramid.

The Second Pyramid still has part of it's original stone covering left.

Not a bad way to spend a layover...

There and Back Again OR From Yeditepe to Dedetepe...

"What has Westmont in Istanbul been up to?" you might ask.

"Quite a lot" is the answer you would receive.

For the days between March 23th through 28th, we packed a few bags and headed across the Sea of Marmara and out to the Aegean Coast to Dedetepe Ecological Farm.

This part of the program was meant to be a break from the city, an introduction to the great work of some Turkish NGOs, and a chance to live sustainable for a week.

Mission Accomplished.

Students adored the pristine nature, and took advantage of it - some waking for sunrises, others hiking up the riverbed, while still others making a trek to the sea or playing the locals in a game of football (we won 8-0 by the way).

The trip was a wonderfully relaxing break from the hustle and bustle of Istanbul. We traded pide and kebap for a totally vegetarian diet filled with homemade salads, soups, pastas, and olives - lots of olives.

We also enjoyed making a whole group of brand new friends, as we ended up bonding with the staff/volunteers of the farm very well! I'm sure that there are many new Facebook contacts and email addresses.

Here are a few photos from our fantastic little trip:

The kitchen area - where all of our delicious meals were prepared and served.

Working hard.

A complete Turkish Bath (hamam) built completely out of mud, clay, and straw.

One of the farm volunteers enjoys a little sun at the firepit.

Stunning views from the center platform of the farm.

The guys slept in traditional yurts - they were as awesome as they look.

Serving Society...

Earlier, we described with words how integral, important, and wonderful the service element of Westmont in Istanbul actually is. Now, we have a small visual look at some of these experiences:


One of the service projects sends some of our women to a home for Armenian girls. The women spend the evening talking, laughing, crafting, loving on, and sharing a meal with each other.

Annie Hausler smiles with a few of her new friends.

President-Elect Kristin Lo shares a laugh.

 Another project has a few of our students going across town to a retirement community for foreigners. The students help to serve lunch, spend some time with the residents, and sometimes even work to spruce up the outside of the place.
 

Keaton Hudson snapped this pic of Serj talking with Jenna Fikes and Hannah Ross (not pictured).

As we begin to wrap up our time in Istanbul (CRAZY!) we are starting to already look back upon some memories fondly. It's become obvious that these projects will be some of the warmest memories.

Students are currently prepping for exams, as this week is our finals week! They could use some thoughts and prayers as we start shifting gears again!

Video #2

Keaton has done it again!

This is a stunning look at the two weeks we spent traveling.

Enjoy.

And then tell Keaton what a great job he has done.

CLICK HERE!

(Sorry for a lack of embedding. Blogger/Vimeo/Turkish internet wouldn't stop fighting...)

Pardon that Extended Interruption...

Westmont in Istanbul is back!

Please forgive the lack of updates recently.

Here's what's been going on:

-Students mostly stayed around Istanbul for the four-day weekend. Most posted up in hotels around the main attractions of Istanbul and played tourist for a few days. Much needed rest was achieved (for the most part)...

Leah Sadoian shows off some of her favorite parts of the (Kapalı Çarsı) Grand Bazaar.

Shea Werner does her best to impersonate the locals of the Archeology Museum (credit: Leah S.)

A typical sunset as seen from the Bosporus ferries (Leah S, again!)

-We spent a saturday at an inter-faith dialogue with students from Sabancı University - one of Istanbul's premiere colleges - and delved deeply into doctrinal discussions. Pictures can be found here, on Teri Murphy's (the professor from Sabancı who helped put it all together) facebook: Photos are here!

-Westmont professor of Religious Studies Dr. Helen Rhee came into town and showed us the magnificent mosaics in the Chora Church, while explaining their significance.

Incredible mosaic captured by Annie Hausler

Peter, meet Peter (Thanks again, Annie).

-This weekend has been marked by a visit from President Gayle Beebe and Trustee Roy Goble!

Mr. Goble and Dr. Beebe enjoying a Bosporus cruise. (Credit: Keaton Hudson)

Students have taken the pair around Istanbul and showed them the great sites in their study groups:

This group specialized in the Hagia Sophia (from L to R: Keaton Hudson, Annie Hausler, Dr. Beebe, Emilie Whitman, Ben Siverly, Leah Sadoian, Mr. Goble).

And after a long day, the guys relaxed at a 400 year old Hamam (Turkish Bath):

Back row: from L to R: Keaton Hudson, Kurt Walker, Sam Fearer, Mr. Goble, Ben Siverly. Front row: Peter Harmon, Dr. Beebe, Joe Bagdanov, Benjamin Bisson

 Clearly, we've been keeping ourselves busy!

Now, students are finishing their classes here at Yeditepe University, with finals next week.

Hitting the Pause Button...

Westmont in Istanbul is taking its scheduled four-day break here at the mid-term.

Students are all staying in Turkey spending their time enjoying their favorite parts of Istanbul, exploring some new sites, seeing the things they've been putting off, and going on day trips outside the city.

Pray for rest, relaxation, and safety.

Check back here soon for a new video update!

Gürüşürüz!

Draw Me A Map...

For some more visuals as to our trip, check out this super cool map charting the places we've been:

Thanks, Keaton.

A True Cross-Cultural Experience...

An integral part of the Westmont in Istanbul program is giving back to the city that has been our home for the last month (we're five weeks into this things already!). We have been doing this by going into the city on Wednesdays and serving with various organizations.

One of these opportunities is for a group of our women to go spend time at a home for Armenian girls.

Leah Sadoian wrote this piece about her first experience at the house last Wednesday:


“Serving God Through Service to Others”
or, How Justin Bieber Managed to Save What Could Have Possibly Been an Awkward and Ridiculously Uncomfortable Next Seven Weeks.


I’m not a big fan of Justin Bieber. In fact, I don’t really think I am a fan at all. I once learned how to play his first big hit - “Baby” on guitar as a joke but never thought it would prove useful in any situation. However, this little skill potentially saved me as I, and a handful of girls headed to the Armenian Girl’s Home this past week for our first day of our service project. 


For the next seven weeks, a group of us girls will be doing a service project with an Armenian Girl’s Home, which houses girls from kindergarden age all the way up to high school. These girls are not orphans, but rather come from unstable homes. In other words, we were being sent to simply love on these children, show them kindness they may not see otherwise, and spend time with them for an afternoon once a week.


The initial moments went something like this. There were 8 of us American girls on one side of the room, and then about 40 Armenian girls standing on the other side. None of us were saying anything. We introduced ourselves in Turkish, while the girls did the same in English. To be honest, it was a bit awkward and uncomfortable. Eventually we worked our way into the crowd, sat down with some girls and got to talking. The conversations seemed forced a bit, with limited language capabilities and the girls being shy. I met two girls who after a bit of coaxing from Sosi started to ask different questions to me which ranged from, “how old are you?” to “what is your ethnicity?” And then, the kicker question. “Do you like music?”

For starters, I LOVE music. I told them just that, and they replied the same, and began rattling off names of American singers and popular American songs, mostly hovering around tween Disney Channel stars. That’s when I first though of J. Biebs. “You like Justin Bieber?” I asked them. They eagerly nodded. I immediately jumped up and got Dana’s guitar out of her case, and sat down next to them. It was then I realized the entire room had gone silent. And I mean, like so-quiet-you-could-hear-a-pin-drop silent. Suddenly I felt extremely nervous. I asked if they wanted to hear Justin Bieber. They eagerly nodded once again. 

I looked around at the others American girls as if to mentally beg them to sing along with me in case this all went terribly wrong. I started singing “Baby” by Justin Bieber (if you’ve never heard it - go watch the music video. Please.) and as the American girls joined in, I saw smilies starting to form on the faces of the Armenian girls. Some of them were actually singing along! As we got to the first chorus, every single girl in that room was singing along to the words of good ol’ J. Biebs, in loud and proud voices. I caught Anna’s eyes as the girls were belting out the song and she couldn’t even sing she was laughing so hard!

From that moment on, through dinner and our time with them afterward, they girls were latched on to us. They did our hair, asked us more questions, read us our fortunes after drinking cups of Turkish coffee, and then asked for pictures as we said we had to get going. It was almost impossible to leave these adorable girls, who in their own way had been just as much as a blessing to us as we were to them. We promised we would be back next week, and that the fun would continue. As we bid them good-bye and stepped out into the cold (and now snowy) Istanbul night, my head was spinning.

Turkish Delights...

We spent the two weeks travelling the Western and Central regions of Turkey - studying the ancient cities of the Roman empire, Byzantine ruins, some of the churches of Revelation, and some of Turkey's natural wonders.

Obviously, some excellent pictures were snapped.

Here's a taste of our trip from students' eyes:

Whitney Pierson showing off the facade of the library in Ephesus.

A gorgeous Laodecian sunset caught by Annelise Nystrom.

Some students (from left to right: Joe Bagdanov, Keaton Hudson, Whitney Pierson, Anna Botzong, Lauren White, Benjamin Bisson. Back Row: Peter Harmon [looking peculiarly like the cookie monster]) recover from a snowball fight in Central Turkey.

Ben Siverly explored a covered archway in Pergamum.

Cautiously, visitors walk on the calcium deposits in Pamukkale (photo: Ben Siverly).

A Video Update

Want to see what our semester has been like?

Keaton Hudson put together a little preview for all to see.

Check it out!

Open Your Arms...

Emilie Whitman wrote this excellent reflection piece after dwelling on some of the large - and small - aspects of everyday life in Istanbul - and the history of this incredible city.

 A Cup of Turkish Çay

“...The will to give ourselves to others and to ‘welcome’ them, to readjust our identities to make 

space for them, is prior to any judgment about others, except that of identifying them in their 

humanity.”  - Miroslav Volf 

Walking in to the Aya Sofya for the first time can only be described as breathtaking. It was 

huge, spectacular, a magnificent feat of architecture. It was a contrast of old, new; dilapidated, 

restored; traditional, modern; promising, hopeless; Christian, Muslim -- a host of contradictions, just 

like Turkey itself. The church-now-mosque was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. 

But before walking in to enjoy the splendor, I read a little plaque beside the doors to the main 

domed sanctuary. It explained that this was the farthest point that common people could go during 

Byzantine times. Only emperors and priests could enter through the doors. Did the people of 

Constantinople burn with resentment that only a select few could even step into, much less enjoy, 

this awe-inspiring building that should have been open to thousands of worshippers seeking Christ? 

Christine D. Pohl writes in Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition that “...Even 

those of us who do not depend on hospitality for basic needs know something of the joy of being 

welcomed warmly. We also know the pain of being excluded.”

 There are a plethora of pomegranates here. Pomegranates to be juiced right before your 

eyes, their tart juice savored immediately. Then there are pomegranates to haggle over with street 

vendors; pomegranates to slowly pick apart for breakfast or a late night snack. The nature of the 

fruit is such that you are forced to eat the pomegranate slowly, seed by seed, pinched between your 

fingers and lifted into your mouth so you can taste even a little bit of its flavorful and distinct juice. 

 I’d been admiring the skillfully crocheted jewelry displayed in a shop window near our flat in 

Istanbul every time I passed by...so one day after Turkish lessons, I dove out of the cold and into the 

little shop with a singsonging “Merhaba!” that surely identified me as American.  I was greeted in 

return by a quiet, gravelly voice from behind a counter too tall for the aging woman who ducked out 

from under it. I slowly looked around the shop, admiring, murmuring “Çok güzel!” as I fingered 

leather shoes and softly patterned dresses around her boutique. She watched me patiently. I asked 

her about the jewelry I so admired, the necklaces shaped into stunningly lifelike grapevines and the 

earrings that looked like hanging berries and the rings decorated by exquisite little flowers. She told 

me that she designed them all herself and pointed to each piece in turn, explaining in broken 

English how long each one had taken to make. I lurched into rudimentary and fumbling Turkish, at 

which she grinned toothily. We exchanged names...and then almost immediately, she said, “Sit! Çay!” 

We sat together in her shop, drinking the steaming tea (from the small Turkish glasses just the right 

size to keep the çay hot while one drinks it) and munching on tiny biscuits. She asked me about what 

I was doing in Istanbul, and I found out from her in bits and pieces (aided by a trusty TurkishEnglish pocket dictionary) how she was half Greek, half Turkish, and practiced Christianity, not  Islam. Her husband and her children were all Muslim, I learned. “Problem var,” she said, nodding with a sad smile. She explained that it was very hard for Christians and Greeks to survive here in Turkey, even in a city as tolerant as Istanbul. She took my dictionary and pointed to the word for “cruel.” We sat there talking about marriage, survival, money, and Islam (at least to the best of our abilities in our respective snippets of Turkish and English). She made more çay. When I had to leave she kissed me on both cheeks and said, “See? Now you are Turkish!” 

 Later that same day I came back to introduce a friend and fellow traveller and immediately 

she sat us all down again with tea and we talked and laughed together. We told her about our recent 

escapade in trying to find a laundromat, after which she immediately offered to wash our clothes any 

time. She showed us more of her jewelry designs and pictures of her grandchildren on Facebook 

(yes, elderly Turkish women use Facebook). I couldn’t help thinking how kindly she had opened up 

to us, and was touched by her generosity in sharing time and tea with us as young foreigners and 

strangers. We had heard that Turkey is known for its culture of hospitality, but the experience with 

my new-found friend showed me a snippet of what this really meant. 

 This was by no means the only experience of our encounters with the hospitality of the 

Turkish people...with them, coffee, company, and conversation are never lacking. Some of the boys 

have made friends with the seventy-year-old janitor of a nearby mosque, and he has a couple of 

times treated them to tea, introduced them to all his friends, and treated them like brothers despite 

their age and nationality. Our group has also developed friendships with a tiny little kebab restaurant 

which we frequent regularly and loyally for chicken or lamb pitas; one of my favorite moments of 

the morning is the cheerful hello that the man who sells fresh orange juice outside our apartment 

and I exchange every time I walk by; and the owner of the small grocery nearby is always willing to 

practice Turkish when we try to buy bread or toilet paper. 

 That’s another thing. People here are usually very enthusiastic to help us practice our Türkçe. 

When a few of us trekked into the Egyptian spice bazaar behind the Yeni Camii one night, we made 

friends with a vendor named Mehmet (“Like the conqueror! It’s a very common name in Turkey”), 

who gave us samples of dried mango and dabbed amber perfume on to our wrists. He took us 

through his stall and pointed to different objects in turn, teaching us their names and repeating the 

unfamiliar words till he was satisfied with our pronunciation. At a little thrift shop one night, we 

talked to a man who said that a group of us should come by twice a week and he would teach us 

Turkish slang because, he said, “You’ll never really know the language unless you know this slang.” 

He told us about what the best Turkish radio stations to listen to were, and told us about life and 

business in Istanbul. We had been trying on a few things in his shop and as we were getting ready to 

leave he gave them to us, saying, “Gifts for you. Come back and visit soon!” 

 I was struck by how all of these experiences would rarely, if ever, occur in the United States. 

Obviously, our country is not devoid of generous people; but there is something innately and 

passionately hospitable about Turks. If a young Turkish student walked into a Starbucks in America, 

never would they be offered free tea and language lessons, or even welcoming conversation. Even as 

an American, I have never really been offered friendship in a shop -- not even, particularly, in the 

places that I might frequent. And heaven forbid an American shop owner giving away something 

without a price, or reaching out to someone who glaringly looks the foreigner. 

 Where is our hospitality? Where is our radically Christian neighborliness, our generosity in 

entertaining the stranger or acquaintance? I think we like the idea of hospitality, but rarely have I 

experienced it in the United States. I am not referring to entertaining guests or friends; this is indeed 

an important and beautiful aspect of kindness and warm reception, but a culture of hospitality goes 

beyond this; it actively reaches out to the stranger. Henri Nouwen writes that hospitality is “the 

creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. 

Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to 

bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing 

lines...” (Reaching Out: Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, 71). This perspective of hospitality is all the more meaningful as we are here in Turkey, dialoguing with Muslims of very different shades of 

faith.

 I know that this observation of hospitality is by no means a new or unique one; I will not say 

what has been said by much more competent writers and theologians than I on the recovery of the 

tradition of hospitality; I will not give you scriptures to chew on about this topic, because I think 

that you should find them yourself. Work for them like picking out the seeds of a pomegranate. 

Seeking and finding the conviction to make changes in one’s life is a labor-intensive process. But this 

is me handing you the pomegranate. This is me trying to digest some of the cultural richness that we 

have been experiencing here in Turkey. 

This is me asking you to open the doors of your Aya Sofya. 

First Impressions...

The following are little pieces of reflections from students and leaders regarding their first impressions of various bits of life in Istanbul.

                                                                                             

Program Assistant Dana Zacharia updates friends at home about seeing the students for the first time in-country:

Last week, the students joined us and I remembered why I was so keen to take this job (one of many reasons). They nearly exploded when they saw this place in which they will be living and studying and adventuring for the next three months. To know that I get to take part in this challenging, formative, and eye-opening time in 22 students' lives is truly a profound honor.

We started Turkish lessons last week and had our first guest speaker - a renowned Turkish journalist, Mustafa Akyol - who whet the students' appetite (that they didn't know they had) for Turkish politics. It was exciting to see them genuinely interested in a topic many of them said they could care less about.

I am also starting to hear talk among the students about God, Islam, Jesus, Christianity and what it all means. The first encounter with the much feared and much misunderstood Islam can and will be a rude awakening for some and will start them on a journey that will shape them and their faith forever. I have already heard students talking about how they have turned back to the Bible for answers to questions they didn't realize they couldn't answer. That excites me.

                                                                                             

Kristabel Stark reminds us that even the smallest little interactions can have huge impacts:

//Stranger
I walk into the music shop and I feel safe. It’s not that I fear bodily harm on the street, but as I step along the cobblestone street full of people and a few intermittent cars and the smell of cigarette smoke and kebab shops and muted European clothing and averted eyes, I am afraid. I am afraid that I do not know who I am. I am afraid that nobody knows who I am. The biggest fear is this: I am afraid that they know me as something different than I know myself as. Who is right? My mind fills with unanswerable questions, like memory-laden dreams so easily forgotten.What does it mean to know? Are we ever anything more than perceptions to each other? 
But I push the glass door of the music shop open, and there is a violin on the wall and I ask the lady behind the desk if I can play it and she hands me a bow and I play Meditation from Thais. And even though my fingernails are way too long and the violin is made in China and it’s flat, I am safe. Because this is empirical. This is the sound of bent airwaves, the sound of years of solitude, the sound of the history of me. And even though I am far from home and something of an abstract concept, there is peace in this place, in my heart, for this moment. I am safe.


                                                                                             

Keaton Hudson comically, and accurately, describes a visit to a Hamam (turkish bath):

SLAP!

You are quickly brought out of your dreamlike state to the sting of a sharp slap against your back. Followed by another one. (At least in Peter Harmon’s case). Fortunately the beatings are followed by a scrubbing. The same man who motioned for you to lie before him on this piece of marble, is now scrubbing you with an instrument that can only be described as a large mitten with something like pumice stone on the exterior. The scrubbing is more thorough than any bath you ever received as a kid. Dirt and dead skin flake off of all parts of your person, looking like black eraser shavings. It crosses your mind that you can’t remember the last time you have ever been this clean. 

Once the scrubbing had been done on both front and back, this same fat hairy Turk barks at you to sit up - and pours warm water all over you. The feeling is cleansing. Now it is time to lay down, this time on your back first. You watch the hairy fellow leave, then return armed with something akin to a wet pillow case. Confused and bewildered at what comes next, you have no choice but to lay in wait for what’s in store. With a quick, brief gust, the fat man exhales air into the pillow case - and suddenly it looks like a massive soapy cloud, descending upon you like the thunderheads behind me as I type. Did I mention I can see both Asia and Europe from my window?

Wringing out the pillow, the fat, wet man completely blankets you in soap and suds - and suddenly this bulbous bloke is more like a gorgeous goddess. The thick, hairy, leathery hands this man owns have turned to heavenly angel-princess hands. The feeling is indescribable as his hands move everywhere (and I mean everywhere), scrubbing, massaging, tugging, pulling, cracking, rubbing every part of your body. You want this moment to last forever. 

East Meets Westmont...

The following pictures are all taken by students.

This is how Westmont sees Istanbul:

Keaton Hudson took this stunning shot of the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) surrounded by the columns of the Hippodrome with the Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) in the background:

Annelise Nystrom shows off the incredible view from her flat in Galata:

Anna Botzong explored the underground Basilica Cistern and came away with this fantastic picture:

Hoş Geldiniz!

Welcome to the official Westmont in Istanbul blog!

This is a forum for the program to relay our happenings, and for the Westmont community to reach out to our program. We are extremely excited to be able to show our community just how amazing this fledgling program really is!

Posts will come from the entirety of the Istanbul community: students, leaders, professors, and maybe some guest content.

Be on the lookout in the near future for pictures, poetry, videos, journal entries, site information, general group musings, and more!

Stay tuned,

Gürüşürüz!