I am from New England, a place where we take baseball seriously. Where we cheer for the Boston Red Sox... or whoever beats the New York Yankees. Where we sing "Sweet Caroline" -BA BA BA!- and we'll "Take [You] Out to the Ballgame." I am a Sox fan, and proud of it.
I think this might be why I can easily understand the rivalry between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe - the two biggest football (soccer) teams in Turkey.
I support Galatasaray, one of the teams from İstanbul. Their colors are red and gold, and their mascot is a lion. (How could I not support them, it's Gryffindor!) My first host grandmother and my second family are huge supporters, and their enthusiasm transfered on to me. I've found that no matter where I go, no matter what I do, people will ask what team I support. It helps to find something in common, to find something to talk about, something like football.
Watching Galatasaray supporters march down the street in Kızılay
Yesterday, it was the final match of the season, down to the last two teams - Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. After spending a delightful day in Kızılay with some friends and buying lots of Galatasaray merchandise, I went to the Golf Club with Fernanda and my second host family. We sat in our chairs and ate tavuk şiş, on the edge of our seats, waiting to see who would win the championship. My host sister, Naz, kept coming over and screaming "EN BÜYÜK GALATASARAY!" (Galatasaray is the best!) We couldn't help but to agree with her. Balls were kicked, red cards were given, but no goals were scored. With a tie of zero, the game went into overtime. Because Galatasaray had won the previous game, they were declared the winners! ŞAMPIYON!!!
Going to this game definitely helped me to see a bit into Turkish culture - they LOVE their football! Being able to experience this with my Turkish friends and family really helped me to see how important football is here, how it brings Turks together to support teams and creates an interesting dynamic in society. I can remember how when I was living with my first host mother, the little boys on the servis (schoolbus) would ask me "Hangi takım tutuyorsun?" and I would respond with Galatasaray. While some of the boys would give me high-fives and cheer for "Cim bom bom" others would cluck their tongues and shake their heads. (Girl picked the wrong team, tsktsk).
Overall, I really enjoyed this experience - following the games throughout the season, waiting to see what it all boiled down to - who would win, who would lose. Being a part of it and seeing the final match really helped me to understand how sports are really important and how they can bring people together, no matter where they are from.
Aa, bugün çok iyiydi! Gelecek Cuma günü, arkadaşım Mathe'nin doğum günü olacak (o da bir öğrenci değişım, Brezilya'dan), ama biz bu hafta sonu kutladık. Arkadaşlarımla ben Luna Park'a gittim. Çok eğlendik!
Today was such a fantastic day! Next Friday is my friend Mathe's birthday (he's another exchange student, from Brazil), but we celebrated it today. With my friends, we went to Luna Park. We had so much fun!
Luna Park
Fernanda waiting for her doom
Mathe ve ben
This was a really fantastic experience, because I had never been to a Turkish amusement park. It was great! Although there were no intense rollercoasters, we still had a blast on the spinny, make-your-stomach-drop rides! We even made new friends waiting in line- some Turkish soldiers who wanted to hear all about America and Brazil, and of course how much we love Turkey!
I'm still bad at keeping up... WHAT HAPPENED? In the beginning I would post once or twice a week, and now I don't even have time to post once every two months. Okay. Let's go.
I'd like to talk about switching families, which is one of the Rotary program ideals. Most people have at least three families so that they can see different aspects of life in another culture. A few weekends ago I switched from my second family to my third, but I never really talked about what it's like moving from my first to my second. So here it goes:
Moving families is stressful. My thought process: Poop! I have to put all the things in the suitcases and somehow get the suitcases from one end of the city to the other, and meanwhile my things have quadrupled in number and nothing fits and- Ohno! I'll have to truck all this stuff back to the States and its like a 22 kilo weight thingy and- Gack! NOTHING FITS.
Fact: I fit in my suitcases, my things do not.
Moving from my first family to my second was a big life change. I had gotten used to (in 3,5 months) to living in a two bedroom apartment very close to the city center, a lot of freedom and responsibility, and living with just anne, my mother.
1st house, in summer
Then, in a flash of light and a swirl of packing, I found me and my luggage in the bedroom of my new home - something equivalent to a Beverly Hills mansion. I had two parents, a dog, and a little sister. And we lived in the "country," which is to say that I have to walk a ways through the streets in order to get from bus to house.
2nd house, in winter
And now, I live with my third family, again in the city. I'm learning to ride the metro with ease and use a combination of transportation to get to my destination (rhyming...). I live in a three bedroom apartment with Anne (my fantastic chef of a host mother), Elif (my amazing host sister who loves all the same things as me), and sometimes Anneanne, my tiny, funny grandmother.
3rd house, in spring
This is one aspect of the Rotary program that I really like- being able to experience different things. I am certainly learning more about Turkey and Turkish families by having different experiences with all three.
