tales of a xenophile

kissing florida goodbye!!!!

I think I heard the famous Turkish drummers this morning! I woke up at 3am, and I remember hearing drums. I told myself to get out of bed and to grab my phone and record it, but I guess I just fell asleep again. Whoops. Hopefully I’ll get another chance tomorrow. The Ramadan drummers I'm referring to are the traditional ones from Muslim history in Turkey that awake those that are fasting for their pre-dawn meal. While this tradition is dying, there are some parts of Turkey that aim to save it. My neighborhood, as it would seem, is one of them.

Living with a Muslim family during Ramadan has been incredibly eye-opening and educational. My host family and I got home from dinner around 11pm last night, because we couldn’t start eating until 8:30pm, which was the time that was assigned to Ankara for Iftar that day. Every city has a different time and each differs by 1 minute, or bir dakika in Turkish. Ramadan (referred to as Ramazan in Turkey) is already so fun. There are pros and cons, however, to being here during the summer holiday. The cons are hungry people, scarier drivers, and the inability to eat or drink outside on the streets. Pros include the festivities at the end (Bayram!), less crowded restaurants, experiencing Iftar, and gaining a unique perspective on the culture. Turkey may be very secular compared to most Muslim nations, but many partake in the fast from sun up to sun down. Several of the exchange students in my group said they were thinking about trying it, so I have to check with them today on how that went.

During the breaking of the fast, or Iftar, the food never stops. This is my favorite time of day! After not eating all day, we typically start with soup and then move on to the main courses that include cheese, side (Turkish pizza of sorts), lamb, and dessert. At the restaurant last night the food just kept coming! The köfte was really good I have to say. At dinner, I met my host sister’s aunt and uncle, along with her almost 17-year-old cousin that had came over the night before to play Monopoly with my host sister and I. My family here is awesome; they’re all very funny and generous.

1. Count of Monte Cristo

2. The sun & the moon & the rolling stones

3. memoirs of a geisha

5. the residence

6. first women (kate andersen browser)

7. z: a novel of zelda fitzgerald