Do Americans have a superiority complex?

While interviewing Professor Udel, I was taken aback that the US doesn’t collect very good data on information related to credit and loans—surprised that other countries have collected much better data sets. (Greg explained off-camera that our nation’s LACK of interest in data collection might be influenced by policy makers whose ideology of self-correcting markets subordinates interest in research). However, the “SECOND THOUGHT” that I had is this: “WHY am I surprised? WHY did I naturally assume that the US would have the best data in the world on business-related issues? Do I make other assumptions of national superiority? Is this national egotism rampant in all countries or more prevalent in the US?”
I certainly don’t have answers to the questions, but I am clear on one thing: As we each try to become more and more capable at spanning international and intercultural boundaries, we must be alert and wary of any unintentional national bias we might communicate to our international colleagues, customers, and friends.

Protests on Taksim Square

Wednesday, June 2. Nearly midnight, looking out my fourth floor window on Taksim Square in Istanbul.
I can't understand what they are saying, but I'm certain this has to do with the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish ship two days ago. I hesitated to post this video for fear that it may shed a negative light on these people whom I've found so dear--reinforce an already existing nervousness Americans feel about Turkey. A friend (a Turkish friend) and I were just chatting this evening about that habit all people have of pigeon-holing other peoples, especially those of whom we have little understanding. Imagine putting on a set of tinted eye glasses and seeing the world always through those lenses. As Westerners, don't we tend to see the Middle East (and people from the Middle East) as religiously repressive , unprogressive, politically hostile? I've witnessed none of these characteristics while visiting. Are there differences between the East and the West? ABSOLUTELY! (And I'll discuss these differences in an upcoming CIBERFocus.) But we must challenge our assumptions about people from Turkey. As my Turkish friend reminded me, Turkey, more than any other place, resists a simplified interpretation. I agree with my friend. Assuming an understanding of others based on a construct of our own design can be limiting, misleading, or worse yet, harmful. But I think the injustice perpetuated by many Americans (including myself) is the error of ignorance. We live an insulated life, a life centered around our own local and personal issues. The U.S. is huge—a super power. We've heard those very words said by politicians and busiess people alike in Turkey. The U.S. must be at the center of other national "minds" because we are a giant. If you were tiny, wouldn't you pay attention to what the giant is doing?

But have we allowed our giant size and might to make us cavalier about the affairs of others? How much did you know about Gaza prior to the invasion a few days ago? What is your opinion? Will your opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict affect your voting decisions? Your activities? Your thoughtful consideration?

Granted, foreign political issues are complex and seem far removed. But as I sit here listening to these protesters chant, sing, and pray...the world seems to have shrunk.
Travel Tips of the Day:
1. Be aware that we have certain lenses we wear and those lenses color the way we see the world as surely as a pair of tinted sunglasses does.
2. Challenge your assumption that your way is the best way. Challenge your assumption that you know people because you've watched a little news.
3. TRAVEL! And whenver possible, meet real people--hang out in places NOT intended for tourists.

Istanbul: Where East Meets West

Istanbul! The only city in the world spanning two continents. We rode from the Asia side to the Europe side on one of two bridges crossing the Bosphorus, the waterway that connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. One begins to truly appreciate the critical role Turkey plays in the world economically and politically. This is a country that understands and can interact positively with both the Middle East and the Western world because it is both worlds.


The city is ancient and as we tour we see the layers and layers of civilizations. Istanbul is not only east meets west, but old meets new. Aya Sofya (or Hagia Sophia) is symbolic of this layering--the first Temple on the site was likely a temple to Athena. Then after destruction, a church was built (537)--the grandest church in the world for over a thousand years until the completion of St Peter's in Rome. The center dome is over 18 stories high and 100 feet across. (The word Sophia means wisdom in Christian tradition--Aya Sophia = Holy Wisdom because it seems only a miracle or Holy Wisdom could keep this dome suspended in the sky--indeed it is a mathematical feat!) Emperor Justinian commissioned the building in gratitude to God for being spared in a horrible fire in the city that killed thousands. (The fires were the result of riots that broke out in the Hippodrome--or chariot race parks). In 1453, Mehmet the Conqueror converted the church to a mosque. You can see traditional Christian angels and mosaics of Christ and the Virgin Mary alongside traditional mosque decorations, the names of Allah and Muhammad and descendents.


Legends abound about the marble column on the way out--wishes might be granted to those who place their thumb in the hole and move their hand 360 degrees. Given the recent events in Gaza and the resulting protests here in Turkey, I, of course, wish for peace. Cliche, perhaps, but nevertheless, a deeply rooted desire in everyone I've met on this journey.


What are the chances I will meet a group of Ball State University students (my alma mater!) while in Instabul?!



We toured the blue mosque today as well, called this only by tourists who stand in awe at the 20,000 blue Iznik tiles within and who perhaps have trouble remembering "Sultan Ahmet Camii," the name local worshippers would use to reference this famous landmark and operating mosque.


We ended our day with a stroll, seafood, and coffee along the Bosphorus.

Cave Cities and Fairy Chimneys

Cappodocia is a surreal area where early Christians built extensive underground cities to live in when escaping invasion.


Volcanic ash created these odd formations called "Fairy Chimneys." Some are inhabited. (Our tour guide lives in one--when I asked if he had water and electricity he laughed and said, "I even have wireless!"


The first agrarian societies of this area dug into the ash formations and used them as dwellings. Monastaries were later developed into the hills and many beautifully preserved frescos still exist.

Muslim Prayer

The Muslim Call to Prayer happens five times a day. I'm inside a museum looking out the window as I film this video capturing the sounds.


The first call happens before sun rise and the person praying has until the sun comes up to make that first morning prayer. The other calls happen throughout the day and people have from the time of the call until the next call to offer prayer. The small business we visited today had a prayer room--a small, simple space with a curtain covering the opening. Men and women pray in different places. Through my American lens, I've always assumed the separation was because of some inherent religious sexism, but the women I've talked to in Ankara insist that the practice is merely a physical thing--the prayer postures put one in a rather immodest position and it would be less conducive to one's spirituality if worrying about who might get a glimpse of what! Friday is a more formalized or communal day for prayer. A large business in Kaysari that we plan to visit on Friday asked us not to come until after noon because many of the employees would be going to mosque for prayer. The mosques are amazing. At first I thought they were everywhere (and they are!) but then I realized that if I could see and clearly identify church buildings and synagogues from a distance, most towns and cities in the States, too, would seem to have a plethora of religious buildings. The domed architecture and the towering minurets make the mosques distinguishable. The person responsible for crying out the call to prayer climbs the stairs within the minuret to call. (At least historically--many of the calls are now electronic.) I’m delighted by these magnificent structures (even the most humble of mosques is striking) tucked into unexpected places such as high rise neighborhoods and popping out to surprise you as you turn corners.

Turkish Culinary Delights

On Sunday I met more of our group at the breakfast buffet of olives, cheeses, fresh and dried fruits (love the figs!), cereal, and Turkish tea. Spent some time getting Internet IP addresses set up on my computer. There is a business center at Midas Hotel where we are staying but the keyboard has several characters in odd places and, of course, the browsers are all in Turkish. I eventually worked with the front desk and got Technical Support to my room. Imagine resolving computer problems with only body language and pointing. Without the ability to communicate, I find myself more cautious and tentative about going out alone or getting into predicaments than I ever would be in an English-speaking country. Amazingly, many service providers here and all of the faculty at Bilkent University (our host school) speak English. I am grateful and humbled at the Turks’ willingness to accommodate my lack of language acumen.

 

We see some lovely views of Ankara on our way to dinner.

 

Baybars, our tour guide, explains Turkish holiday customs in this video.

 

He takes us on a detour at our request to see a residential neighborhood. Check out a middle class Turkish neighborhood in the video.

 

The welcome dinner is an amazing event. Five courses beginning with meze). Had there been a menu of our dinner it would have looked something like this:

 

Course 1: Cold Meze (similar to appetizers, meze is an assortment of small dishes that are the heart and soul of Turkish cuisine).

•  Hummus


• Bakla ezmesi—dried fava beans that are cooked, mashed with garlic and olive oil, dill, and lemon juice and turned into a paté.


• Yaprak sarma-grape leaves stuffed with rice, currants, and pine nuts


• Zeytinyağli—green beans, artichoke hearts, peppers stewed in olive oil and served cold


• Imam bayildi (which means the imam or holy man swooned)—an eggplant stuffed with onion, garlic, parsley, and tomato and stewed in olive oil.

Course 2: Hot Meza

•  Sarma—black cabbage stuffed with ground meat and spices


•  Börek—filo pastries stuffed with cheese

Course 3:

•  Ezme—no greens but instead a salad of chopped tomatoes (as good as the ones that ripen in back yard gardens in the late summer in Indiana), onion, lemon juice and olive oil.

 

Course 4:

•  grilled lamb


•  grilled chicken


•  spinach,


•  rice,


•  peppers.

Course 5:

•  Dessert plate of small syrup drizzled delicacies including baklava (our our Turkish host, Örsan, tells me is originally Turkish not Greek as I’d always believed! My Greek friend concedes that it is possible given that the Ottoman empire occupied Greece for over 400 years!)

 

Everything was absolutely “ lezzetli” (delicious!) Are you drooling yet? With our meal, I tried raki, the traditional Turkish 80 proof or higher drink mixed with water which turns it to a milky white color. Smells like licorice (anise)—tastes like, well…..I probably won’t order it again!

 

A colleague and I apparently dawdle a bit too long because as we exit the restaurant, we watch aghast as the tour bus pulls away without us. Did I mention that I was feeling a bit apprehensive about getting into a predicament? THIS would qualify as just such an event. After a few moments of troubleshooting, the bus returns. Allen, from Kansas U, said the vote to come back for us was 8 to 7. I’ve got to find some new travelling companions! :)

 

Travel Tip of the Day: (The one I didn’t need but that prevented full scale panic tonight) ALWAYS, ALWAYS carry the name, phone number, and address of your hotel with you. A cab driver with NO English can still read the paper and get you where you need to be.

Some Things Are The Same The World Around

“Merhaba,”or “Hello” from Ankara, capital of Turkey. I arrived at my hotel around 5:00p.m. (10 a.m. Eastern). Almost immediately Dr. Dan Spencer, our Kansas University trip coordinator greeted me. Several in our group went for a walk to work out some of the discomfort that 20 hours of sitting induces. Örsan Örge, our Turkish host, did his Ph.D. at Kansas. KU Center for International Business and Education Research (CIBER) organized this trip so several in our group had Örsan as a student some years back. He grew up in Ankara and now teaches here at Bilkent University. Örsan took us for a walk through some shopping areas and to a park. Then off to dinner— Örsan’s pick. He tells us that he’ll take us to one of his favorite places. I’m expecting authentic Turkish food but instead. . . . pizza and beer. My family has a long standing tradition of pizza and beer on Saturday nights—funny how some things are the same the world over. Granted there are some differences to be sure: the pizza had eggplant (“patlican") on it and the beer was a local brand (Efes)that I’d never heard of it but quite enjoyed. We sat outside even though it was a little chilly. I wish more US restaurants would adopt the practice of sharing shawls with diners so we can still enjoy the great outdoors on cool evenings. My eggplant pizza Örsan says IS authentic Turkish food—but more from the Mediterranean coast than the central part of Turkey where we are. Where in the world is Ankara?

Check out this Turkish map to get your bearings. Next week when we move to Istanbul, we'll literally be straddling Europe and Asia. 

Turkey Trip Preparation

What is your preparation routine when preparing to leave on a trip to a brand new location, an international location?  I leave Friday for my CIBER-sponsored, premier trip to Turkey.  I've made a packing list that includes essentials such as converter and adaptor for my cell phone charger and more importantly for my hair straightener (I wouldn't want to embarrass Indiana University by showing up with frizzy hair!), passport, travelers cheques (just in case Plan A to use a debit card at ATMs doesn't work out), snack bag (word on the street has it that Turks eat dinner much later than my mid-western system is accustomed to), good walking shoes, and an umbrella.  And of course in the carry on, the Fodor's book on Turkey and the essentials that I can NOT live without if my luggage doesn't arrive with me (Those "must haves" tell you a lot about a person,I suspect--what do my items of Dramamine, toothbrush,and camera tell you about me. What would your carry on items tell me about you?) 

As important as the packing list is to a successful trip to a foreign country, it's also critical to do some basic research. Americans get a bad reputation as international travellers because we, too often, assume American ways will prevail wherever we wander.  I don't want to be perceived as the "rude American"  so I know to cover my arms, legs, and head when visiting a mosque and to remain standing as a sign of respect (no matter how tired by tootsie toes might be.) I know to leave  the sandals at home and to be cautious of displaying or touching something with my feet when in the Middle East.  I've learned a few basic phrases to help me be courteous and polite:  Hello or "mer-hab-a"; Please or "lewt-fen"; Thank you "tay-shake-kur eh -day-reem" (Oh dear, I may need to keep my flash cards handy for "thank you!") And of course, "Tuvalet nerede?" (Those of you who have travelled with me and counted my frequent stops at "facilities" will piece that one together on your own!)

Flight plan--leave Friday---Chicago, Munich, Ankara.  More from Ankara.

Goodbye for now or ("Allahaismarladik"--argh!  I need another flash card!)