“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. 
